Oh! Christmas Trees!

My infatuation with Christmas trees goes way back. In fact, it was first love at first sight. My mother says that my first spoken sentence was “See the lights!” as I gazed from the backseat of our family’s Rambler, dazzled by the holiday trees in our neighbors’ windows.

Based on response to the Christmas trees we share in the magazine and on social media, it’s a nearly universal fondness. I’ve gathered two dozen of the most beloved trees from our pages to inspire your decorating, or to just enjoy and pass along on your phone with a note saying, “See the lights!”

Click the “See the story.” link in the photo captions to see more holiday decor from each home.

Paying homage to farm life, glass chicken ornaments fill the Norway spruce in Rick Davis and Christopher Vazquez’s farmhouse kitchen. See the story.

Lois Lane, the family Golden Retriever, is no doubt the best gift under jewelry and fashion designer Cara Brown’s tree. Floral designer Jennifer Figge filled the tree with antique bells and a combo of fresh and dried florals. Flowers and greenery include Queen Anne’s lace, tulips, bay leaf, eucalyptus, and English ivy. A circa 1800s antique angel crowns the tree. See the story.

Courtney Allison’s office mantel is dressed with eucalyptus and flowers that mingle perfectly with a crisp white Christmas tree covered in vintage-style blush baubles and a pearl garland. See the story.

The family room tree at designer Barry Dixon’s home is filled with red ornaments, while simple arrangements of magnolia leaves adorn the mantel. It’s just one of a dozen trees that will be decorated to grace this 1907 Edwardian-style house nestled amidst almost 400 acres in Virginia’s horse country. See the story.

At Rick Davis and Christopher Vazquez’s farmhouse, the living room’s blue spruce was chosen for its strong limbs that can support lots of ornaments. The tree-topper, crafted by Davis, is a sentimental favorite. See the full story.

Miniature versions of Tina Yaraghi’s personal collection of ginger jars, urns, and tea caddies serve as Christmas tree ornaments. The sprawling Kashan rug corrals multiple seating areas and supports the blue-and-white palette inspired by Tina’s Chinese export porcelain. See the story.

The tree in Shelley Johnstone’s study is covered exclusively with ornaments in the shape of reindeer, a common theme for her Christmas décor. See the story.

Jane Schwab’s living room tree is trimmed in shades of gold, coral, amber, and sage pulled from the antique Oushak rug. When it comes to holiday decorating, the highly sought-after interior designer and co-author of The Welcoming House (Rizzoli, 2013) decks her own halls with the same fervor and flair that she brings year-round to her clients. See the story.

At Hill House, blogger and author Paula Sutton’s charming home in the English countryside, a petite but full Christmas tree decorated with red bows and dried orange slices sits in the corner. See the story.

The classic tree in the living room of Alice and Bob Schleusner’s home in Birmingham, Alabama is a perfect complement to Sybil Sylvester’s beautiful threading of mixed garlands turned custom, woven with branches, berries, smilax vines, and eucalyptus pods. See the story.

“I am properly obsessed with Christmas decorating,” says Butter from her home in the Shepherd’s Bush neighborhood of West London. The acid-green ribbon that winds between blue and green ornaments on the tree is from Tobias and the Angel, one of Butter’s favorite shops. “I’m not really a red, gold, and green kind of girl,” she says.  See the story.

One of Courtney Allison’s trees radiates dazzling, golden light and is reflected in a gilded antique mirror hung with a eucalyptus wreath. “The living room tree twinkles in the window at the top of a long driveway, which spreads a bit of cheer to passersby…” says Courtney. See the story.

In designer Stephanie Lynton’s eat-in kitchen, presents wrapped in pink paper and tied with red or silver ribbon are stacked on the stairs under “The Nana Tree.” Covered with hand-painted ornaments the tree is set on a blue-and-white toy chest. “My design motto was inspired by Dr. Seuss, who said fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. I like to let my imagination go,” says Stepanie. See the story. 

Glass windows overlooking Stephanie Lynton’s flagstone courtyard reflect the lights of a 13-foot blue spruce. See the story.

With 10 exquisitely decorated bedrooms and Dixon’s easygoing, yet always thoughtful manner regarding hospitality, it’s no surprise that Elway becomes a revolving door for a steady stream of family and friends during the season. “If there’s a guest staying in a bedroom, we’ll definitely have a tree, even if it’s just a tabletop one, and the mantel will always be decorated,” says Barry Dixon. See the story.

At Mila Hirsch’s home, a flocked Christmas tree with golden lights complements the glamorous kitchen’s hammered-brass cabinets and antique Italian lantern. See the story.

The signature color of the Quirk Hotel, a hip boutique-style hotel in Richmond’s arts/design district, is pink, so it is no surprise that at Christmastime, a giant pink tree decorated in all shades of the color takes center stage in their lobby. See the story.

Ray Jordan of Flowerbuds in Birmingham, Alabama says, “My inspiration for this design is so much of what I love about the holidays: traditional reds and greens, childhood memories of decorating the tree, and gatherings friends and family to celebrate.” Get step-by-step instructions for this tabletop Christmas tree.

For a novel twist the tree in Bart McCorquodale’s living room is topped with gilded ferns and palm fronds. An antique silver epergne on the coffee table is filled with red tulips that impart movement. See the story.

From November through January, the old-world interiors of Kathryn and Doug Eckert’s Mountain Brook manse are stocked with artful arrangements of vegetables, fruit, berries, and nuts peppered with fresh florals, shed antlers, and foraged pinecones and feathers—nuances that celebrate an entire season of blessings and abundance as opposed to just one day. “We wait a little longer to put our tree up so that it stays fresh and fragrant through the Feast of Epiphany,” homeowner Kathryn Eckert says. See the story.

Interior designer Danielle Balanis says, “I love all things classic—white lights, Christopher Radko ornaments that my mom gives me every year, tinsel tossed with abandon on the tree, and gifts wrapped with greenery stuffed into the bow.” See the story.

This tree at East Hampton Gardens reflects some of the Hamptons holiday style that Michael Giannelli sees. “I feel like the clients I have all tend to go a bit more traditional. Many of their trees are eclectic and are full of sentimental ornaments. One client makes stunning needlepoint ornaments, and another loves a blue and white tree with gold.” See the story.

Mary Spotswood’s Christmas tree shines in the entry hall at Brooke’s Bank in Essex County, Virginia. The entry is wrapped in Adelphi’s Butterfly Chintz, inspired by an 18th-century French floral print from the archives of the Colonial Williamsburg Collection. See the story.