Posts on theantiquedjourney.com may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. You can read the full privacy policy and disclosures here.

Fluff, Light, and Decorate: Making Your Artificial Christmas Tree Look Lifelike

By Rachel

published 10/08/2025

Share this post. Share the Journey!

Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Rachel

Discover the most realistic artificial Christmas tree hacks! Find pro tips to fluff, light, and decorate. You can totally make any fake tree look lifelike!

When it comes to Christmas decor, we all know the common dilemma; how to get the beauty of a real tree without the mess, and how to make an artificial tree look genuinely lifelike! No worries…I have just the solution. Making a fake tree look real comes down to three simple yet crucial steps: fluffing, lighting, and decorating. I’ll walk you through the exact process used, sharing my best tips and tricks to ensure your tree is the stunning focal point you’ve always dreamed of!

Table of Contents

Pro Tips for the Best, Most Realistic Looking Artificial Christmas Tree

Ready to transform your tree from flat and fake to full and fabulous? If you have an artificial Christmas tree and want that coveted lifelike look, this post is for you! The King of Christmas 7.5 Foot Royal Fir Slim Artificial Christmas Tree will serve as the base for this guide. Because, truly, even the best artificial trees need a little help to look top notch.

This post will provide a comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial on how to fluff, light, and decorate any unlit tree to achieve that gorgeous, realistic, and vintage-inspired look.

Join me below as I share all about this pretty tree and help you get a jump start on your holiday decorating ideas!

A Quick Fall Intermission

Hello, guys! I interrupt this cozy fall season for a dash of Christmas! For just this week, we’re switching gears to Christmas because I want to share my brand new Christmas tree with you.

If you are thinking about purchasing a new tree for your home this year, the tree and ideas shared here will (hopefully) give you enough leeway to place your order, and get it in time for the upcoming holiday season.

This tree is truly magical and I hope you love it as much as I do!

*This post is part of a product exchange partnership with King of Christmas. The Christmas tree was so kindly provided to me from King of Christmas. All ideas, interpretations, and photos are my own.*

Fluff, Light, and Decorate: Making Your Artificial Christmas Tree Look Lifelike

What is King of Christmas?

King of Christmas is an online store based in Pennsylvania. They specialize in artificial Christmas trees and Christmas accessories. The company models their artificial trees after the most commonly used varieties of Christmas trees.

The King of Christmas mission is ‘to help you bring your Christmas to life this holiday season, by offering the highest quality lifelike Christmas trees available today.’

Why I Chose the King of Christmas 7.5 Foot Royal Fir Slim Artificial Christmas Tree (unlit)

A few months ago, King of Christmas reached out to me to see if I was interested in publishing a blog post about one of their Christmas trees. Of course I was!

But, while perusing the King of Christmas website, looking for the perfect tree for my house, I had a few things to consider.

Here was my criteria:

Due to the small footprint of my living room, my tree needs to be slim.
I also prefer unlit Christmas trees so that I can light the tree to my liking.
And, I want a tree that looks extremely real, like I’m staring at a pine tree that just came from the tree farm.

With all of that in mind, I came across the most beautiful tree in the King of Christmas catalog. It’s literally EXACTLY what I was looking for. May I present the 7.5 Foot Royal Fir Unlit Slim Artificial Christmas Tree!

Why a Slim Christmas Tree?

As stated above, my living room is small, so I need a slim profile tree. Not only does a slim tree fit better in my space (I choose to embrace that instead of fight it), it’s also easier to navigate around.

Why the Royal Fir?

This model caught my eye due to:

the needle quality
the lifelike texture of the branches
the beautiful color.

Out of all the trees I’ve looked at in my life, this one is truly the most realistic artificial Christmas tree I’ve seen! It really does look like I’m staring at a real tree that came straight from the tree farm and into my living room.

Why an Unlit Artificial Christmas Tree?

There are many advantages of choosing an unlit tree vs. a pre-lit tree.

With an unlit tree, there is flexibility in choosing which lights to use and of what color. It’s also much easier to repair, or replace, a string of lights when it goes out. In using an unlit tree, you have the option to build a custom light display on your tree, all to your specifications!

What Comes with a King of Christmas Tree?

A King of Christmas tree comes with everything you need for an easy and simple setup!

The box contains:

the tree stand
each section of the tree (labeled A, B, and C)
fluffing gloves
a tree bag for re-packaging after use
an instruction manual

Fluff, Light, and Decorate: Making Your Artificial Christmas Tree Look Lifelike

Now comes the fun part…putting it together, lighting, fluffing, and decorating!

To make my new, pretty tree look as real as possible, I enlisted the help of my mother-in-law, who has been decorating Christmas trees professionally for the better part of 30 years.

Here are the steps we followed to achieve my dream Christmas tree, along with some helpful tips from the Christmas tree pro!

How to Set Up and Fluff a Slim Christmas Tree (the foundation for realism)

The initial setup of the tree was easy and straightforward.

First, we set the base of the tree on the floor. Then, we assembled each section of the 7.5 foot tree.

Assembling-King-of-Christmas-Tree-Video

How to Fluff (The Critical Step)

You guys…do not skimp on this step! The fluffing is the secret to the likelife appearance. You can either do the whole tree at once, or go by section by section, like we did.

- The “Up, Down, and Out” Method: This tree has ‘arms’, as my MIL described it…one main arm and two off-shoot arms. The technique for this is pulling each individual branch tip up, down, and out (like a star shape) to fill in the interior spaces and eliminate gaps.

