23 Best Christmas Tree Ribbon Decorating Ideas to Twirl Up Your Tree
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and that means one of our favorite traditions of the year: decorating the Christmas tree. Whether you’re a traditionalist who treasures dragging out the boxes of old family ornaments each and every year or someone who thinks every Christmas is the opportunity for a new theme, one thing is a constant: ribbon is the perfect way to complete your look. Those holiday gifts aren't finished until they've been embellished with ribbons and bows, so why should your tree be any different?
There are so many beautiful ways to use ribbon on your Christmas tree—from simple ribbon ties to cascading garlands to statement tree toppers (and, yes, bows!). While some ideas may take a little more time than others, they’re all easy to create once you have the basics down. Here are our best tips and ideas to get you started:
What Kind of Ribbon To Use To Decorate a Christmas Tree:
With so many ribbons out there to choose from, it helps to first decide what style and material of ribbon you want to use. If you love the the look and feel of a classic Christmas, steer towards tartan plaid ribbon. If your style leans more rustic, jute or burlap ribbon is a good choice for you. For the glitz-and-glam holiday lovers, a ribbon with metallic hints or made of shiny satin is best. You’ll also want to grab your sharpest ribbon-cutting scissors and Christmas light clips to keep things in place while you play around with the look.
How to Decorate a Christmas Tree With Ribbon:
1. A Ribbon Garland
Start at the top of your tree and secure the ribbon end to the top of a branch with a clip. Carefully wind your way around the tree, going over and under branches as you come down. If you run out of ribbon as you go, clip the end somewhere in the back of the tree and repeat the same process with your new strand. You can also use wire-edged ribbon for a more structured look.
2. Vertical Ribbon Strands
Begin by cutting six to eight pieces of ribbon that are each approximately a foot longer than the height of your tree. (You can cut more strips if you want a fuller ribbon look.) Secure one end of each ribbon to the top of the tree with a clip. (We recommend getting a large tree topper to hide all the clips!) Let each strand cascade down the tree, tucking it back where you would like to create a fold.
3. A Ribbon Bow Tree Topper
The mechanics of a tying ribbon tree topper are similar to tying a regular bow. We recommend using a wire-edged ribbon for this so that your bow keeps its shape all season long. First, cut a strip of ribbon long enough to leave you with no shorter than 6 in. tails. You can then tie it to the top of the tree in a simple two-loop bow or create multiple loops for a show-stopping look.
Get more ideas and inspiration for decorating your home for holidays:
Statement Ribbon Garland
For a refined rustic look, keep the palette and design simple. In this Mississippi lakeside hunting lodge, designers Richard Keith Langham and Cass Ross-Retz filled the 10-foot-tall Leyland Cypress Christmas tree with wooden hand-turned ornaments then wrapped it with wide claret-colored burlap ribbon.
RELATED: More Rustic Christmas Tree Ideas for Your Country Farmhouse
Fragrant Dried Citrus Ribbon Garland
Add a touch of color and fragrance to your tree with a dried citrus ribbon garland. Here, at the Dutch Colonial-style farmhouse of homeowners Shawn Lang and Kristofer Prepelica of The Farmhouse Project, a narrow tartan plaid ribbon threaded through slices of dried navel oranges delivers the finishing touch to the postcard-perfect tree.
RELATED: Here’s How to Dry Citrus for All Your Holiday Decorations
Oversize Bow Topper
It’s true, everything really is better all tied up with a bow. For a tree with a humble, homespun feel top your perfectly imperfectly shaped Christmas tree with a big gingham bow. Keep the tails long for bigger impact. For a little extra flourish, continue the bow trend below by wiring pre-tied bows on branches throughout.
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Unifying Ribbon Accents
For a Christmas tree filled with mix of ornament styles and colors, casually weave strips of red-and-green plaid or striped ribbon throughout the tree for a unifying element that keeps it in the traditional spirit.
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Playful Bow Ornaments
Who needs lights when you can have bows? At her family’s California cabin, textile designer Heather Taylor skipped the lights and traditional tree ornaments in exchange for a happy and colorful mix of casually tied bows. While the ribbons are in a variety of colors, keeping them all gingham gives a unifying look.
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Rustic Jute Cascades
For a rustic look, cascade striped jute ribbon—such as upholstery webbing—down the complete height of your Christmas tree. Add additional holiday charm by attaching jingle bells to the ribbon with glue or a few simple stitches.
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Whimsical Prize Ribbon Garland
You can create a charming, first-rate garland by stringing together prize ribbons or other colorful collections (try pennants, scouting badges, or vintage travel tags) with floral wire. Choose a wide tree so that the garland will have space to stretch across, and coordinate your ribbon selection to match your existing Christmas decor.
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Soft and Pretty Ribbon Accents
When tucked deeper toward the middle of the tree, ribbon garland helps fill in holes and adds some unifying color to your Christmas tree, while letting your ornaments and other decorative garlands take center stage. To get the look, add the ribbon garlands prior to hanging your other ornaments, making sure to tuck the ribbon further back into the branches.
