When I was little, my family and I would drive down to a local Christmas tree farm every December. It was a magical time for me and my siblings. We would run around and see who could find the biggest trees. The pine scent and festive atmosphere made it one of our favorite times of year.
It was less fun for my mom, who knew it was only a matter of time before the tree started shedding dried pine needles everywhere (needles she would have to clean up). After another Christmas or two, we stopped decorating trees for that very reason.
Are you tired of a real Christmas tree, too? Why not make your own? Over 50 million Christmas trees are purchased every year and 30 million of those go straight to landfills! Creating your own tree can be fun and a great way to go green for the holidays without sacrificing any Christmas cheer.
One of the easiest ways to make your own Christmas tree is to use things from the garden, like a tomato cage. You can find tomato cages very easily in any kind of home improvement stores or places such as Walmart and Target (although they may be in seasonal aisles). They range from anywhere from 3 to 6 feet or more, and they are less than 4 dollars!
If you take one and flip it upside down, you notice it already starts to look like a tree itself. Now you can either place it into a pot with soil to give it more of a traditional look, or you can just leave it as it is. I suggest the pot because once you’re done you can’t even tell that it’s homemade. If you stick with a pot, use some metal wires or old clothe hangers and bend some pieces to secure the cage in. Once that’s all set, you can buy some garland and wrap it around in a spiral motion to cover each and every part of the cage. Then decorate it with some Christmas lights and ornaments.
These Christmas “trees” are very easy to clean up and look just as nice if you take the time to decorate them. Smaller ones give a unique feeling to the room. You can decorate small tables and areas where you would relax. Make any room in the house feel like Christmas!
Another interesting alternative is the ladder tree. After my family stopped decorating Christmas trees, I joked with my brother about decorating a ladder instead. I never thought someone would actually do it! It’s another easy alternative if you want to try something new last minute. Just don’t walk under the ladder
DIY Tomato Cage Christmas Tree Tutorial
1. Gather your tomato cages and lights. A 6 to 10-foot string of lights should cover a 3-foot-tall tomato cage. I went for a more minimal look with these trees, so be sure to use a longer string of lights or multiple strings if you want your trees full of volume.
2. Once you have your supplies, flip the cage upside down so that the forks that would normally go into the ground are facing up. I’ve found that it’s easiest to twist the wires together to create the top of the tree. It does get rough on your hands, so I recommend using gloves or pliers. Once you have the top formed, thread the female end of the lights into the top.
3. Then begin to wrap the lights around the cage from the top down. I wrap the top multiple times in a ball like fashion to make sure the top is nice and well-lit. This is also a good way to try to hide the plug end of the string a bit.
4. Continue to wrap the lights down the cage. I found it’s easiest to step on the cage or place your knee on it while I use my arms to get the lights around the cage. If you have a helper, it may be easier to have one person hold the lights while the other person spins the cage around. Make sure to circle around the parts of the cage where two wires cross together so that your lights stay secure and don’t slide around when you’re done.
5. Once you get to the bottom of the tree, simply wrap the plug around the base wire or tie it to keep it in place.
Enjoy your new decor! Like I said, I went for a very minimal look with these trees — they could use another strand or two of lights and some ornaments too. For more holiday tree inspiration, check out my Pinterest board below. These trees use mesh, ribbons, and other traditional tree decor, and many of them look real!
Follow New England Design and Construction’s board Alternative Christmas Trees on Pinterest.
Have fun with your Christmas decor this holiday.
Be sure to spend some quality time with loved ones gathered around whatever tree you choose.
for more decorating and home improvement tips!
106 Comments
Interesting info. Thank you for this.
I have bookmarked the site. Good news.
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Do you have an RSS I can subscribe to? I cant see an icon anywhere?
hey great information your site contains will return when I have time to read more.
I just wanted to take a moment to praise you for sharing this with us. As a average citizen I’ve really appreciated the brilliant insights and information obtained from reading your blog. I hope you can continue to develop a good website here as I will be coming back often!
hi,i like your weblog
I have been searching for a time for just a reasonable study dealing with this kind of subject matter . Checking out in Aol I now uncovered this website. Reading this post I’m just happy to enunciate that I’ve got a great impression I discovered precisely what I was looking for. For certain i will be sure to don’t forget this blog and go here on a constant basis.
