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What is Your Favorite Christmas Tree Skirt or Collar?

ByDiane Henkler Updated:

Now that Halloween is over and today is November 1st, I give myself permission to get into a holiday frame of mind. I am going to start planning how I am going to decorate this year all the way down to what tree skirt or collar I will use around the base of the Christmas tree this year.

As children we learned early on the importance that a Christmas tree skirt could make when decorating a Christmas tree.

Linus from Charlie Brown's Christmas putting his blanket around the forlorn little tree in a stand.

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I know you remember watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas or reading the book when you were a little kid?

The magic of the story happened when Linus wrapped his loving blanket around the sad and scrawny tree that Charlie Brown picked out and got a hard time about from all the kids.

Linus, my favorite character in the story had a good eye to see what the tree needed… his blue blanket. Something colorful and warm at the base of the tree gave it what it needed…some love. It also made the little tree come to life and look like the best Christmas tree ever. :-)

This story made a huge impression on me as I was growing up and ever since I have always taken note of what is around the base of all the Christmas trees I see when out and about.

I think a tree skirt or collar is just as important as the tree itself and worth the effort to find just the right tree skirt or nowadays, a tree collar to make my Christmas tree look it’s best every Christmas.

Christmas-tree-skirt-DIY-made-using-fabric-yardage

When I was a kid, my parents always placed a white snow-like cotton blanket around the tree that had teeny silver specs on it.

When I was a teenager, my mom changed it up and bought yardage of green felt and wrapped it lovingly around the tree stand, just like Linus did. She used that green felt for years. When it became old and worn, she bought new green felt to replace it.

When Ed and I first got married, I did the same as my mom. I used red felt one year, green felt the next and I even used dark purple velvet around a few trees.

In the photo above, I wrapped black and white polka dot fabric yardage around the tree stand. I didn’t even sew the raw cut edges, I just folded them under.

How to add glitter to a basket style Christmas tree collar.

Back in 2013 (I can’t believe it has been that long) I found a huge basket for $6 at my local thrift store and made a tree basket style collar using it. I have been using it every year since then. Last year I was getting a little tired of it and gave it a sprinkling of glitter to give it a slightly new look. :-)

This year, I am not using the basket. I am doing something totally different and am looking forward to posting about it. The reason why I am not using it has quite a fun story behind it that I will be sharing with you in the coming weeks.

Over the last 10 years I have shown you many of my tree stand skirts, covers and collars.

Christmas-tree-stand-cover-being-made-with-picture-frames-DIY

My favorite tree stand cover was made using frames, favorite Christmas photos of my daughters on Christmas morning opening their gifts, and mirrors to catch the twinkling lights of the tree.

When my older daughter bought her first home a few years ago she asked me if she could have it. I gave it to her since she loved it, but told her she would have to share with her sister every other Christmas.

Christmas tree stand cover ideas diy made using photo frames

The tree stand cover is very easy to make, no power tools needed. You can find the post I wrote about it here:

I know a lot of readers don’t have time to DIY a tree skirt or collar, so I rounded up a few that I liked. They range in price from $14.99 for a colorful tree skirt to the wood box style cover that is a bit more expensive.

Christmas Tree Collars

Christmas Tree Skirts

DIY Metal Christmas Tree Skirt: Perfect for a stylish yet protective cover for your tree that your kitty cat or puppy can't get into.

One Christmas, I had to find something to keep Trax, the cat from drinking water from the tree stand and then toppling the tree.

I ended up making this fabric covered metal tree stand cover that I wrapped tightly around the stand. and secured with binder clips. I made it high enough so Trax could not get to the water. It worked beautifully.

If you have a cat who likes to do the same thing or like the modern clean lines of this tree stand cover, you can read more about how I made it:

3 mini Christmas trees with black and white stand collars lined up in a row on a table

I think every Christmas tree no matter what its size needs something decorative or pretty around it’s base. Last year for 3 small tabletop trees, I made tree collars out of tuna cans. You can read more about how to make them in this post:

Have you started planning how you are going to decorate your home for the holidays this year? What style tree and color stand cover do you like to use? Are you tired of the tried and true? Head over to my Christmas decorating ideas and inspiration gallery.

