Cozy Christmas Tree Corner
Mrs. Sentimental over here has a story for you. Actually, I feel like our entire Christmas Tree is a story. I have come to fall in love with the memorable tales our tree can hold. Things to look back at each year as our ornament collection grows. With keep holiday storage limited, filling a tree could be tricky. Getting creative & crafty helps & I share all of that here. Most importantly, our tree holds so much sentimental value from the basket at the base to the sweater star on top — for now. This is a story I will love sharing & adding to each year.
Disclosure : This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links at no cost to you. This is made for full transparency.
In this blog post you will happily find…
+ story behind our cozy christmas corner
+ my design formula for tree decorating
+ links for ideas you can use in your corner
The story behind our cozy Christmas corner.
I had a vision for this corner almost since we bought the house. This is our first Christmas here, we closed very end of December last year. We knew this is where a fireplace would once live — which in turn meant this corner would hold our tree. Layer & texture were a must, but the rest were pieces that needed to fall into place.
As I have talked about a number of times, I am not big into storing things. I am more of a “multi-purpose-get-creative” kind of decorator. In the past years we have used blankets for tree skirts which I still love. This year, however, we have a water obsessed toy Pom that just cannot contain herself when it comes to us having a real tree with a pot of water within reachable distance. Honestly, this is how the idea of using a basket first began. I have seen a few people using them on social media, as well, & always thought it made so much sense. A basket that can hold a tree today & blankets next season so it could still be used.
I set on a hunt to many thrift stores & Facebook Marketplace to find this perfect basket. I didn’t need it to be big enough to fit the tree in because I figured that would be tough. Others have cut the base out of a basket & then a slit in the side to then slip it around the tree base, giving the illusion that the tree is sitting inside of it. This is also why I couldn’t bring myself to buy a brand new basket. They are pretty expensive for a substantial size & cutting something new just isn’t okay with me. After a failed few hunts, I texted the “Sikma Ladies” group message for assistance. Multiple ideas were thrown out & some options that did not deem liable were shot down. Efforts were appreciated though. A bit later I got a call from Luke’s grandma with the best news!
She had stored a very, very large basket in a spare room to hold blankets. A basket she couldn’t bring herself to part with. About 12 years ago, just before Luke & I started dating, he lost his Grandpa — someone I very missed out on meeting. This basket held a beautiful assortment of flowers at his ceremony, therefore, making it an extra special sentiment. Luke’s grandma was so kind & generous to lend me this basket that with the help of a couple 2x4’s held our tree base perfectly. Something that will now stay in the family for whoever needs a substantially large basket & something we can store our warm blankets & special items in through out the non-holiday season.
Design formula to keep in mind when decorating your tree.
Tree Base
Starting from the bottom — which actually we did last & was a regret. Moving an already decorated tree is not simple. Determine what you will use to separate the tree corner from the rest of the room. I used this round jute rug that fits our corner perfectly. I highly recommend using a rug underneath your tree to add layers, texture & a separation visionally. We then used this lamb fabric to create a brighter layer & winter feel. Both of these items were from Hobby Lobby, the rug being just $25! When it comes to the skirt you use, I am loving the collars. Having a hard surface with height brings a different visual point vs just using a fabric that flows into the ground. If you are to use fabric such as an actual tree skirt or a blanket, the more texture the better. Bunch it up to create depth & make sure the coloring is within scheme — but not the same — as your other layers. From here your presents will fill in the colors, textures & dimensions for the full Christmas feel. Unless this is your second, third, either tree in the house. No pressure to fill each with gifts!
Tree Middle
Again — keep in mind that I am a sentimental, minimal storage type of person. I used to not get much out of using our special, personal ornaments. They didn’t fit the aesthetic I felt. Silly me. Nothing says more holiday cheer than gifts & collections from through out the years. Also, using these collected ornaments makes it so you have less bins of other ornaments in your basement! This year I did purchase 1 packages of ornaments that I may add to through out the years. This is where your color scheme will come into play. I love the deep Burgundy reds & the gold tones for Christmas. These pop well with the tradition of sliced oranges — read that DIY blog post here — as well as the assortment of colors from your collected ornaments. Use different shapes & sizes & finishes to create as much dimension as possible. The packages I got were two different sizes & shapes & then came with matte, glitter & shiny ornaments. For stems, I added a handful of faux greenery stems that I keep on hand for balloon arches. These do not take up much storage space & get used many times through out the year. I also picked our dried & winter struck hydrangea tops from the bushes outside. The gold color they hold is perfect as well as the natural element they provide. These pair well with the orange slices like discussed in yesterdays blog post! Add some beads, wood, string or ribbon to loop your tree & you are done!
Tree Top
This is my struggle. We do not have any special topper that is meaningful to us as of yet. Nothing that was gifted or given that adds sentimental value. I am hoping that something will come up over the years especially as our family grows. Something we photograph & admire for years to come. For now? This stuffed sweater star from Target does the trick. I would love to hear some of your tree topper stories. Anything sentimental, passed down for years to come, good story telling angels or stars that you use? I would love some ideas so that in future Christmases we can find something that becomes tradition for our little ones to fight over having the opportunity to put up themselves!
Ideas for you to create a cozy Christmas corner in your home.
I went through & found a few shop-able options to recreate our Tree corner this year. Much of what I have has been collected or made, therefore cannot be directly purchased — but there are always options!
Christmas trees are the ultimate holiday creative outlet. There are no rules & anything you throw at it has the simple potential of looking fabulous. My advice, as always, is to make it make sense for you. Don’t feel the need to have bins on bins on bins that sit for the remaining 11 months. Your tree can look just as showstopping without spending hours on end stuffing stems between every missing branch.
**Hint : I do want to add my number one recommendation for all things greenery — dried & faux. Hobby Lobby is my go to place for all things greenery. I do a lot of their dried stems. Watch for when things are 50% because when in doubt, if its not this week it will be the next! Their garland & hanging bushes are my favorite & what I use for most things, too. I just find ones that the small pieces can be cut or plucked off so I can have all different sizes. No need to by all small individual stems, buy a big bundle & cut them to your desired size!
Below are some links for copy cats of our look. These are commissionable links, so if you purchase something from my recommendation, I may receive compensation. Just wanted you to be aware! Everything shared is something I would love for my home & is a full recommendation.
All links are Target or Amazon, of course!
As a story teller, almost everything I do or use shares a sentiment. It has created a warm & memorable home for us. Especially around the holidays, I want to encourage you to create less pressure on price tags & busyness & put a heavier value on the meaning of things. Add a few extra touches from family members, your garden & a DIY with friends. It may not be magazine worthy according to societal standards, but I will tell you that the story it tells with mean much, much more. Right now it is just me & my husband — which means just me when it comes to decorating. I dream of doing these activities & telling these stories to little ones. Those years will be special, too. I say this in case you are feeling alone or feel as if there is no reason to tell a story in your corner because there is no one to hear it. Share it here, I guarantee you that those reading these pages are eager to hear these special stories. They are worth representing in your home over the holidays & absolutely worth sharing to the world.