Hey man nice post.Thank you.
Excellent post with some good info, think i’ll share this on my twitter if you don’t mind and maybe even blogroll it depending on the feedback, thanks for sharing
thanks 🙂
Im glad I stumbled onto it. Have a good day And Check me out
very interesting info ! .
This gives make the most of a terrific website decent Gives many thanks for the efforts to assist individuals
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks ..
Pretty right subdivision. I just came across your web site and loved to tell that I have really enjoyed reading your opinions. In any caseI’ll be coming back and I hope you post again soon.
Substantially, the article is really the actual freshest on this notable subject. We trust your own findings and can thirstily look forward to the next improvements.I’ll immediately grab your feed to stay abreast of any kind of improvements.
Most of the times i visit a blog I see that the construction is poor and the writting bad. Regarding your blog,I could honestly say that you writting is decent and your website solid.
I’m honestly not to familiar with this subject. you made it seem pretty interesting though. i really only surfed your blog to get some ideas for the blog im getting ready to launch, but besides your design i enjoyed your wrtings too
You are so motivational and you talk sense. That is crucial. You¡¯re an intellectual and you have got a lot of heart. I love your blogposts! Appreciate it!
Very regularly I visit this site. It very greatly is satisfying to me. Thanks the author Thanks for this brilliant article. I am delighted after reading this. Thank you!
Regards for this post, I am a big fan of this internet site would like to go along updated.
I like this site very much so much great info .
Im glad I came across onto it. Have a good day And Check me out
kudos to you for writing such an amazin blog my friend, you are very talented & you should be proud of your writing skills! I’m sure you got a high score on the sats lol
You write Formidable articles,keep up good work.
I’ll definitely have to look into this. Thank you!
Love your site!!
Best article,thank you for sharing this!
Wonderful blog, lots of useful details. happens all the time
I think you know how to write a actually wonderful post. Thanks!
Thanks very much for that! My mother recently harvested her garden full of tomatoes , and I find myself the proud owner of two or five buckets worth! Of course I couldnt eat them all, but I did find a website full of loads more tomato recipes here. A whole website dedicated the topic!! Crazy what you can find on the internet these days!!
That is some inspirational stuff. Never knew that opinions could be this varied. Thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.
I found this site by accident while searching for health topics. Your posts are very good and Ive bookmarked them. Keep up the good work.
Hey, your site is really great, I came across while in search for brand info on bing and it has lots of related information on it. Will be sure to come back again and bookmark. Keep up the great work!
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this post. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to start my own BlogEngine blog now.
You got a really useful blog I have been here reading for about half an hour. I am a newbie and your post is valuable for me.
Very cool idea. I just recently started following your blog, but I look forward to contributing more in the future.
This blog has some interesting info. I am really impressed with your efforts and really pleased to visit this post. Keep up the Good work going!! Thanks
I found this site by accident while searching for health topics. Your posts are very good and Ive bookmarked them. Keep up the good work.
I really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not tht good. I also found your entries very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and she ejoyed it as well!
This is probably one of the best mentions of this topic I’ve seen in quite a while. It’s obvious that your knowledge of the subject is deep and this made for a very interesting read.
My cousin recommended this blog and she was totally right keep up the great work!
Thanks for the good things. I’ve good issues to offer. Follow my link u might find the factor what you want.
I found your blog on google and liked it very much and will come back to visit it someday ..
This blog rocks! I gotta say, that I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I¡¯m glad I found your blog. Thanks,A definite great read¡
The most difficult thing is to find a blog with unique and fresh content but i think you offer something different. Bravo.
I came across this topic on a different site and didn’t really understand it, but this post explains it better. Appreciate it!
Most of the times blogs are the same but i think you have a unique blog. Bravo !
Strong blog. I acquired lots of great information. We?ve been keeping an eye on this technology with regard to some time. This?s fascinating how it retains different, yet a few of the core elements remain the same. Have you seen a lot alter since Search engines made their own most recent acquisition in the field?
This is truly a fantastic post. I am still new to all this and I try to learn. Reading this post helped me very much in getting a line of these things. Thank you for sharing it and maintain the superb work.
