The Genius Hack That'll Make Your Sparse Christmas Tree Look Fuller Instantly

While everyone can appreciate the natural fullness of a real Christmas tree, most people have a plethora of reasons why purchasing, hauling, and displaying one just doesn't work for their lifestyle. In fact, as reported by The Guardian, over 80% of homes opted for an artificial tree in 2021. In the great debate of whether real or artificial trees are best, the convenience and reusability of an artificial Christmas tree is difficult to beat. But, there is one aesthetic concern that plagues most owners of one: sparseness.

Thankfully, decorating-hack pipeline TikTok has the issue of sparse Christmas trees covered. User @alltheradreads posted a video sharing her ingenious way of instantly making a sparse tree look fuller using just two inexpensive items you can easily find at any dollar or department store (or on Amazon): clear ornaments and artificial greenery. If you've been stressing over the sparseness of your Christmas tree but don't have the budget for a tree upgrade this year, this is the holiday hack for you. 

The low-cost ornaments and greenery for this hack are easy to find at home stores, markets, and online. You can purchase a 12-pack of clear glass ornaments for $29.99 on Amazon, or save yourself some money by going with a 15-pack of clear plastic ornaments, also available on Amazon, for $14.88 instead. As for artificial greenery, feel free to pick up some garland from your local Dollar Tree and snip off as many sprigs as you need. Or, you can snag a 40-pack of artificial pine sprigs for $16.99 on Amazon.

Once you've acquired all your supplies, simply open each ornament, insert a pine spring or two, and close it. Then, strategically hang each filled ornament in a particularly sparse spot on your tree to create the illusion of the presence of more pine branches and needles. Set these ornaments a bit farther back, toward the inner section of the tree, and add your usual ornaments in front as you normally would. While @alltheradreads recommends this hack for an artificial tree, it can also be used with real trees that suffer from slightly bare spots. Once complete, stand back and admire your fuller-looking tree.