There are several reasons why a live Christmas tree isn't the main spectacle of your holiday decor. You might be crammed for space, renting, have children or pets, or have seasonal allergies. Whatever the reason, no one should have to go without a tree. From DIY's to temporary decals, read on for our list of alternatives for Christmas trees to keep your house in the holiday spirit.

Fabric

1. Tapestries: Instead of a large Christmas tree that takes up space, dress up your walls with some holiday spirit. Hang a velvety wall tapestry for a piece of textured artwork that features Christmas imagery to stay in season, and when the nights get chilly, you can also snuggle up in it.

2. Yarn: Using a styrofoam cone shape, wrap yarn tightly around the cone with no gaps. Use a festive evergreen color for a traditional look, or go for something more out of the box with purple or orange trees. Seal the yarn with spray adhesive to keep it fraying.

3. Pom-Poms: Using the cone-shaped styrofoam again, cover the surface with multicolored pom-poms for a textured tree. Get creative in spiral patterns with different shades of green or add smaller poms to look like ornaments.

Using Paper

4. Crepe Paper: Crepe paper is one of the best alternatives to Christmas trees since it still gives the look of a tree without requiring maintenance (or space). Twist alternating colors of green crepe paper streamers in a canopy shape to form a triangle on your wall. Hang different colored streamers horizontally across your tree to serve as garland or lights.

5. Wrapping Paper: Wrapping paper isn’t just for presents… It also makes great Christmas tree alternatives. With all your present wrapping, you're bound to accumulate scraps of odd shapes and lengths. Instead of tossing your extra paper, recycle it into the tree you put your presents under. Cut out cardboard in the shape of a tree and cover it with your wrapping paper. Remember, you only have to do one side.

6. Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper: Create a festive accent wall with peel-and-stick wallpaper. Shop for patterns in bright colors such as red and green polka dots or bold stripes to mimic a candy cane forest right in your living room.

7. Gallery Wall: Collect different sized canvases with festive prints like snowy trees or Christmas villages to serve as a focal point instead of a tree. You can cover just a small area, or choose to do an entire mural wall with holiday pictures.

8. Sticky Notes: For a minimal Christmas tree decor, overlap adhesive paper notes on your wall in a pyramid shape. Get the whole family involved and give everyone a note to decorate with stickers or drawings to make own ornament.

9. Construction Paper: Cut out two identical tree shapes. On the first piece, cut a slit from the top of the tree to 1/3 of the way to the bottom. On the second tree, make the same slit, this time from the bottom to 2/3 of the way to the top. Finally, slide the pieces so that they fit each other to form a 4 sided 3D tree. Use this technique and cut out several patterns at once to create a whole forest of paper Christmas trees.

10. Cardboard: Bring your holiday favorites to life with life-size cardboard cut outs. With the same height as a tree, characters from your favorite Christmas movies can guard your presents and be a great photo op at your next holiday party.

11. Tissue Paper: Bunch up green tissue paper into loose balls and secure together with tape. Try not to gather the paper too tightly so it still gives the look of leaves and branches. Form in a triangle shape and trim your tree with other colors of tissue paper.

From Around the House

12. Plants: Who says all Christmas trees have to be fir? Utilize live or faux plants that you already have such as snake plants, potted rosemary, even a palm to go with a more tropical climate. You can top them all with a star and they keep presents safe until the 25th all the same.

13. Wine Corks: With all the hosting during the holidays, you tend to end up with a surplus of wine corks after the festivities. Instead of tossing them, stack a collection in a pyramid shape for a two-dimensional looking tree as an alternative to Christmas trees Instead of tossing them, stack a collection in a pyramid shape for a two-dimensional looking tree. You can also turn them into a focal point by collecting them in a glass vase and accenting them with festive faux florals.

14. Tomato Cage: Since tomatoes are out of season, your garden's tomato cages are likely just sitting in your garage until summer. To transform it into a Christmas tree, flip the cage upside down with the narrow end on top, and wrap with wide ribbon. You can even use these as lawn decorations.

15. Ladder: Prop open a ladder and use the A-frame to mimic a tree shape. Wrap with lights and string together ornaments with wire for an ornate display that you can even set presents underneath.

16. Lights: Even without a tree, you can still let your Christmas lights shine. Use tape or small adhesive hooks to tack string lights on your wall in the shape of a Christmas tree. Go for something classic with points on either side, or something more avantgarde with a zigzag of lights starting small at the top and wider at the bottom.

From the Woods

17. Garland: For a deconstructed look, use strands of garland to assemble a tree shape on your wall. Embellish your garland with lights, berries, small pinecones to keep the tree looking full but still neat with organized rows.

18. Branches: Incorporate a natural element to your tree with actual branches or twigs as a Christmas tree alternative. Position them horizontally across your wall and fill in the space with lights and ornaments, or stack branches on top of each other in a staggered order and secure with hot glue.

19. Pinecones: If you can't use the whole pine, just use pinecones. Choose any shaped pinecone and cover with green paint to look like a tree. Add glitter, beads, and pipecleaners for a compact Christmas tree that's still natural. If pinecones aren't readily available where you are, you can swap for faux pinecone accents.

20. Twine: To mimic the appearance of twigs or branches, try twine. Using styrofoam cones, first wrap them in cling wrap. Then wind the twine around the cone in overlapping layers to create a braided look. Tie off at the top and cover with an adhesive spray to keep it together. Once it's dried, it will slide off the cling wrap and you can use the cone again to make more trees.

21. Wooden Frames: Fill wooden display frames with strings of beads or ornaments for a Christmas tree that doubles as decor. You can detach the beads after the holidays, but keep the shelfs up year round or swap out for other seasonal decor.

Get Artistic With It

22. Wall Decal: As temporary as other holiday decorations, opt for a wall decal of a Christmas tree, and when you're done, simply peel it from the wall. Most decals are reusable and can be stuck on walls to use for several Christmases. You could also use decals to create your own tree-shaped collage out of other festive designs like snowflakes or holly leaves.

23. Paint: To cover a large area, use a big piece of butcher paper and get creative. Paint whimsical trees, stocky pines, or lollipop tops for a Christmas tree that's all your own. This is especially great for classrooms. Start with a blank pre-painted tree and let the kids go wild making their own ornaments and tree decorations. Hang it in the classroom until it's time for winter break.

24. Chalk: For a less permanent option, draw a chalk tree. You can use a chalk board, easel, or even chalk paint straight on the wall. Use traditional green chalk or just black and white for an understated artistic feature.

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If a live tree just isn't working this year, feel free to get creative with Christmas tree alternatives. Just light a scented candle for the full effect and no one will ever know. Click the links below for all of our Christmas tree options plus other Christmas decorations.

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