How to Make A Christmas Tree Look Fuller

Do you need to know how to make a Christmas tree look fuller? You’re in the right place.

Bargain Christmas trees always seem like a fantastic idea until you get home, get it out of the box, put it together, and realise that you’ve been duped. The branches are far and few between, as well as looking a little too thin. “Are some of the branches missing?”, “Surely this can’t be right?” you’ll think to yourself as you desperately pick your brains for ways that you can save your balding Christmas tree and avoid going out to buy a new, more expensive choice.

Let’s face it, money is tight (especially during the festive season), and sometimes the affordable option is the only option. But that doesn’t mean you have to come face-to-face with a sparsely branched monstrosity until the New Year.

Scroll on to read our best tips on how to make a Christmas tree look fuller.

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How to make a Christmas tree look fuller

We love this video, which provides some basic tips and tricks to create a stunning, fluffed up artificial Christmas tree without breaking the bank.

Here are our tips for making a Christmas tree look fuller.

1.  Fluff the branches

Before you break out the big guns, start simply by making sure the branches are as fluffed up as they can be. Take some time to sit with your tree and ensure that the branches on each side have been fluffed. This isn’t a quick task by any means, it can take up to 45 minutes to get a large artificial tree (7ft+) looking as full as it possibly can be. Start at the bottom and work upwards, roping in as many family members as you possibly can to speed the task up.

2.  Place lights carefully

Once your tree is fluffed, it is ready for decorating. Stringing your lights on first will allow you to put them on the tree without them getting tangled in your ornaments, so this is always a good place to start. Let the lights fill in gaps and if possible, get two strings of lights with different bulb sizes. This will give the tree more body when they are turned on.

Check out our range of Christmas lights

3.  Use garlands

Garlands and tinsel are the perfect way of covering up any unsightly gaps that are too big to hide with an ornament or lights. Start at the top of your tree and go downwards. Some people wrap their garlands and tinsel around the whole tree, but this can make it difficult to take off when it comes time to pack the tree away.

Get more out of it and make your life easier in the New Year by placing it in a ‘zig-zag’ formation across the part of the tree that you can see, avoiding the back of the tree completely. It can look quite effective to string another garland of a different colour in the opposite direction.

4.  Add more sprigs to the tree

If you’re struggling to fill in larger gaps at this point, you could purchase some pine branch picks that match the colour of your tree. Place these cleverly in different areas of the tree to make the branches appear fuller than they are. You could even choose branches that are a different colour – maybe gold or silver – to draw attention away from any gaps. Coordinate with the colour scheme of your ornaments for a professional-looking finish.

5.  Fill gaps with larger ornaments

Once you’ve placed the ‘base’ decorations, now it’s time to get the baubles and other ornaments out of storage. Place larger ornaments first and use them to plug up any gaps in the tree. We find that hanging large baubles and smaller ones together in clusters is quite effective at making the tree appear to be fuller than it is. This is how professional tree decorators create cohesion with the designs of their trees.

6.  Reflective ornaments

Reflective ornaments draw attention away from any gaps or sparseness and will also visually fill gaps by reflecting the light from your Christmas lights back towards the tree. Mirrored or reflective ornaments also create a lovely, sparkly effect that will help to make your Christmas tree the central feature of the room instead of it blending into the background.

7.  Pin/pick ornaments

We touched on the benefits of fir pick branches in point 4, but you can get other ornaments which come on a pin, pick or clip which are designed to place on top of branches. This is perfect for filling in bigger gaps which may need closing from the top and bottom. We’ve seen them in the form of fake robins, floral arrangements, and bows. They add a really special something to any festive décor.

8.  Use a tree skirt

A tree skirt is a must in any house that is serious about Christmas. If you aren’t a fan of how these looks, you can purchase solid tree collars that have a sturdier, more permanent look to them. Whichever option you choose, it will have the same effect. A tree skirt will give the finished tree a sense of ‘cohesion’ and a more polished overall look. They also do a great job of hiding the feet of artificial trees, which aren’t usually very visually appealing.

9.  Loose tinsel

If you’ve exhausted all other options, and your tree still seems to be missing something, you could consider draping strings of loose tinsel from the branches. This will give the tree some extra ‘oomph’ visually, and it is relatively cheap to pick up in the shops around Christmas time. However, it is an absolute nightmare to clean up and isn’t the most eco-friendly option as usually, it’s too hard to gather back up to re-use.

10. Buy a better quality tree

Finally, if your budget allows for it, we’d recommend biting the bullet and purchasing a better-quality artificial Christmas tree. A decent Christmas tree will last for well over a decade if it is looked after and stored with care, so it will pay back for itself quite quickly. There is a massive variety in designs and styles to pick from so that you can choose whatever works best for you. Some of the choices we have in stock include:

• Traditional artificial trees – perfect for the classic Christmas lover, these trees are what you’d expect from an artificial tree. They are of fantastic quality, and a lot of this range looks surprisingly realistic.
• Pre-lit and fibre optic trees – these trees are ideal for anyone who has given up the battle with their Christmas lights. Perfectly spaced, pre-installed lights save you time and effort on untangling strings of lights every year.
• Flocked trees – frosted trees let you experience the joy of a white Christmas every year, without the extreme cold.
• Pop-up trees – these are great for anyone who loves Christmas but doesn’t love the set-up involved.
• Slim trees – small spaces still deserve a quality Christmas tree. Slim trees make the ideal solution for cosy living rooms and quiet corners.

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Enjoy your Christmas tree

Now we’ve shared our secrets for how to make a Christmas tree look fuller, we hope that you can apply them to your own tree this year and that you never have to put up with a sparse-looking tree ever again. Do you have any other tips to share? Please let us know in the comments below!

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