Learn how to crisscross ribbon on a Christmas tree and add a unique look to your holiday decor!
It really is SO simple and can be customized in so many different ways: ribbon, decomesh, burlap, and more.
Decorate your Christmas tree in an extra special and festive way this year!
How to Crisscross Ribbon on a Christmas Tree
Last holiday season, I was perusing Pinterest (naturally) and stumbled upon this pin showcasing a Christmas tree that had a GORGEOUS crisscross ribbon look.
Needless to say, it is WAY nicer than our typical throw-the-ribbon-around-the-tree-as-fast-as-we-can look, and I knew I wanted to try it out the next time we decorated our tree for the holidays.
Fast-forward to this year, and I actually remembered to do it!
I changed up my inspiration’s instructions just a tad thanks to tinsel ties (my new holiday BFF), and I cannot believe how incredibly easy this holiday decor project was!
Even my husband thinks the final look is cool, which lemme tell ya, is saying A LOT.
Supplies for Crisscrossing Ribbon on a Christmas Tree
Here’s what you’ll need for this simple holiday decor project:
- Ribbon (or burlap, decomesh, fabric, etc.)
- Wired or non-wired will work; see more on this below.
- 2″ to 3″ wide would likely work best, unless you have a HUGE tree, then by all means, go bigger!
- I have a 7.5′ tree and used three rolls of this 2.5″ wide, 30′ long ribbon
- Something to tie ribbon strands together at top of tree
- I used a piece of floral wire
- Optional: Ornament Tinsel Ties or other decorative elements like clip-on ornaments
- Tape measure
- Scissors
Steps for How to Crisscross Ribbon on a Christmas Tree
I’ll explain all these in much more detail below, but here’s a quick TL:DR rundown of the steps for how to crisscross ribbon on a Christmas tree.
It really is super easy!
- Measure and cut ribbon into strands based on your tree’s height/width.
- RIBBON LENGTH: To get the ribbon length, a good guide is to double the height of your tree.
- So for a 7.5′ tree, I used 15′ strands of ribbon.
- NUMBER OF STRANDS: Most trees will probably need six strands of ribbon (mine did).
- If you have an extra wide or tall tree, bump it up to eight or even ten.
- RIBBON LENGTH: To get the ribbon length, a good guide is to double the height of your tree.
- Fasten strands of ribbon together on one end and place or attach the tied bunch to the top of your tree and tuck under your tree topper.
- Evenly space the long tails of ribbon around your tree, making sure they’re laying flat with the correct side showing.
- Starting roughly 12″ down from your tree topper, grab two strands of ribbon and either wrap them around each other (if using wired-ribbon) or secure together using a tinsel tie or other decorative attachment. Move around and finish the top row.
- Move down and around the tree in the same fashion, securing two strands of ribbon together as you go. Be mindful of your columns and rows so every attachment point remains in line.
- Once you get to the bottom, fold remaining length of ribbon strands underneath your tree and tuck them in the branches.
That’s it!
Step 1: Measure & Cut Strands of Ribbon
Okay, so here’s the longwinded version! You know me and my wordy posts. ;)
Like I mentioned, I have a tree that’s 7.5′ tall and average width. Therefore, I used six strands of ribbon that were each 15′ long.
I also had a little helper with a very strong “CHEESE!” face.
Step 2: Attach Ribbon Strands Together & Add to Top of Tree
Once my ribbon strands were cut, I gathered the ends on one side, bunched them up, and secured them together using some floral wire.
You can use anything you want to secure the strands together because you shouldn’t see this under your tree topper. A rubber band, twist tie from a bread bag, ornament wire, etc. will also work just fine.
Step 3: Space Ribbon Strands Evenly Around Tree
Now it was time to add the ribbon to the tree.
After placing the floral wire-tied bunch on the top, I laid the strands around the tree so all six were evenly spaced and laying flat with the correct (snowflake) side showing (although next year I may use the plain buffalo plaid side instead…).
The tails were left in lovely puddles on the floor for the time-being.
Step 4: Start Crisscrossing!
Next, I put our snowman hat tree topper on the tree then started crisscrossing the ribbon.
All I did was grab two adjacent strands of ribbon roughly 12″ down from the topper and pinch them together, place a tinsel tie behind them, then twist the tinsel tie around itself in front of the ribbon.
Voila! That’s it.
If you’re using wired ribbon, you could skip a tinsel tie and just twist the ribbon strands around each other (then add some clip-on ornaments on top of the pinch points afterwards for some extra festiveness if you wanted).
I didn’t want to mess with the tails of ribbon possibly (let’s be honest…probably) getting tangled from all the twisting, so these tinsel ties were my new best friends.
Plus they look like snowballs and go well with our snowflake ribbon and snowman hat tree topper, so bonus points!
