Decorating With Ribbon For Christmas Trees

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20 Gorgeous Ways to Add Ribbon to Your Christmas Tree

These ideas are all tied up...with a bow.

christmas ribbon

Lia Griffith; Taryn Whiteaker

Believe it or not, the presents under the Christmas tree aren't the only things that should be neatly tied with a ribbon. Turns out, ribbons can be a great finishing touch to the tree itself—not only can a strand of satin or grosgrain give your holiday decorations some texture, but it can also be a clever way to cover up your tree's inevitable empty spaces and bare patches. So before you finish wrapping your gifts this year, consider allocating a few spools of ribbon to these Christmas tree ideas. From the neatest of bows to effortlessly cool draping techniques, the inspiration here will give this holiday staple a newly stylish spin.

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A Textured Treatment

The key to a visually intriguing Christmas tree is mixing and matching different textures. This setup from Lia Griffith experiments with a satin ribbon, faux flowers, and tasseled ornaments. But the DIY expert uses a berry color palette throughout for an overall cohesive look.

Berry Silk Ribbon

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Via Lia Griffith

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Floral Bonanza

Contrary to popular belief, a ribbon doesn't have to be the only wow factor of your Christmas tree. Lifestyle blogger Monica Wants It intersperses various ribbons with large, blooming flowers.

Variety of Gold Ribbon

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Via Monica Wants It

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A Dramatic Descent

You can pack on the drama by draping your ribbon vertically. Taryn Whiteaker used a black satin ribbon to give her Christmas tree an eye-catching, liquid effect.

Black Satin Ribbon

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Via Taryn Whiteaker

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Laissez-Faire Flair

Give your Christmas tree an effortlessly cool energy by draping a few strands of ribbon over the branches. Zenia Olivares of Style It Pretty Home pairs this styling trick with a neutral color palette.

White Ribbon

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via Style It Pretty Home

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Hung Up

If you're looking for a a fresh way to incorporate ribbon on your Christmas tree, drape smaller strips around your ornaments. This high-contrast creation from Kurated by Kris will show you how it's done.

Printed Ribbon

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Via Kurated by Kris

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Twined In Blue

Weave bundles of blue ribbon through the boughs of your tree for a decadent effect that brings the frozen beauty of winter indoors.

Blue Satin Ribbon

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Via bluegraygal

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Extravagant Topper

Complete your tree trimming with a singular, statement-making bow, and carry the theme through with smaller swatches of the same color on lower branches.

Red Velvet Bow

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Via Making Home Base

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Golden Chevrons

For this evergreen design, snake glimmering braided ribbon around the tree for a subtle hint of glitz, then soften the effect with a neutral tree topper.

Metallic Copper Ribbon

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Via This Charming Life

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Bedecked With Bows

Bows aren't just for presents anymore! This flocked tree makes ample use of golden ribbon bows, which are scattered alongside hearts and Christmas balls in the same refined color palette.

Gold Bows

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Via Kara's Party Ideas

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Bright and Metallic

Channel simpler times this season with colorful ornaments in dynamic, midcentury shapes, then tie the whole thing together with a silvery stripe of ribbon.

Silver Ribbon

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Via The Merrythought

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Gauze And Blossoms

Achieve a luminous, floral look this year by interlacing gauzy ribbon with semi-sheer silk blossoms, and setting the whole thing aglow with fairy lights.

Wide Gold Ribbon

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Via Lil Blue Boo

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Printed Neutrals

Roughly woven ribbon printed with a simple seasonal motif lends rustic comfort to this tree design, accentuating the frosted pine cones and glimmering ornaments.

Printed Burlap Ribbon

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Via Christopher Hiedeman

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Tartan Ribbons

Warm tartan ribbon in shades of red and yellow serves to dress up a quiet country Christmas tree, especially when paired with cranberry-hued bunches of decorative berries.

Plaid Ribbon

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Via Christopher Hiedeman

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Silvery Swags

Cascading swathes of silver ribbon transform this tree into a veritable waterfall of trimmings.

Sheer Silver Ribbon

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Via Christopher Hiedeman

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Buffalo Check

Trim your tree with curls of buffalo check ribbon, then pair with wooden ornaments and oversized snowflakes.

Via The Turquoise Home

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Striking Monochrome

Red and green might be the de facto colors of the season, but simple black and white, with neutral sleigh ornaments, make a chic statement on this boldly bedecked tree.

Striped Ribbon

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Via Just Destiny Mag

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Beaches and Cream

For a cheerful, coastal Christmas, swags of ribbon in shades of cream and straw pair with distinctive sea stars and an airy, waterfront color scheme.

Beige Ribbon

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Via Seahorse & Stripes

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Bundled In Burlap

For a quaint, cabin-ready tree, lace the branches with a long swatch of rugged burlap, and add greenery and berry-laden boughs to complete the forested effect.

Burlap Ribbon

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Via Sawdust 2 Stitches

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Houndstooth Ribbon Curls

To employ ribbons in a design that is as easy as it is eye-catching, carefully unroll your ribbon, then pin one or two cascading curls to the top of your tree, letting it fall unencumbered to the floor.

Houndstooth Ribbon

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Via The Yellow Cape Cod

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Warm and Woodsy

The striped pattern on this rough, wide ribbon in shades of red and café au lait calls candy canes to mind, but takes on a decidedly arboreal feel when paired with tiny cardboard stags and carefully carved wooden snowflakes.

Red Striped Burlap Ribbon

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Via Lia Griffith

Kelsey Mulvey Kelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Marie Claire, Women's Health, and Men's Health, among others.

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