My Christmas Trees Over the Years: Win a Gift Card

Today’s post is super fun for me for two reasons. First – I’m sharing my Christmas trees from over the years, beginning in 2011 when I first started this blog. And second – I’m giving away a $100 Visa gift card to one lucky winner who will be announced on Christmas Day! All you have to do to enter to win, is leave a comment below stating which of my Christmas trees is your favorite. Simply state the year, and in cases where there are two trees in one year, just specify which tree from that year you’re choosing. Ready to get started? Keep scrolling! I can’t wait to read your answers.

2011: Tried and True

I started Town and Country Living in November of 2011 and this is the first tree I shared on the blog. I call it “tried and true” because it features ornaments that I collected since I was first married. The photography isn’t the greatest because I didn’t have my fancy camera yet.

 

2012: A Trimmed Tree

This was the year I opted for a real tree after being inspired by a photo I had seen where the owner cut branches off his live tree to make it appear like an old Victorian Christmas tree. I didn’t trim my tree as severely as he did, mostly due to fear. LOL. But I liked his tree better than my own.

 

2013: The Bargain Tree

Opting for a live tree once again, we visited a local tree farm so we could cut it down ourselves, ensuring is freshness through the holiday. We looked at many Christmas trees and then I spied this one – growing out of a small stream, slightly crooked and imperfect looking. I exlaimed “that’s it” to my hubby as soon as I saw it. And lucky for me, the tree was only $25 due to its slight deformities. Most trees were double that price – or more.

 

2014: A Vintage Christmas

This year I went all-out vintage with my Christmas decorations. Frosted (or flocked) trees were all the rage and reminded me of the live, flocked tree my mother used to set up when I was a kid. I tucked this one in an old metal wash bin and used most of the same ornaments as previous years, although the star on top is new.

 

2015: Paper Chains

I started displaying Christmas trees in the corner of the family room, which had previously been a bedroom. I stumbled across a paper chain kit which became the launching point of the tree’s theme. I bought new ornaments, mostly in cream and gold, to match the color of the paper chain. Creamy poinsettias emphasize the color scheme.

 

2016: Tribute to My Mother

My mother passed away on February 1st, 2016 so my tree was a tribute to mom whose favorite color was pink. I used the same gold and white ornaments from the previous year, but added pink satiny ribbon and pink poinsettias.

 

2017: Frosty Metallic

This was the year that I discovered a beautiful holiday ribbon decorated with vintage Father Christmas. The color complemented the gold ornaments I already had, but I added some copper baubles, too. I leaned into the white Christmas theme throughout my holiday decorating.

 

2018: Earthy Bronze and Bark

Next in the line-up of Christmas trees – ribbon once again found its way as inspiration for this skinny flocked tree. A birch bark pattern on the ribbon provided inspiration for adding paper mache ornaments that look like Kraft paper painted with white snowflakes. Look closely and you’ll notice the amber pine cone ornaments that complement the ribbon.

 

2019: Tale of Two Trees

Other bloggers were doing it – so I added a second tree to my Christmas decorations in 2019. The first one, which resided in the family room, is naturalistic with green branches, a garland of small, wooden balls, and a mix of glass and wood ornaments. Sprigs of metallic short branches lend just a touch of sparkle.

 

The second tree was placed in the sitting room and was completely different, with flocked branches and pale green ornaments. Mesh silver ribbon winds its way in and out of the branches to give some depth and romance.

 

2020: A Forest Fir

A large green tree (faux, not real) is decked with flocked pine cones, the birch bark ribbon from 2018, and mostly white ornaments – and a few silver baubles to create frosty appeal. My beloved paper mache Christmas boxes are empty but add a festive vibe to the scene. You might be wondering how much I’ve spent on ornaments over the years and I’ll tell you – too much! I’ve tried to purchase ornaments after the holiday when they’re on sale, and I’ve given many of them to my children.

 

A second tree appears in the family room and I used many of the same ornaments from the previous year – with the addition of paper snowflakes from Crate and Barrel. The snowflakes were rather inexpensive but pack a punch due to their larger size. That’s how I rationalized purchasing them.

 

2021: Gold, Brown, and Green

This color scheme might seem a bit unconventional for Christmas, but I spied a beautiful ornament set at King of Christmas containing these colors. So I bought two sets of those ornaments and supplemented them with orange slices and the pine cone ornaments I already had on hand.

 

2022: Old World Christmas Tree

You’ll remember that this was the year Ukraine was invaded by Russia. I wasn’t intending to create a tree in honor of Ukraine, but I stumbled across beautiful vintage Christmas ornaments from Ukraine while shopping on Etsy for something different. Due to the war, I wasn’t sure the ornaments would ever arrive but I wanted to support the artist and purchased them anyway. Happily, they arrived in plenty of time and I supplemented them with some of the ornaments from 2021. Gold velvet ribbons complete the look.

 

2023: My Happy Tree

I decided it was time to pull some of my colorful, vintage ornaments out of storage and put them to use again. Since I had given several of them to my children over the years, I supplemented what was left with some new baubles in aqua and red. I overloaded the tree and love the look. This is probably my personal favorite of all the Christmas trees I’ve had in this house.

 

2024: Naked Tree

For whatever reason, I wasn’t filled with a lot of holiday spirit in 2024 and almost didn’t have a tree. But I had this small one and decided to go au naturelle without any ornaments. Decorating for the holiday is a LOT of work and I needed life to be stress-free for the moment. I love the simplicity of a naked tree and applaud anyone who goes this route.

 

2025: The Ribbon Tree

Here’s another look at this year’s tree which was super easy to decorate. I ordered a couple bolts of burgundy and gold velvet ribbon and got busy tying bows in random spots. Candle Christmas lights and orange slices enhance the look while a few pearl-studded balls provide a little dimension.

 

So there you have it – my collection of Christmas trees since I started this blog back in 2011. Now it’s time for you to vote for your favorite. State the year, and if there were two trees that year, let me know which one you preferred. I’m very interested in seeing which tree is the most popular.

But most importantly, I’m excited to give a $100 Visa gift card to one of you who votes. It’s my way of giving back to those who read my blog. I’ll announce the winner on Christmas Day here on the blog and will also email the winner. Thank you for visiting Christmases past with me!