Christmas Tree Topper Ideas DIY: 25 Creative Ways to Crown Your Christmas Tree

Last Updated on November 14, 2026 by Cate Daniels

Your Christmas tree can have the prettiest ornaments, the fluffiest ribbons, and the most beautiful lights, but something still feels unfinished without a lovely topper.

That final decoration draws your eyes upward and gives the entire tree a finished, thoughtfully decorated look.

The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune buying an elaborate Christmas tree topper.

With a little creativity, you can make something beautiful using ribbon, pinecones, greenery, paper, ornaments, and a few supplies you may already have at home.

Here are 25 Christmas tree topper ideas DIY that will help you give your tree a beautiful finishing touch.

Oversized burlap bow 

Buy wired burlap ribbon, about 6 inches wide and 3 yards long. Loop it into a fat bow, pinch the center, and secure it with floral wire.

Let the tails cascade down both sides of the tree. Plain burlap sheds fibers all over your black sweater, so spritz it lightly with hairspray to calm the fray.

Vital tip: Wire the bow to a stick that reaches 8 inches down into the branches. A wide bow catches the slightest draft like a sail, and a short stem won’t hold it.

Giant red velvet bow topper

Use wired velvet ribbon, 4 inches wide or more, and make the bow bigger. A tiny bow disappears at the top of a 7 foot tree and you don’t want this on your tree.

Velvet crushes and shows every fingerprint.

So hit it with a steamer before it goes up, and your bow will look like it came from a department store.

Vital tip: Keep the nap running the same direction on every loop.

Velvet looks like two different shades when the pile is flipped, and you can’t unsee it once you spot it.

DIY pinecone topper

Bake yard pinecones at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes to kill any hitchhiking bugs.

Glue the cones in overlapping rows onto a foam cone base. Dust the tips with white paint for a frosty look.

Vital tip: Finish with a coat of clear spray sealer. Pinecones close up in humid rooms and drop scales. The sealer locks them open.

DIY gold glitter star topper

Cut two stars from cardboard and glue them together so the star won’t warp. Brush on glue, then pour glitter over the whole thing.

Seal it with a clear spray, or you’ll be finding glitter on your clothes in March.

Vital tip: Glue a paint stir stick down the back as a spine. Cardboard points bend under glitter weight, and a drooping star tip looks out of place.

Ornament cluster topper

Wire a handful of shatterproof ornaments onto a sturdy stem in mixed sizes, from 2 to 4 inches. Tuck a few extra sprigs of greenery in the gaps.

Skip glass here. Glass ornaments weigh a ton, and your tree’s top branch will droop under the pile.

Vital tip: Put a dab of hot glue under each ornament cap.

Paper snowflake topper

Cut six snowflakes from heavy cardstock, not printer paper. Stack them and staple through the center so they fan out into a ball.

Mist with glitter adhesive for a frosted look. This way your topper will look like a giant ornament and will weigh almost nothing.

Vital tip: Press the snowflakes under a stack of books overnight before assembling. Curled paper fans out lopsided, and flat paper makes a clean, even ball that you want.

DIY Christmas angel tree topper

Roll poster board into a cone for the body and glue a wooden bead on top for the head.

Use a paper doily for the skirt and coffee filters for the wings.

Stiffen the filters with a little spray starch so the wings don’t flop.

And skip the painted face, because a faceless angel looks serene and a badly painted one looks haunted.

Vital tip: Test the cone on your top branch before you add the head and wings.

Trimming a base is easy when it’s bare, and a nightmare once everything is glued.

Rustic twig star topper

Collect five straight twigs of equal length, about 8 to 10 inches each. Lay them in a star shape and lash the points with twine, then dab hot glue on every overlap.

Let the twigs dry indoors for a few days first. Wet wood shrinks, and your star will loosen right when guests start arriving.

Vital tip: Twist thin floral wire under the twine at each joint. The wire keeps the points from drifting apart.

DIY candy cane tree topper

Fan five plastic candy canes out from a center dowel and glue them in place. Finish with a red plaid bow at the base to hide the joins.

Please use plastic canes. Real ones get sticky near warm bulbs and attract ants to your living room.

Vital tip: Use a low temp glue gun. High heat warps plastic canes, and your stripes will melt into a sad red puddle.