This is in truth a fantastic post. I am yet new to all these things and I try to improve. Reading this blog post helped me a lot in studying this. Thanks for making it available and keep up the nice work.
That is in truth a fantastic blog post. I am still new to all these things but I try to improve. Studying this blog post helped me a good deal in verifying this. Thank you for making it available and prolong the superb work.
This is really a exceptional blog post. I am still new to all these things but I try to improve. Studying this blog post helped me very much in finding out it. Thanks for sharing it and continue the superb work.
That is in truth a remarkable post. I am yet new to all these things and I try to pick it all up. Reading this blog post helped me a lot in studying it. Thanks for sharing it and prolong the solid work.
This is actually a wonderful article. I am yet new to all these things but I try to pick it all up. Reading this post helped me lots in finding out it. Thanks for making it available and continue the superb work.
Good an very informative post. I will come back to your blog regullary. One thing: I do not exactly know what do you mean in the second paragraph. Could you please exmplain your opinion?
I really enjoyed the post so I used my Digg account to digg it – should help you
Yahoo really did a good job helping me discover your blog – its good.
I found this blog by searching Gooogle and ended up here. There is some great informatin here. I just started to make money online and its articles like these that helped me. If you are just starting out you should definitely bookmark this site.
I think this an informative and interesting article. I think it is very readable and knowledgeable, happy to see some people still have interest in this. I would like to thank you for the work you have made in writing this article. I am wish the same best work from you in the future as well kind
I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this post. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to start my own BlogEngine blog now.
I recently stumbled onto this blog by pure mistake, and in doing so i’ve found so much info in your past articles. I’ve bookmarked this site for now and will definitely come back to see your updates! Thanks for the info!
Hey, your site is really great, I came across while in search for brand info on bing and it has lots of related information on it. Will be sure to come back again and bookmark. Keep up the great work!
I will post a link to this page on my blog.
Thanks!
Hi I love your comment and it was so informational and I am definetly going to save it. One thing to say the Superb analysis this article has is trully remarkable.No one goes that extra mile these days? Bravo!!! Just another suggestion you caninstall a Translator Application for your Global Readers …
Quite a beautiful website. I built mine and i was looking for some ideas and your website gave me some. Did you develop the website alone?
Thank you
Christmas Greetings Wishing you a prosperous New Year!
thanks, interesting article
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I?m gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Good blog. I’ve been farming inside using many kinds grow lamp setups, from Led,HPS,MH,T-5 and CFL grow lamps & my favorite has turned out to be CFL Grow Lights. Led,HPS, MH and Induction grow lamps all can grow good pot, but,however all have problems. Factors like heat, power consumption and initial cost all make it a a “no brainer” for powerful CFL’s as grow lights.That doesn’t mean traditional grow lights don’t work its just CFL grow Light Systems work better than my old 1k HPS growlight!
Hey there I am so grateful I found your blog page,
I really found you by error, while I was browsing on Google for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like
to say thanks a lot for a marvelous post and a all
round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design),
I don’t have time to go through it all at the moment but I have book-marked it
and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be
back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the fantastic work.
Great post. I used to be checking constantly this blog and I am inspired! Very helpful info particularly the final section 🙂 I handle such info a lot. I was seeking this certain info for a very long time. Thanks and good luck.
I pay a quick visit daily a few sites and sites to read content, but this blog offers quality based writing.
You can certainly see your expertise in the article you write.
The sector hopes for even more passionate writers like you who
aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time follow your heart.
Good information. Lucky me I found your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I have saved it for later!
Wow, superb blog structure! How long have you ever been blogging for? you made running a blog glance easy. The full look of your website is wonderful, as smartly as the content material!
These trees look bright and lovely.
So awesome! Can’t wait to make my super cool faux tree this year — thank you for posting!
Can’t say my fiancee would go for this but fabulous idea.
Thanks Dan!
I think that my fiancee wouldn’t be super thrilled about replacing our Christmas tree either, however I’ve had years where I wanted something other than tradition. Cheers!
My cat would love climbing on these!
These tomato cage christmas trees are so cute. I’ll definitely be putting some up this year.
paper Christmas ornament crafts for decorating your tree in style. 3D paper Christmas decorations will look fabulous hanging http://www.orioninfosolutions.com/android-training.php