What Are the Best Tree Skirts?

This skirt from CB2 was mentioned four times — it comes in both white and navy with the option of having it personalized for an additional $12 fee. Carrollo likes its simple radial stitching. “It feels cozy — and dare I say a little glam — without feeling over the top,” she explains. It’s perfect if you’re “dreaming of white Christmas.” Founder of home-organizing firm Prune + Pare Heidi Lee seconds this, suggesting that the skirt would pair well either with a neutral palette (say, if you’re going for something monochrome and muted) or ornaments that are a little more outrageous (like oysters). Joanna Douglas, the executive director of branded content at Vox Media, had it on her wishlist last year before she finally bought it on sale. She admires its combination of modernity and cheeriness. Since she goes the kitschy route with her tree decorations, the skirt showcases them in a way that a classic red plaid one never could. And Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio owns an earlier version of this tree skirt from a couple of seasons ago, saying the “velvet is a great luxe touch.”

For something reminiscent of a winter wonderland, consider this faux-fur skirt that’s a favorite of both Stefania Orrù, a supervising producer at Eater, and Ann Lightfoot, founder of professional-organizing company Done & Done Home. Orrù was convinced to buy it after reading online reviews — and once it arrived, she found it to be “super-duper-bright white,” which will contrast nicely with the “disco junk food” theme she’s going for with her tree this year. Lightfoot describes it as “wonderfully plush,” adding that it should be accented with “Christmas music play[ing] in the background.”

From Target’s in-house holiday line called Wondershop, this skirt is another option for those seeking for a snowy look. Naeemah Ford Goldson, owner of Restore Order Professional Organizing, calls the skirt “youthful and fun” with its slightly shaggier appearance. It also features velvety bows in the back.

The company was even commissioned to make the tree skirts for the Obamas’ first Christmas in the White House, van den Brink points out. This is one of the actual tree skirts designed for the then–First Family. It’s made from a chocolate-colored hand-felted wool with green stitching along its bottom border.

Goldson is planning on decorating with this quilted Pottery Barn number this year. It has a “classic Christmas look” that she likes with pretty scrollwork throughout its design, and it comes in either the rich red shown here or a neutral ivory. It’ll act as an accompaniment to everything else she’s putting on her tree, including tinsel and clear lights. And like the CB2 tree skirt at the top of this list, you can monogram it (or add custom text up to 15 letters) for an extra $15.

“I often fantasize about a future upstate home,” Carrollo says. “This tree skirt makes me want to do that even more.” You can choose between red and green gingham — though she’s partial to the latter. That shade, which Food52 bills as olive, leans “more springy and unexpected than the typical Kelly or Hunter green” usually associated with the holidays. Carollo suggests doubling down on a cottagecore theme with wooden, hand-painted ornaments and natural-textured trimmings with little lights (preferably of the fairy kind).

Greco also approves of this red-striped skirt that’s trimmed in colorful pom-poms (its appearance reminds me of vintage clown costumes). “It looks like a candy cane,” she says, adding she would use its stripes as inspiration to cover a tree with peppermint candies and ornaments in red, white, and silver to match. And a big part of its appeal is that it’s washable (fashioned out of linen), unlike many other skirts Greco has seen.

Van den Brink turned us to this one-of-a-kind, handmade, tie-dyed tree skirt. The shibori-style skirt has been shaded with indigo dye on Kona cotton. She found it on Etsy, her go-to source when dressing holiday sets on movies and TV shows, as she says sellers are typically quick to respond to DMs (especially when she’s in need of something custom or expedited shipping).

This little skirt is best suited for a tabletop tree, though Brittany Nims, associate director of e-commerce partnerships and business development at Vox Media, didn’t realize that when she purchased it for her full-size tree. “It’s a lesson in reading the description,” she says. Still, she makes do with it, tucking it around the base to hide her tree’s feet. It has served her well enough so far — and she has never seen so much as a loose sequin on it. (Impressive considering the skirt is just $10.) And after Christmas, her cat occasionally wears the faux-fur-lined skirt as a cape. (I’ve seen a picture of Mia costumed in all her caped glory and agree she’s very regal in it.)

And this more affordable Crate & Barrel collar was namechecked twice, by Lee and Annie Trombatore, chief people officer at Vox Media. “It does a great job at camouflaging the base of the tree,” Lee explains. The neutral, natural texture of the woven material — which is handcrafted from abaca — complements both real and artificial trees for a more rustic feel, she adds. Trombatore praises its functionality in particular. The collar is wide enough that she can just lower her tree down into it. “It has enough clearance from the stand that you can set up the tree and water the tree, and it’s a nice height so it covers the tree trunk,” she says. It’s really meant to be unnoticed, letting “the tree do the talking.” Now that Trombatore has had the collar for a few years, she confidently says that “it still looks new,” and that it’s sturdy enough “to stand up to a toddler yanking on it.”