Buying guide

Choosing the Right Christmas Tree

The tree is the centerpiece of Christmas decorating, and the right choice depends on three things: your room, your style, and how much setup time you enjoy. This guide walks through each decision in order.

1. Measure before you shop

Measure your ceiling height and subtract at least 6 inches for the stand and a topper — that is your maximum tree height. Then measure the floor space: a full-profile 7.5 ft tree can be 4.5–5 ft wide, while a slim pencil tree of the same height may be under 3 ft wide. Our tree size guide matches heights from 4 ft to 12 ft to typical rooms.

2. Pre-lit or unlit?

Pre-lit trees arrive with lights already distributed through the branches. Setup is mostly connecting sections and plugging in, and the spacing looks professionally even. Unlit trees cost less and give you full control — warm white one year, multicolor the next — at the price of stringing the lights yourself (allow roughly 100 lights per foot of tree for a full look).

3. Pick your look

• Classic green: the traditional full silhouette that suits most ornaments and themes.
• Flocked: branches dusted with a snow effect — beautiful with warm lights and red or gold ornaments, though flocking can shed lightly during setup.
• Pencil / slim: narrow profiles for apartments, hallways, corners and second trees.
• Colored (pink, black, silver, white): statement trees that carry a themed room on their own — keep ornaments simpler and let the tree be the color.

4. Branch tips and realism

Higher tip counts generally mean a fuller tree with fewer gaps. Hinged branches (attached to the center pole) fold out quickly and are the easiest to set up and store; hook-on branches take longer but can pack smaller.

5. Storage

Most artificial trees separate into 2–4 sections. Let a flocked tree dry and settle before bagging it, keep it out of direct heat, and store the stand and any remote with the tree so next December starts smoothly.

Ready to browse? Start with our Christmas Trees collection — every tree ships free, and you have 30 days to return it free if the fit is wrong.