When my husband and I first moved in together, we got a tiny Christmas tree for our tiny Manhattan apartment. It was just 3 feet tall, and we decorated it with inexpensive ball ornaments. We loved it because it was ours, of course. Fast-forward 15 years later, and while our tree is larger now, it still includes those first-year ornaments, along with some sentimental baubles we’ve collected over the years. I layer everything together to make it perfect for us, but I’m always looking for new tree-trimming tricks to level up my holiday game.
Social media is the perfect place for inspiration, though I had to wonder if it was even possible to get those looks in real life. After all, those trees look like they belong in a magazine. Can regular people pull that off? I’m here to tell you that they can! Nestled in with the pretty pics and videos where people are clearly just showing off, I found a few incredibly simple and surprisingly cheap hacks that will make any tree more cohesive and Instagram-worthy.
Ready to work a little Christmas magic on your tree? Read on to learn some creative ways to spruce up your spruce for just a few dollars—or nothing at all.
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1. Create chic ornament clusters with pipe cleaners
@whatlololikes My favorite tip to step up your Christmas Tree Game! #ChristmasTree #ChristmasTreeDecorating #ChristmasOrnaments #HolidaySpirit #ChristmasHack ♬ original sound – 🤍✨Lauren✨🤍
Ornament hooks can be unwieldy. The ornaments dangle freely from them, making it easy for them to fall and shatter if, say, an errant toddler or pet knocks into the Christmas tree. Plus, those single ornaments can create sparse areas and a disjointed feel. Enter: the pipe cleaner hack. You basically use an ordinary pipe cleaner to link together ball ornaments, creating sturdy decor that looks super posh.
TikTok creator @whatlololikes calls this “the key to a stunning Christmas tree,” since “you can tie them on your tree exactly where you need them. … They just look so much better, definitely fills up the tree easier.”
Here’s how to do it:
- Take a pipe cleaner—either in the same color family as your ornaments or as the tree, so it blends in—and slide three to five ball ornaments of various sizes on it. In the video, @whatlololikes sticks with a red, silver and white color theme, but you can get creative with your own look.
- Bundle the ornaments on the pipe cleaner, clustering the balls together in the middle as you pull the ends of the pipe cleaner together. Arrange them as you like, in varying heights, to make them pop.
- Finally, tie the pipe cleaner ornament bundle securely to your chosen tree branch, either under or over it.
And that’s it! Minimum effort, maximum results.
2. Customize ornaments with a simple wrap-around
@designsbydylanpChristmas Ornament Hack♬ original sound – Designs by Dylan
You know how some ornaments come with a long string? Well, TikToker @designsbydylanp has some harsh words about that. “Nothing is trashier, in my opinion, than having that long string like that,” he says. Ouch! When those long strings are attached to heavier ornaments, they can also weigh down a tree’s branches, making it look even worse over time.
Well, luckily, there’s a quick—and completely free—fix for this. By wrapping that long string around a branch, the ornament string is no longer exposed and instead sits flush against the branch.
This is so easy, we probably don’t need to provide directions, but here you go:
- Place the ornament on the desired branch.
- Hold the top of the string in place while you wrap the ornament and remaining string around the branch until it’s snug.
You can either wrap the ornament further into the tree to fill in holes or add more visual interest, or keep the ornament closer to the outside, depending on how you want your tree to look. One important note: This only works for ornaments on strings, not hooks.
3. Use a hidden wire to craft an ornament garland
@marinamcavoyYou will need ornaments (Shatterproof only) Floral wire, floral wire cutters. I used scissors and it was fine. Start by cutting about 2 to 3 feet of floral wire, then thread the first ornament through. You will secure that ornament by giving the floral wire a twist at the top of the ornament. Now start adding the rest of the ornaments. I did all different sizes. It will take shape on it’s own. Make sure to leave some Floral wire at the bottom and at the top. That’s what you will use to secure the ornaments to the tree. I added each section one by one. I also added some other decor to fill in the tree. You can do this with any color of ornaments. Also, please don’t feel the need to buy new ones if you have some use what you have. I think it turned out so cute and different. ❤️✨🌲 Hope you try it too. 🙌🏻🌹♬ Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Ornaments fashioned into garlands? Why not! This is a different form of ornament cluster, courtesy of TikTok creator @marinamcavoy. She goes for a monochromatic red look with oversized ornaments in various textures, which really packs a visual punch.
Her secret ingredient? Floral wire. This stainless steel thread, which you can get on Amazon or at craft stores, usually provides structure and support in—you guessed it—floral arrangements. But it’s also the hero of many a DIY project, including this elegant creation.
- Cut about 2 to 3 feet of floral wire with scissors or wire cutters.
- String the first ball ornament through the wire, securing it by twisting the wire at the top of the ornament. Make sure to leave a little bit of wire at the top and bottom to be able to secure it to the tree.
- Add the rest of your ornaments, as many as it takes to make the wire feel full. You can go for different sizes, colors or shapes—it’s up to you!
- When the wire is filled, secure the garland section to the tree by wrapping the free ends of the wire to branches at the top and bottom.
- Repeat with the next section of garland until your tree has a cascading garland from top to bottom!
After the garland is attached to the tree, try filling in the rest with florals and other choice ornaments to pull the whole look together. Fancy—for cheap!
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Sources:
- @whatlololikes on TikTok: “Christmas Decorating Hack”
- @designsbydylanp on TikTok: “Christmas Ornament Hack”
- @marinamcavoy on TikTok: “DIY cascading ornament garland”
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