10 Creative Christmas Tree Alternative DIYs You Can Use Every Year

A Christmas tree is a staple of the jolly holiday season. A lot of people set one up every year, decorated with tinsel, ornaments, and twinkly lights. However, if you're like me, you can't have a traditional Christmas tree.

My roommates and I have three cats, who love to eat and destroy plants. Christmas trees are poisonous to cats, which is why we can't have one in the apartment. The cats will try to eat or attack it, and that would be bad.

We knew we still wanted to have something similar to a Christmas tree in our apartment, so we had to get creative. I have come up with as well as found many alternatives to the classic Christmas tree that work well and still look festive.

10 Alternative Christmas Tree Ideas

Here are 10 crafty ideas for you to still have a Christmas tree in your home, but with a twist:

1. Tinsel Tree

Last Christmas (2020) was my first time celebrating the holiday in my apartment. My roommates and I didn't have the money for a real or fake tree. Since we couldn't have one anyway because of the cats, I needed to think of an alternative idea.

I went to the dollar store (my favorite store) and bought a bunch of tinsel to substitute for the tree itself. There also happens to be a thrift store in the same area where I was lucky enough to find a whole box of colorful ornaments for only $5.

All I used to hang everything up against the wall were tape (for the tinsel) and command hooks (for the ornaments). It may be a bit unorthodox, but I think it still worked well for the festive season.

2. Wooden Dowel Tree

I found this idea on Pinterest as I searched for an alternative Christmas tree to put in the apartment. It's an awesome idea if you're willing to spend a few extra dollars.

For this tree, you'll need long wooden dowels varying in length. These dowels will be attached by twine or some sort of thin rope. Then, you may decorate it however you'd like. It hangs easily on a wall and looks jolly!

3. "Charlie Brown" Tree

The "Charlie Brown" Tree is a classic, distinct-looking tree from the well-known hit television special "A Charlie Brown Christmas." People may think this tree may look sad and droopy, but I think it has a lot of character.

I found this little fake tree at the same thrift store where I found the ornaments for the Tinsel Tree. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect. It was only $4 too! I thought since it has few branches and needles, that the cats wouldn't attack it. That was false. However, we added a citrus scent to the tree to dissuade the cats from getting too close.

This tree is simple, quirky, and I love it for the holidays. If you're looking for something plain but festive, I recommend the "Charlie Brown" tree.

4. Painted Tree

If you don't feel like buying a lot of craft materials to make an alternative tree, grab your paint set and a canvas. You can paint your own Christmas tree!

My roommate thought of this idea recently when we were deciding what kind of tree to make this year. It would be very cheap to create and fill up some space on our walls. Because we're all busy with the end of the semester at university, we weren't able to paint a spectacular Christmas tree. However, I still think it's a wonderful idea that could be great for a family or a group of university students living together.

5. Ornament Tree

We always decorate a Christmas tree with ornaments but have we ever thought to create a Christmas tree out of ornaments? I haven't and now I want to! If you have an excessive amount of ornaments from over the years, but don't want to get rid of them, consider building an ornament tree. All you need is a bunch of ornaments, hot glue, and a picture frame/canvas.

6. Cat Tower Tree

Do your cats like to attack the Christmas tree, causing it to fall over and ornaments shatter, ruining your day? What better compromise between owners and cats than to create a Christmas using a cat tower!

If you have a bit more in your "untraditional Christmas tree budget," it could be really fun to build this cat-friendly tree. You and the cats will love it for the holiday season. Just be sure to keep it safe for the cats as well! One great alternative to breakable ornaments is hanging cat toys around the tree tower.

7. Ladder Tree

Yet another incredible idea for an alternative Christmas tree is a ladder tree. You can design it however you'd like to fit your holiday vibes. Grab out that old ladder you rarely use and turn it into something magical.

On the ladder, you can hang ornaments, lights, garland, tinsel, and more. Whatever extra decorations you have lying in your house will work perfectly for the ladder tree. You can even paint the ladder green if you're feeling crafty.

8. Coffee Filter Tree

A coffee filter tree is one of the most clever alternative Christmas tree ideas I've seen. It's small, simple, and would be a great decoration for a coffee table or fireplace mantle.

There are only a few materials needed for this tree: coffee filters, green dye, and some kind of base/trunk to stack the filters on. One way to incorporate "ornaments" or "lights" onto the tree would be flinging paint splatters onto the coffee filters.

9. Book Tree

One more complicated idea for an alternative Christmas tree is the book tree. You can stack the books up in a particular way that resembles the body of a Christmas tree. After stacking the books, feel free to spice the tree up with some ornaments, a tree topper, and even some lights.

This is a great tree for any book lovers out there!

10. Streamer Tree

I constructed this streamer tree for the apartment this year (2021). It hangs on our wall in the living room and it looks pretty cute.

I used green streamers to create the branches for the tree. Then, I cut a piece of gold tinsel for the star on top. Finally, I cut a brown paper bag to create the tree trunk. Similar to the tinsel tree, I placed command hooks for the ornaments. Everything is held to the wall with tape. It's a simple, yet merry little display for the apartment.

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Christmas is about more than just the kind of tree you'll be setting up in your house or the presents you're going to buy.

'Tis the season for love, joy, and kindness.