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Traditional Christmas Tree Ideas For A Classic, Timely Look

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traditional christmas tree with plaid ribbon, red florals

When it comes to Christmas, are you a traditionalist? Does the thought of a pink Christmas tree make you cringe? Don’t understand why people would stray from red & green shades? If so, you’re going to want to check out these beautiful but traditional Christmas tree ideas for a classic Christmas look!

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Basic Christmas Tree Themes

Did you know that there are 8 main Christmas decorating themes? It may seem like themed Christmas trees are just a random mix of colors and creative styles.

christmas tree at night with red ornaments, tree skirt

But in reality, any Christmas tree that looks well put together will have at least one general theme. When Christmas product designers start on a new collection, these are the 8 main themes for Christmas trees that they use:

Because of this, when you go to shop for Christmas decorations in the store, you’ll see items from these main themes! Once you decide on a theme or two to use, it makes shopping that much more simple.

Now you don’t have to stick with decorations in just one Christmas tree theme. In fact, the most creative Christmas trees will often feature elements from two or more Christmas tree themes.

But it helps to get started by focusing on one Christmas tree theme and building out your tree decorations from there.

Traditional Christmas Tree Ideas

Let’s explore the ultimate classic Christmas tree theme: Traditional!

traditional Christmas tree with red florals, plaid ribbon

Traditional Christmas trees ideas take their cues from many of the hallmarks of “British” styling. Things like plaids & holly berries, blue & white chinoiserie accents, coupled with classic Christmas colors are all used in the Traditional Christmas tree theme.

However, any Christmas tree decorated with just the classic Christmas colors of “red and green”, “red and white” or “red and gold” will generally come across as traditional – no plaid needed!

You can make your Christmas tree look traditional by decorating it with the following items:

  • Plaid ribbons, ornaments & details
  • Velvet, silk, poplin & satin fabrics
  • Pine cones, evergreens, holly berry, holly leaf, poinsettia & magnolia florals, greenery
  • Classic Christmas colors – red, green, white, gold, navy, royal blue
  • Traditional Christmas colored ornaments
  • Holy family, angel, Santa, nutcracker, cardinal accents
  • Blue & white, chinoiserie details
  • Any decorations that read as “classic Christmas”, “British”, “New England”, “red & green”, “red & white”, “red & gold” “tartan” & “plaid”.

In short, the Traditional Christmas tree theme emphasizes trees with British styling & classic colors schemes. Think Will & Kate, Downton Abbey, English country houses & London at Christmas time.

Traditional Christmas Tree Decor

Some rustic accents like pine cones can be used along with other traditional Christmas decorations such as angels, the Holy Family, Santa, nutcrackers & cardinal birds.

This Christmas tree theme is generally what people expect for “well accepted” and “favored” Christmas decorations in our current time. Vintage Christmas tree styles will always have a place, but they are considered “retro” by today’s standards.

christmas tree with red, gold ornaments

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to decorate a tree – these are just ways to categorize many of the Christmas tree decorations you will see in stores and online.

Traditional Christmas Tree Styles

There are several different Christmas tree styles you can use for traditional Christmas tree ideas.

To start, using a fresh cut, natural Christmas tree works great for the Traditional theme. Fresh Christmas trees smell amazing and already give off a natural vibe due to the slight irregularities in the branches and shape.

classic christmas tree with red poinsettias, red ornaments, lanterns, plaid ribbon

If you already have a classic evergreen artificial Christmas tree, then it will work great for the Traditional Christmas tree theme. The fullness of the branches makes a lovely backdrop for displaying Christmas tree ornaments, ribbon and garland.

If you like to change out your Christmas tree decorations each year, then a traditional Christmas tree will serve as a nice baseline for your designs.

Traditional Christmas Trees

Finally, flocked and frosted Christmas trees also work well for classic Christmas tree ideas.

Flocked Christmas trees have faux snow that covers the branches, giving it a look of a tree covered in freshly fallen snow. Frosted Christmas trees are the same, but with less faux snow. So they appear to have more of a “dusting” of snow than a flocked tree.

You can buy an artificial Christmas tree that is already flocked. Or you can buy special snow flock powder that can be used to flock a Christmas tree.