DIY eucalyptus and greenery topper

Bundle preserved eucalyptus with cedar and holly, then wire the bundle to a 12 inch stick. Tuck the stick deep into the top branches.

Dried eucalyptus holds its shape all season. Fresh sprigs drop leaves on your floor within two weeks, and you have to buy new ones, which can get expensive.

Vital tip: Buy glycerin preserved eucalyptus, not just air dried. Plain dried stems turn brittle and crumble when you bend them, while preserved stems stay soft.

Oversized white feather topper

Gather a big bunch of craft feathers and glue the quills around a wired stem. Aim for a plume about 12 to 14 inches tall.

Feathers are dramatic, but a ceiling fan will make them dance. Also keep them away from hot incandescent bulbs, which can scorch them.

Vital tip: Give the plume a light mist of hairspray before it goes up.

It keeps the feathers from shedding and stops them from clinging to your sleeve every time you walk by.

Rustic wooden christmas star

Fasten five paint stir sticks into a star shape with wood glue and small screws. Sand the edges, then stain or whitewash.

Wood is heavy, so drill a small hole near the base for your zip tie. Without it, the star will slowly rotate and face the wall by Christmas Eve.

Vital tip: Pre drill every screw hole.

Ribbon spray Christmas tree topper

Cut lots of wired ribbon into 10 inch lengths and loop them onto wire stems. Curl some tails and bundle everything so it shoots up and out like fireworks.

This one lives or dies on the base. Wrap the bundle tightly with floral tape, or it fans open and flops sideways.

Vital tip: Build from the center outward, with the longest loops in the middle and shorter ones at the edges.

Start with short loops and you’ll end up with a flat, sad pom pom.

Gingerbread house tree topper

Build a tiny house from cardboard or foam board and paint it brown. Pipe on icing with white puffy paint and glue on gumdrop buttons.

Do not use real gingerbread. It’s heavy, and mice and ants love it. Cut a hole in the base so the house slides over the top branch.

Vital tip: Use LED lights near the house. Avoid hot incandescent bulbs as they can warp foam board and soften puffy paint, and your roof will sag by week two.

Gold and white mesh topper

Twist 10 inch deco mesh ribbon into a ruffled burst on a wire stem. Alternate gold and white for a snowy champagne look.

Mesh snags on branches. Pull it free slowly and gently, or you’ll tear the ruffles.

Vital tip: Secure all the mesh to the stem first, then fluff it at the very end. Fluffing as you go loosens the twists, and the whole burst droops.

Felt topper

Sew or glue green felt into a small cone, stuff it with a little fiberfill, and decorate it with buttons and a tiny felt star.

Yes, it’s a tree on top of a tree, and yes, it makes everyone smile.

Pick wool blend felt over the cheap acrylic kind. The cheap stuff pills and sags by the second week.

Vital tip: Slip a stiff paper cone inside the felt before stuffing. Felt alone folds over like a tired elf hat. The paper keeps it standing tall.

Champagne gold bow and ornament topper

Make a big bow from champagne metallic ribbon and tuck three matching ornaments into the center. Wire everything onto a short stick.

Champagne gold has a warm tone that flatters warm white lights. It looks expensive, even when it’s not.

Vital tip: Wire the ornaments at different depths in the bow. Same height looks like three meatballs, while staggered height looks like a designer arrangement.

Which is the look you want.

Pom-Pom Christmas tree topper

Wrap yarn around a fork and tie it off in the middle, then snip the loops for a perfect pom pom.

Glue a cluster of them onto a foam ball, mixing three sizes.

Use wool yarn, which holds its fluff. And glue every pom pom down, because the loose ones become cat toys.

Vital tip: Tie the center of each pom pom with fishing line or thin wire, not yarn.  Yarn knots slip while you trim, and your pom pom falls apart. You don’t want this.

Starburst Christmas tree topper

Push 20 or so wooden skewers into a 3 inch foam ball, radiating out in every direction. Glue a gold bead or small bell on each tip.

It looks retro and a little bit space age, in the best way. Spray everything gold before you add the beads so no foam shows through.

Vital tip: Dip each skewer in glue before it goes into the foam.

Dry skewers wiggle loose when you carry the topper, and you’ll be re-poking holes on the living room floor.

Mini wreath topper

Grab a 6 to 8 inch grapevine wreath, tuck berries and a bow into it, and attach a short dowel to the back.

