How to Decorate a Slim or Pencil Christmas Tree

Decorate a slim or pencil Christmas tree with smaller ornaments, fewer of them, and ribbon that follows the tree’s height. Costway says small ornaments keep a pencil tree balanced, and Old World Christmas says slim trees need fewer ornaments. Vertical ribbon drops draw the eye upward without adding visual width.

Ornament size and depth on a slim Christmas tree

A slim Christmas tree has short branches and little room for depth, so big ornaments crowd it quickly. King of Christmas describes a pencil tree as even narrower in diameter than a slim one, so what works on a full tree can crowd a narrow one. Costway favors small ornaments on a pencil tree, for balance and a more elegant look.

Keep big ornaments inward, because a big ball at a branch tip adds width to a tree chosen for being narrow. King of Christmas also moves large ornaments toward the inner parts of the tree, and it groups mixed sizes and finishes in clusters of three or five.

How many ornaments a slim Christmas tree needs

Slim Christmas trees need fewer ornaments placed with more thought, Old World Christmas says. Mahoney’s Garden Center puts a slim tree at about 75 to 90, a 7-foot tree at about 80 and a full 7.5-foot tree at around 125. It does not give the slim tree’s height, so treat that range as a rough guide.

Start with fewer than you would use on a full tree, and add where you see gaps. Our decorating guide compares ornament counts side by side.

For a minimalist look, Costway suggests white, silver, gold or neutrals on a pencil tree, and for a bolder one, green, red or metallics. One color family keeps a narrow tree tidy, and our blue pairings guide and white tree guide have ideas.

Small and mini Christmas ornament sets

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Vertical ribbon on a slim or pencil tree

Ribbon that runs from top to bottom keeps attention on a slim tree’s height. Home Depot lists this as one of its ribbon methods, with cut lengths left to fall freely down the tree, and King of Christmas drapes tinsel and bead strands vertically on a slim tree. To hang the drops:

1. Cut lengths a little longer than the tree is tall, using wired ribbon so it holds its shape.
2. Secure each length near the top, under the branches.
3. Let it fall to the base, tucking it into a branch every foot or so.
4. Space the drops around the visible sides, and add more only if the tree looks bare.

A spiral works too. King of Christmas suggests wrapping ribbon in wide loops and weaving garland through the branches in a spiral. Hicks Nurseries prefers shorter pieces of 2 to 3 feet, tucked in as waves or loops, which also suits narrow trees because you can stop wherever the branches run out.

Our small tree guide covers the same scale problem on shorter trees.

Lights, topper and placement for a pencil tree

Lights, topper and placement all need a little more care on a pencil tree than on a full one. Costway says to start stringing lights at the base and work up, and it warns that a heavy topper can throw off the tree’s balance. Choose the lightest topper that suits your scheme, and check that the tree stands steady once it is on.

King of Christmas likes a corner or a wall for a slim tree, because the backdrop makes the tree look deeper than it is. The slim and pencil tree guide covers widths and where each shape fits.

Pencil and slim artificial Christmas trees

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• Pre-lit pencil treesBrowse →
• Slim 7.5 ft treesBrowse →
• Flatback treesBrowse →