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Golden Ribbon Touches
Casually draped around your Christmas tree, a garland of wide satin ribbon—three inches is best!—adds softness with a golden touch. Adding a ribbon garland is easy to do. Just start at the top and wind your way around the tree, loosely going over and under branches along the way.
Prefer a primarily red, silver, or even blue tree? Use ribbon garland in your favorite color to establish the color palette and tie all your tree decorations together.
Simple DIY Ribbon Ties
No ornaments? No problem! Ribbon provides a festive touch to each branch when tied in place with a simple knot.
Add additional texture with DIY pine cone ornaments. To make: Wrap baker’s twine around the circumference of a pine cone and then tie the ends together creating a loop for hanging.
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Bold Jute Banner Garland
For a fun farmhouse look, make a jute ribbon banner garland. Here’s how: Cut short strips of jute ribbon—such as striped upholstery webbing—then fold each strip over a long strand of heavy jute twine and secure with glue. You can also use a pre-made burlap banner garland and embellish as you’d like.
Farmhouse Plaid Garland
Red tartan plaid is always right for the holidays! Choose wire-edged plaid ribbon that’s at least two inches wide for a high-impact garland.
Bows, Bows, and More Bows
Ribbons easily tied into big accent bows help establish an unexpected holiday look. Use a combination of solid and patterned ribbons for a fun and interesting mix. Then add some solid-colored ball ornaments, and your tree is all set for the holiday celebrations to begin!
Jute Rope Garland
Get the softness of ribbon with a little less fuss by using jute rope for your garland. Add even more personality by hanging holiday greeting cards to the rope using mini clothespins.
RELATED: 30 Handmade Christmas Card Ideas to Make for Friends and Family
Simple Bow Tree Topper
Even a Charlie Brown-esque tree can get in on the pretty with a generous ribbon bow as a tree topper; no other decorations are needed. Decorating tip: Choose a wire-edged ribbon for a bow that keeps its form.
Grandmillenial Velvet Bow Topper
If the soft tones of pastels and velvet and estate sale–esque heirlooms like mercury glass, ginger jars, and needlepoints make your heart sing, then a grandmillenial-inspired Christmas tree is just what your home needs to feel festive and bright this holiday season. For a prim and proper topper, make a bow from two-inch velvet ribbon. Tie it just as you would shoelaces to evoke an effortlessly chic French-girl vibe. Let the ends flow a third of the way down the tree, and trim ends at an angle.
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Luxe All-White Accents
For a luxe look, wrap your Christmas tree with shimmery white organza ribbon, then cover the tree with big bows made of the same ribbon.
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Rustic Tartan Ribbon Touches
Bring on the plaid! For many, it just isn’t Christmas until you've decked the halls with red tartan plaid. To give your tree a rustic, homespun feel, weave strands of a classic red-and-green plaid ribbon in a tartan pattern, such as Stewart and Chisholm, in a loose haphazard way (rather than a straight single garland around the tree). Even better, layer ribbons in a mix of different tartan designs. Then tie a big-looped bow on the top branch as a ribbon tree topper, and you’re ready to celebrate. And don’t forget your plaid-wrapped packages to layer on even more festive tartan!
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DIY Ribbon Ornament Hangers
Forgo run-of-the-mill metal ornament hangers in exchange for pretty satin ribbon. Threaded through the wire loop of the ornament cap and attached with a quick knot, the ribbon ties bring hits of color and softness amongst the mass of green branches.
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Elegant Ribbon Tree Topper
There’s no need to go out and buy an expensive tree topper. Top your Christmas tree with an elegant ribbon tree topper that’s easy to make yourself. Simply tie a big bow in your favorite wire-edged ribbon (the wider the ribbon, the bigger the statement), then, by threading green florist’s wire through the back side of the bow's knot, secure the bow to the top branch. Leave the ends extra long for a more dramatic tree topper.
Glitzy Ribbon Garland
Never afraid of too much glitz, Jolie Sikes-Smith and Amie Sikes of the Texas sister lifestyle duo Junk Gypsies use strands of gold and black striped ribbon to give their crown-topped tree more regal glitz.
RELATED: Get More Holiday Decorating Ideas from Jolie & Amie
Cheerful Ribbon Streamers
Casually cascading strands of ribbon add the last layer of Christmas’ favorite accent color—red—to this festive tree. To get the look, start with a large roll of fabric ribbon. Cut three or four long lengths of ribbon that each measure a bit more than twice the height of the tree. Hang each length of ribbon from its middle at the top of the tree. For a pretty finish, let the ribbons puddle slightly on the floor and cut the ends on the diagonal.
Shimmery Tulle Garland
A wrap of shimmery mesh tulle ribbon gives your Christmas tree a flirty, feminine touch. The look pairs perfectly with beaded snowflakes and pink and blue glass ornaments. To get a similar feel without some of the pouf, use shimmery organza ribbon in a two or three-inch width.
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