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9 Comments

  1. My Father-in-law’s was in the Navy and I started wrapping his wool blanket around the base of our tree. It happens to be an off-white color. I sewed some of the buttons from his peacoat to one corner (for safe keeping). He is gone now, but my Mother-in-law and the whole family loves it. Yes, I’m very sentimental.

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  2. Oh, and naturally, I’ve always loved your tree skirts. Always perfectly coordinated and elegant. The photo one was such a stroke of genius. :)

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  3. I love Christmas Tree skirts! Last year was my first year in an apartment of my own, with my own tree, and I came up with a fairly inexpensive but impactful look–I ordered a gold sequin curtain from Amazon (the kind for backdrops in photos), spread that around the tree, then a small, white, inexpensive, faux fur tree skirt and layered that on top of the gold sequin curtain. It looked really cute! I’m going to do that again this year for the main tree, but I kind of want to get a second inexpensive tree for the bedroom since Christmas tree decorating is just about the highlight of my year. ;) I’ve been doing all the tree decorating for my family since I was 13, but my parents always liked classic Christmas or woodsy themes, and I’m retro-loving at heart, so I think an aluminum lookalike Christmas tree (maybe even pink–channeling my inner Lucy here) would be fun.
    Here’s what my tree looked like last year. I’m going to recreate it again this year. Excuse the messy background, I was still trying to figure out a system for the ladder and the like. :) https://imgur.com/a/DXk6Zex

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  4. Our Christmas tree skirt is a white sheet that I traced my girls hands on to every year. When we first got married, my husband and I were on a tight budget. A flat white sheet was just the right price. Each year their hand was traced and their age and the year was noted. When the girls got older, they traced and decorated their own hands adding rings and fingernails. They also signed their name each year. It was always fun for them to see how they had changed in a years time. Four years ago we added my granddaughter’s hand print to the tree skirt, continuing the tradition. This has become so special to me. It wouldn’t be Christmas without our ‘tree skirt’ sheet!

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  5. Michelle P says:

    I use a tree skirt a friend made for me many years ago. She has moved away so we don’t get to talk often but I always think of her when we decorate our tree and I lay the tree skirt around it. I love the idea of a basket. Happy decorating for Christmas!

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  6. I’ve always used soft white blankets or throws under my tree. I tried one year to use a tree collar and my poor kitty hated it – no soft spot for her to lay under the tree. I’ll have to admit, I missed the heartwarming sight of my little girl curled up underneath surrounded by holiday lights and beautifully wrapped gifts. I sold the collar at a garage sale. I have used your idea of decorated tuna cans (although I use cat food cans, of course) as collars around the little trees I use on my mantle and/or sofa table. Thanks for that idea.

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  7. I made a crate a few years back, stained it dark walnut and added stenciling that said Richardson Tree Farm est 2007. Last year after Christmas I found a metal collar on sale for $3 and will plan on using that this year. But I like your idea for the tall collar, I too have a cat that LOVES to drink the water.

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  8. Diane,
    I LOVE your trying ring! I remember seeing it last year and being on the hunt for a large basket. I suppose good things come to those who wait. I’ll keep up my search! Thanks for all of your creative ideas!

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  9. Diane, the Charlie Brown tree brought tears to my eyes. I grew up in a tiny town and my grandmother would purchase her tree from the local tiny grocery store. She would wait until there were just a few trees left. It was always a Charlie Brown tree.
    Regarding tree skirts…..my mother appliquéd skirts from kits for family members. I have her religious one with nativity scenes, as well as, a Santa one. My daughters also have one and appliquéd stockings for themselves and their children. Thank you for the sentimental journey this morning.

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