How to Make a Christmas Tree with Family Ornaments Look Beautiful (Sentimental + Stylish!)

As a blogger and all-around Christmas décor enthusiast, I can truly appreciate a polished, coordinated, designer Christmas tree theme. But if I can only put up one tree, showcasing all the sentimental ornaments our family has collected over the years always wins.

Both tree styles have their place—a decorative themed tree can beautifully bring Christmas cheer to a dining room, bedroom, or entryway.

The family tree tells the story of our family’s Christmas past. It showcases all the meaningful ornaments that help me relive memories that melt my heart. And around here it’s a holiday tradition to tell the same stories every. single. year. about where each one came from.

But a tree decked with sentimental ornaments can look a little haphazard, and not very polished compared to those “pretty trees”.

Making the family tree look put together is a challenge because those collected ornaments don’t “go” with a color scheme, theme, or even each other.

Over the years, I’ve found a few easy ways to help dress up and unify the unordered look of the family Christmas tree— a nice mashup of eclectic meets elegantly put together!

Here’s how to keep all those treasured ornaments while still having a beautiful, cohesive family Christmas tree. These tips make it easier to focus on what’s important—reliving the memories of each of those special ornaments as we take in the tree.

Steps to Make a Family Ornament Tree Look More Polished.

I usually put our sentimental ornaments on the big tree in the living room. But this year I moved them to the smaller tree in the family room. And I’m loving it! Because 1) it puts more focus on the ornaments since they’re more concentrated, and 2) I see them a whole lot more because the tree is in the room where we spend more time.

The family tree should feel warm and nostalgic. Although an artificial tree is always easier to decorate, if you love a real tree, it’s definitely fitting to the feel of a sentimental tree. And though I usually prefer white lights, this is the one kind of tree decor where colored lights also feel right because of all the different colors of the ornaments.

Let’s look at some ways to pull all those holiday treasures together to make a more cohesive tree!

1. Tie It All Together with Ribbon.

Ribbon is one of the easiest ways to make a sentimental Christmas tree look designer-worthy… ribbon is not just for fancy, themed Christmas trees! Even on the family tree, it brings uniformity in color and style, gives a more balanced look, and moves the eye around the tree decor.

This year I chose a classic red velvet ribbon and a plaid because they both feel homey, cozy, and nostalgic—perfect for a tree full of memories. Christmas red ties into most ornaments, and the plaid brings in even more colors.

For a simple tutorial on how to put ribbon on the tree, see the post “How to Put Ribbon on a Christmas Tree the Easy Way!“

2. Add Consistent Base Ornaments or Filler Decor.

The next step is to add one or two sets of solid-color ornaments to unify the mix. These act as a neutral backdrop so your family heirloom ornaments stand out. Because all the ornaments are so different in color and style, these uniform ornaments are a great way to help the tree look put together, giving the spotlight to the special ones. On the family tree this year, I used a set of red glass balls that really catch the light.

And here in the living room in a past year, I used solid color ball ornaments in white, silver, and red to unify the tree. This is a large tree, so it has more nonsentimental ornaments than I would usually do for a family ornament tree. But you can see that the ribbon and cohesive ornaments can really dress up the overall look of the tree!

3. Finish with a Thoughtful Tree Topper.

If you want the family Christmas tree to take a nod from the designer theme trees, give it the same kind of treatment with the tree topper. Even a family ornament tree can feel intentional with a pretty topper.

Try combining bows, picks, and greenery for a designer-style tree topper. Here I’ve used a group of berry picks and a couple of bows. The picks also give this tree that little extra height I wish it had for this ceiling.

This simple wreath bow method in the post, “How to Make an Easy Bow for a Wreath in Minutes ” can also be used on the top of the tree. Add 2-4 bows and make them look like one big one!

4. Add Picks for Fullness and Depth.

Another trick from the designer tree is to add a few picks for depth, dimension, and fullness. I brought a few more of the berry picks down throughout the tree.

Want more tips for making a skinny tree look larger? See the post “The 10 Best Ways to Make a Sparse Christmas Tree Look Fuller“.

How to Arrange and Display Sentimental Family Ornaments.

These first few tips have been about setting a uniform background. But now it’s time to let the sentimental ornaments shine! Once your background is unified, it’s time to highlight those precious handmade and memory-filled ornaments.

Hang Ornaments By Size.

Just like decorating any tree, the general rule is to hang the larger ornaments toward the bottom of the tree and the smaller ornaments near the top.

These large ornaments like the puzzle wreath frame and bear dough ornament sign need the support of the branches and look best when tucked into the tree a little bit.

And the tiny ones get noticed most on the tips of the branches.

Group Meaningful Ornaments in Clusters.

Small keepsake ornaments can get lost on their own. I like to hang them with buddies in a little collection. Like these homemade ornaments made of felt:

I made the wreath, snowman, and Santa with my favorite babysitter back in the seventies (so yes they are very old thank you very much).

And I grouped the tiny frame ornaments, with photos of my kids and of my best friends.

Secure and Preserve Fragile Ornaments.

If an ornament is breakable or irreplaceable, take a few extra seconds to wrap the hook or floral wire securely around the branch.

Shine the Light Over an Ornament.

Position special ornaments near mini lights or LED bulbs to create a sparkling focal point on the tree. This is especially pretty if they have a little glitter or sparkle!

See more tips like this and how to decorate a tree like a designer in the post “How to Decorate a Christmas Tree Like a Pro Step by Step!“

Now with all my special ornaments nestled close together in this smaller tree, I get to enjoy them more throughout the holiday season, while snuggled under a blanket watching Christmas movies.

Some remind me of the place I got them. Some take me back to a certain moment in time. Some reconnect me with being a child. And some remind me of the excitement my kids had about everything Christmas.

My favorite Christmas tree decorations may be the ones that my kids made at school. The spelling on this one from kindergarten or first grade always chokes me up:

And this one bookmarks the end of the school years for both of my girls with the green cap and gown and their high school activities:

The choir mice I painted in 9th grade. And my sister in law loves to tell the story of the smelly ordeal of making a huge amount of the oyster shell Santa ornaments.

One of the best things is that the new ornaments that get collected each year live in harmony with the ones from fifty years ago in this cozy and colorful tree.

A sentimental Christmas tree tells the story of your family—past and present. With a few cohesive touches like ribbon, filler ornaments, and thoughtful placement, those collected treasures look as beautiful as the memories behind them.

May your holidays be filled with new ornaments, new stories, and the warm memories of Christmas past,

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