Flocked & Frosted Christmas Trees

I would avoid trees of other colors such as pinks, purples, etc for traditional Christmas tree ideas. This will give off more of an eclectic vibe than we’re going for.

Unless you’re looking to combine themes, I would also avoid using an all white tree or a more rustic looking tree. For a truly traditional look, use a classic Christmas tree in either evergreen or flocked shades.

Traditional Christmas Tree Theme Colors

What colors should you use for these traditional Christmas tree ideas? Here are some of the colors & shades that will work best for traditional Christmas tree ideas:

traditional christmas tree with red, blue, gold ornaments

  • Classic reds: brick, crimson, ruby, garnet, cherry, candy red & burgundy shades
  • Classic greens: emerald, forest & pine green shades
  • Whites: bright white, off whites, creams, ivories, pearl whites, summer whites
  • Blues: royal, lapis, cobalt, admiral & navy blue shades
  • Metallics: gold & silver shades

Traditional Christmas tree color schemes are built off of the classic “red and green” colors we associate with Christmas. Colors that work well with red and green (white, gold, silver, blue) can be used for traditional Christmas tree ideas as well.

A lot of these colors are found in plaid and tartan prints. The royal blue and white shades found with traditional chinoiserie prints work well too for classic Christmas tree ideas.

christmas tree with red ornaments, bows

You can use a bit of black and grey colors with the Traditional Christmas tree theme, but I wouldn’t overdo it if you are going for a strictly traditional look. Navy blue shades work well for dark neutrals on classic Christmas tree themes.

Dark green shades can also be used for a more neutral palette with classic Christmas tree ideas. Although the dark green is going to blend in with an evergreen Christmas tree.

Here are some popular color combinations for the Traditional Christmas tree theme:

  • Red + green + gold
  • Red + white
  • Red + gold
  • Navy blue + red + gold
  • White + red + gold
  • Royal blue + navy blue + white
  • Navy blue + green + gold

Shopping For Traditional Christmas Tree Decor

Since this is such a popular and well established way to decorate for Christmas, you should have no problem finding traditional Christmas tree decorations in stores and online.

christmas tree with red, gold ornaments

I’ve seen traditional Christmas tree decorations available across a wide price range – from cheap spools of plaid ribbon to several hundred dollar ornament sets and just about everything in between.

Because this theme will always be popular, year after year, be sure to keep an eye out for discount and clearance items when you shop for decorations.

Here are some of my favorite stores for traditional Christmas tree decorations including ornaments, toppers, skirts, ribbon, stars, etc.:

Don’t forget to shop for gently used items on sites like Poshmark, Mercari and eBay.

christmas tree with red ornaments

When shopping, use the following keywords for decor items in the Traditional Christmas tree theme (for example, search “plaid Christmas tree ornaments”):

  • Plaid
  • Tartan
  • Velvet
  • Satin
  • Chinoiserie
  • Nutcracker
  • Santa
  • Holly
  • Classic
  • Traditional

Combining Christmas Tree Themes

What other Christmas tree themes can be used with the Traditional Christmas tree theme? Here are some of the common Christmas tree theme pairings you will see:

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to decorate a Christmas tree! Whatever inspires your creativity and feels right for your space is what will work best for your tree.

But if you want to your Christmas tree to look like something in a magazine or something your favorite home decor blogger designed, then you’ll want to stick with at least one Christmas tree theme.

christmas tree with red, white ornaments, decorations

Personally, I find this helps narrow down my options and keeps me from buying too many random things that don’t really work well together in my Christmas decor.

What are your thoughts on the Traditional Christmas tree theme? I hope article series on Christmas tree themes this gives you a good starting point for creating a beautiful Christmas tree this year!

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More Christmas Tree Themes

For more info on various Christmas tree themes and decorating ideas, check out these posts:

Pin It For Later!

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christmas tree with red, gold ornaments
christmas tree at night with lights, red ornaments, topper
traditional christmas tree with plaid ribbon, red florals
christmas tree with plaid ribbon, red poinsettias
classic christmas tree with red, white ornaments
christmas tree with red, gold ornaments
christmas tree with red ribbons, baubles

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