White and Colored Christmas Trees: Lights, Ornaments, History

A colored Christmas tree swaps green for white, pink, gold, blue or silver. Pick the color first, then the lights: clear lights on white wire blend into a white or pale tree, while multicolor lights suit a bold one. Decorate in a few distinct colors so the ornaments stand out against the branches.

Choosing a white Christmas tree

A white Christmas tree looks very different under different lights, so choose them together. Treetopia says “clear lights are always a safe bet” and “multi-colored lights can add another dimension to your white tree.” If you buy an unlit white tree, it suggests lights “with white strands so they blend into the foliage.”

Ornaments are easy on white. Treetopia notes that “bright and colorful ornaments stand out, and so do metallics and neutrals,” and that “a color scheme with a few distinct hues” makes the decorations stand out even more.

A white tree is not the same as a flocked tree. White foliage is white all through; a flocked tree is a green tree with a snow-like coat. Balsam Hill sells green, white and lightly flocked “frosted” foliage as separate choices.

White artificial Christmas trees

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Colored aluminum trees of the 1950s and 1960s

Colored artificial Christmas trees go back to the aluminum tree. The Wisconsin Historical Museum says the Aluminum Specialty Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, introduced its Evergleam tree “at the American Toy Fair in March of 1959,” and that it became “the most popular tree available.” Then, “in the 1960s, Aluminum Specialty began to produce a number of trees with colored branches of green, gold, and pink,” and later a “Blue Frost” version with “blue needles at the tips of branches.”

Those metal trees were lit from the floor. The museum notes that “Evergleam owners used color projectors to splash light onto the silver branches,” a color wheel placed on the floor and pointed up at the tree. Production ended in 1971 and 1972 “due to declining sales.”

Pink, gold and blue artificial trees

A pink, gold or blue tree is bought the same way as a green one. Check the height against your ceiling, the shape against your floor and the light count against the height: Balsam Hill’s rule of about 100 lights per foot applies whatever the color. Then look closely at the product photos to see the exact shade before you buy. The artificial Christmas tree guide covers the other choices, from branch tips to shape.

Pink artificial Christmas trees

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Lights and safety on colored trees

Colored trees take the same lights as green ones. Balsam Hill’s light guide says its clear lights give the same warm, candle-like glow whether they are LED or incandescent, and describes its multicolor lights as rich, jewel-like colors. Some trees switch between the two with a remote, which lets one white tree look classic one night and bright the next.