I completed the top row (three attachment points) first, trying to keep them in line with each other and evenly spaced around the tree.
And don’t worry if it looks a little weird at this point! Everything will come together as you work your way down.
You can also pull the ribbon as tight or as loose as you’d like as well as play around with how deep into the branches you’d like your attachment points to be.
This really is SO customizable.
STEP 5: MOVE DOWN AND AROUND YOUR TREE
Keep up the crisscrossing of two strands of ribbon as you move down and around your tree.
Remember to be mindful of your columns and keep the attachment points aligned both vertically and horizontally.
As you can see, the more sections I added, the better it looked.
Step 6: Hide Ribbon Tails Under Tree
Once I reached the bottom of the tree, I had about 2′ of extra ribbon on each strand left over.
Instead of cutting the excess off (’tis better to have too much than not enough), an easy fix to hide them was to just tuck them underneath the tree and wrap them around a branch deep inside near the “trunk.”
Here is a *very* professional diagram (*pats self on the back*) of the components for all of you visual learners:
- Green line: one strand of ribbon
- Purple line: another strand of ribbon
- Blue arrows: attachment points (tinsel ties twisted around the two ribbon strands)
- Yellow lines: columns and rows of attachment points as a reminder to keep them (relatively) in line and centered
The Final Crisscrossed Ribbon Look
And here’s how the crisscrossed ribbon looks on our fully decorated Christmas tree!
It really makes our artificial tree look fuller and adds a lot of interest.
And you gotta love the uniqueness of it!
It’s so nice sitting next to our also-decorated fireplace and mantel (and our five-year-old couch potato who’s lost in tablet land).
Plus, thanks to our rotating tree stand, we get a festive 360° view!
And here’s how our tree looks all aglow at night!
It just makes me smile, and that’s what Christmas cheer is all about.
How about a closeup of the crisscrossed ribbon look:
Christmas Tree Crisscrossed Ribbon Source List
If you’d like more info on some of the items I’ve shown in these photos, here’s where I purchased (or DIYed) them!
- Christmas tree | Lowes
- Snowman hat tree topper | At Home
- Red tree collar | Hayneedle
- Red & white striped curtains | Amazon
- Rotating tree stand | Zulily
- Mantle garland | Home Depot
- ‘Believe’ marquee sign | Zulily
- Personalized Santa stockings | Personal Creations via Zulily
- Glitter cones | At Home
- Mirror | Wayfair
- Wreath | Target
- Felt ball garland (around mirror) | Jane
- Candle sticks | Decor Steals
- Red LED glitter pillar candles | At Home
- Personalized Letter to Santa sign | DIY (free cut file, too!)
- ‘Our Home Believes’ sign | DIY
- ‘We Need a Little Christmas’ sign | DIY
- ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ sign | DIY
- ‘Making Spirits Bright’ sign | DIY
How to Crisscross Ribbon on a Christmas Tree
Learn how to crisscross ribbon on a Christmas tree and add a unique look to your holiday decor!
It really is SO simple and can be customized in so many different ways: ribbon, decomesh, burlap, and more.
Decorate your Christmas tree in an extra special and festive way this year!
Materials
- Ribbon (wired or non-wired; 2-3" wide)
- Something to tie ribbon strands together at top of tree (such as a twist tie or floral wire)
- Optional: Decorative items to attach ribbon together at crisscrossed attachment points (such as clip-on ornaments, picks, or Tinsel Ties)
Tools
- Tape measure
- Scissors
Instructions
- Measure and cut ribbon into strands based on your tree’s height/width.
- Fasten strands of ribbon together on one end and place or attach the tied bunch to the top of your tree and tuck under your tree topper.
- Evenly space the long tails of ribbon around your tree, making sure they’re laying flat with the correct side showing.
- Starting roughly 12″ down from your tree topper, grab two strands of ribbon and either wrap them around each other (if using wired-ribbon) or secure together using a tinsel tie or other decorative attachment. Move around and finish the top row.
- Move down and around the tree in the same fashion, securing two strands of ribbon together as you go. Be mindful of your columns and rows so every attachment point remains in line.
- Once you get to the bottom, fold remaining length of ribbon strands underneath your tree and tuck them in the branches.
Notes
To get the ribbon length, a good guide is to double the height of your tree.
Most trees will probably need six strands of ribbon, but extra large trees may need eight or even ten.
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If You Enjoyed This…
Make sure you check out my Project Gallery for lots of other crafty creations, tutorials, and freebies, like these festive Christmas ones!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Merry Christmas!
Martina
Sunday 22nd of November 2020
I've always wanted to learn how to cris cross ribbon on our tree! Thanks so much for sharing!
Christine
Monday 23rd of November 2020
Glad you found this helpful, Martina!