Carole Middleton’s Christmas tree from 2019 is inspiring us to forget about the traditional festive decorating rules and focus on joyful elements.
Each year different Christmas tree themes rise and fall in popularity and it can often feel a bit overwhelming when it comes to decorating our own. So much of what we see on social media are immaculate, colour-coordinated Christmas trees or those with very stylised decorations, however it doesn’t have to be this way. We think it’s great to have fun with your festive decorating and we’re still inspired by Carole Middleton’s approach with her office tree in 2019. A photo and video were shared on the Instagram of her former business, Party Pieces, that year and showed Carole decorating the tree as well as a close-up glimpse of the process.
Whilst her Christmas décor might be very different at her home in Berkshire, this office tree was the epitome of care-free and we couldn’t love it more for this. It reminds us that Christmas decorations are all about personality and don’t have to rigidly follow what’s on-trend.
Shop Decorations Like Carole's
Multi-coloured lights might not be hugely "on trend" but they are so joyful and instantly brighten up a Christmas tree. These ones have a retro feel and feature 100 LEDs encased in faceted shades. You can wind them around the tree or a bannister as fun festive décor.
Coming with an assortment of different shapes, this set of red and white painted wooden decorations are so charming. You can mix and match different ones each year and they have a similar colour scheme to some of the ornaments on Carole's 2019 Christmas tree.
This box of 49 baubles is a bargain right now and they're shatterproof for extra practicality. The mix of rich red and gold tones and different finishes are stunning and these would be perfect alongside some wooden decorations and twinkling lights.
Carole Middleton described glittery baubles as "ever important" and who are we to disagree with her? This gold sparkly decoration from The White Company is 30% reduced in the sale and it's so gorgeous and sure to make an impact.
Pine cone decorations are not only great for the festive season but for autumn too and they add a rustic quality to an interior space. This pack comes with 18 pieces and the metallic gold sheen on them is so pretty.
This Royal Worcester bone china fox bauble would be a wonderful Christmas gift for a loved-one as well as special treat for yourself and your own home. It features an adorable illustration of two foxes on a sleigh by artist Hannah Dale and is threaded with a red ribbon.
Carole’s Christmas tree was covered in so many stunning ornaments and she and her Party Pieces team didn’t stick to particular colours or materials. There were understated wooden decorations that brought a traditional feel to the Christmas tree and these were contrasted against more eye-catching glittery baubles.
In the caption these sparkly metallic decorations were described as "ever-important" and they did bring a touch of festive magic to the overall design. There were also plenty of cranberry-red baubles for a pop of colour and several of the wooden ones had white detailing too, whilst there was even a "sneaky elf" hidden in the branches as a surprise decoration.
The best Christmas decorations can be enhanced further by the twinkling glow of fairy-lights and Carole and the team opted for a rather retro set of lights for this 2019 tree. Rather than decorating with the always-popular warm-toned white lights, they chose multi-coloured ones that featured pink, blue, yellow and green bulbs.
They have a wonderful, nostalgic feel to them and woman&home’s Digital Lifestyle Editor Tamara Kelly believes they’re the stand-out decoration on the Party Pieces tree.
"Eclectic is the theme of this tree, there's no one definitive standalone decorating scheme from traditional wooden decorations to glittery baubles and a novelty Elf; it's a real mix," she says. "The standalone decoration for me is the retro-coloured Christmas lights with large bulbs, they certainly add an element of fun and a dash of nostalgia."
Recreate Carole Middleton's Winter Outfit
If you love Carole Middleton's green jumper as well as her Christmas decorations then this relaxed fit jumper would be a gorgeous piece to recreate her look. It's made from cotton-rich yarn, with a neat crew neck and dropped shoulders.
Beautiful and high-waisted, these checked trousers have such a timeless, traditional feel to them. They're crafted from a warm wool-blend and are fully lined. The straight-leg design is comfortable and the cropped design means that these would work well over boots as well as with flat shoes.
This deep green cotton-blend sweater has delicate buttons running up the cuffs for a touch more detail and it also comes in black. Tuck it into trousers and skirts for a streamlined look or leave it draped over like Carole did in 2019.
The nostalgic Christmas decoration trend is huge for 2024 and Carole Middleton was well ahead of the game with these retro multi-coloured fairy lights. However, the beauty of her 2019 Christmas tree was precisely that it wasn’t about trends - it was all about decorating in the way that makes you happy and forgetting about styling rules.
This is a lesson we can all learn when it comes to festive decor and although you might not be a fan of the specific decorations Carole and her team used, you can take inspiration from her approach. Perhaps consider adding a few more novelty decorations into your tree and home or else move away from festive red, gold and green and embrace your favourite tones more - even if they’re not considered "Christmassy".
Whichever approach you take, mixing and matching is the name of the game and it makes a lovely change from perfectly on-theme Christmas decorations.