Slide the dowel down into the top branches so the wreath tilts toward the room.

Angle it toward your couch, not the wall. A wreath seen edge on looks like a hula hoop.

Vital tip: Wire the dowel through the wreath, not just glue it on. A wreath is a long lever, and glue snaps the first time someone bumps it.

Nordic straw star topper

Soak natural straws in water for 20 minutes so they flatten without splitting.

Cross four of them at the center, tie with twine, and wrap the joints with thread.

You get eight clean points and a calm, Scandinavian look. Dry straw cracks, so don’t skip the soak.

Vital tip: Let the finished star dry flat under a book. Straw springs back as it dries, and weighting it keeps the points sharp and straight.

Floral Christmas tree topper

Wire silk poinsettias, hydrangeas, and a few berry picks into a lush cluster.

Keep to one color family, like cream and gold or deep red and burgundy.

Mixing too many colors turns it into a casserole of flowers and you don’t want this. Pick a palette and stick to it.

Vital tip: Wire each stem to a stiff stick with heavy gauge floral wire. Silk stems are floppy, and the blooms will nod face down by day three.

Macrame tree topper

Cover a paper cone with rows of knotted cotton cord, then comb out the ends into soft fringe. Add a wooden bead at the tip.

Trim the fringe short if you have pets. Long fringe is a cat magnet, and you don’t want your cat playing with it.

Vital tip: Spray the finished piece with fabric stiffener. Cotton cord relaxes in a warm room, and the stiffener keeps the knots from sagging into a droopy sock.

Snowy branch Christmas tree topper

Cut five or six bare branches and brush them with glue, then dip them in Epsom salt for a frosty crystal finish.

Tie the stems together with twine and fan them out.

Work outside and let them dry overnight. Otherwise you’ll wake up to salt on your carpet and a confused vacuum.

Vital tip: Seal the dry branches with a matte clear spray. Epsom salt soaks up humidity and turns damp. The sealer keeps your frost looking crisp.

Oversized Christmas ribbon star topper

Cut a star from heavy cardboard, then wrap it tightly with 2.5 inch wired ribbon, tucking the ends behind. Glue as you go so nothing unravels.

Pick a ribbon with a pattern, like plaid or stripes, for the biggest impact. A solid color looks flat from across the room.

Vital tip: Overlap each wrap by half the ribbon width and keep the tension even.

Loose wraps show gaps of cardboard at the points, and that’s the first thing people notice.

Important Christmas tree topper tips

Hide the cord if your topper lights up

Plan the cord route before you glue. Where will the plug land, and how will the wire travel down through the branches?

A cord dangling out the front looks like a mistake. Run it along the back of the trunk and clip it every foot with a twist tie.

Store it safely

Never toss a topper in a bin with heavy ornaments. A crushed star in January means a rebuilt star in November.

Wrap it in tissue and give it its own shoebox. Label the lid so you can easily  find it.

Measure your top branch before you build anything

Always look at the top of your tree. Is it a single skinny spike or a fork of three stubby branches?

That answer decides everything.

A topper built for a pencil thin leader will slump sideways on a bushy fork, and you’ll spend December nudging it straight.

Take your time and find the right topper.

Build the base first, decorate second

Every topper I’ve seen fail failed at the bottom. Nobody looks at the bottom, so people rush it.

Start with a paper cone, a cardboard tube, or a wire loop that grips your branch. Don’t glue anything on top until the base stays put on its own.

Anchor It it wih a zip tie

Hide a clear zip tie or a length of floral wire inside the base. Cinch it around the trunk just below the topper.

Nobody will see it but everybody will notice if your topper falls off the tree during dinner.

Weigh it first

Set the finished topper on the tree and walk away for an hour. Is it tilted when you come back?

If its leaning, it’s too heavy, and you need to cut weight or add a second anchor point. Better do it now than when your in-laws arrive.

Match your topper to your lights

Your topper sits right next to the brightest bulbs on the tree. Warm white lights make a cool silver topper look icy and out of place.

Hold your materials beside a strand of lights before you glue anything. Clashing colors make the whole tree look off, and you don’t want this.

Think about pets 

I once made a gorgeous tassel topper that lasted four days before our cat treated it like prey. Anything that dangles, swings, or flutters is a toy to a cat.

Keep toppers tight and compact if you have furry roommates. Dangling parts are for homes without pets.