Fluffing-King-of-Christmas Video

- Interior Fluffing: Be sure to fluff the branches closest to the trunk, too—this is what makes the tree look full from the inside out.
- Teamwork: It was extremely helpful to have my MIL and hubby for this tedious but necessary step. Maybe ask a friend or neighbor to come over and help…let them know they’ll get a free meal out of the deal!

Christmas Tree Tips from the Pro:

Don’t pull the branches down-turn them up to create a fuller look!
When fluffing, turn the whole tree base for easier access.

How to Light an Unlit Christmas Tree for Maximum Glow

For this brand new tree, I wanted to get brand new Christmas lights. The argument in our house every year is whether to use white or colored lights. I prefer white but hubby prefers colored.

Last year, I saw a Christmas tree that had LED lights that changed from either colored to white…I didn’t even know those existed but I knew I had to look into that for next season so that we each get the best of both worlds. Well, here we are!

So, I set out, looking online for affordable yet quality LED Christmas tree lights. I ended up purchasing three strands- two 108 foot strands and one 42 foot strand.

Note: I barely had enough lights so, for this size tree, I would order two of the 42 foot strands.

How Many Lights For a 7.5-Foot Slim Tree?

There is a rule of thumb for lighting a Christmas tree. The standard is 100 lights per foot of tree. Therefore, a 7.5-foot tree requires a minimum of 750 lights for an extra sparkly shimmer.

The Best Christmas Tree Lighting Technique

My preferred method is to use LED Christmas lights for a cozy, warm glow.

Weave Inward: My MIL advises against simply wrapping lights around the outside. Instead, weave them deep into the branches, moving from the trunk to the tips and back in, to create depth.
Power Access: Start the lights near the bottom/plug location for easy access. If you happen to have lights that don’t connect end to end, like mine, simply start the new strand right where you left off and just feed the power cord down the pole of tree to the outlet.

Christmas Tree Tips from the Pro:

When lighting, start at the back of tree and simply turn the whole base for easier access.
Instead of placing the lights on top of the branch, it’s better to ‘hook’ them to the branches so they stay in place.
If you have a pre-lit tree and the lights don’t work– Just because your lights are out doesn’t mean your tree is trash! To un-do your lights and replace them, make sure the tree is fully unplugged. Then, go to the back of each branch and cut the wire. After doing that, each strand of lights will pull right off each of the branches!

Decorating the Christmas Tree with Natural and Vintage Layers

Now, my very favorite part…decorating!

I wanted to stick to some sort of a theme for this tree…my first thought was to do tone-on-tone with green and gold. But, my MIL, pro that she is, insisted that I do a few pops of red. It is Christmas, after all!

So, that’s what we did and I’m over the moon with how it all turned out. Here’s how we achieved the look!

Layer 1: The Bow.

My lovely MIL made a gorgeous, big bow for the top of the tree. She used two different wire-edged ribbon styles and kept folding them, switching between the two colors, to form the bow.

The large handmade bow with trailing ribbon adds luxurious texture. I love how the ribbons, tucked here and there, cascade down the tree!

According to my MIL, it’s important to put your bow, garland, or ribbon on first, before the ornaments or any other decor. Then, when putting on the ornaments, you can place them where you want and they won’t be hidden behind anything.

Layer 2: Vintage Ornaments

The second layer of decor includes a handful of my vintage shiny brite ornaments. In keeping with the color theme, I used red and gold ornaments, scattered throughout the tree for an even look.

Shiny brites, with their shimmering surface, give the lights extra sparkle and fills the tree with vintage joy.

Christmas Tree Tip from the Pro:

When you are decorating the tree, be sure hang larger ornaments deeper in. This gives the tree depth and helps draw the eyes in.

Layer 3: Natural Texture and Fillers

When decorating a Christmas tree, using fillers helps to:

communicate the theme of the tree further
add texture and fullness
create a more natural appearance
conceal any gaps

For the fillers on my King of Christmas tree, I decided to keep it simple and use mainly natural elements including large pinecones and sparkly eucalyptus picks. Tucking these deep into the branches mimics the texture of a real tree.

My favorite filler element on the tree, though, are dried green Hydrangeas from my MIL’s garden. These were her idea and I think it’s GENIUS! This is a super unique and personal touch that makes the tree look custom and organic.

Christmas Tree Tip from the Pro:

When using dried flowers on a tree, spray them with hairspray beforehand. This helps to preserve the petals and keep the flowers intact on the tree.

Layer 4: Statement Pieces

The last layer of decor puts the final touches on the very bottom, and very top, of the tree.

The Topper

To tie the top of the tree into the theme, I used my MIL’s vintage Santa shiny brite tree topper. It’s like the crowning jewel, isn’t it?!

For maximum security, we wrapped floral wire around the base of the topper, and the top branch, a handful of times.

The Tree Skirt

And, of course any pretty tree wouldn’t be complete without a tree skirt!

To finish off the look, I layered two vintage, thrifted lace tablecloths and loosely wrapped them around the base.

The Finished Look: King of Christmas Royal Fir Tree

With that, my new Christmas tree is all decked out for the upcoming holiday season! This Royal Fir now achieves the title of ‘most realistic artificial Christmas tree’ aesthetic, thanks to the combination of proper fluffing, custom lighting, and precious bits of vintage Christmas decor.

I found that, with this tree especially, less is more.

I wanted the beauty of the tree itself to shine through and I feel like, through the use of a few ornaments and natural, neutral elements, that look was achieved perfectly.

I am in love with how it turned out!

This tree is truly stunning. It’s the prettiest, most lifelike Christmas tree I’ve ever owned and I am so honored to display it in my home.

Affiliate Link & Code

If you choose to purchase a new tree this year, I HIGHLY recommend checking out King of Christmas. They have such beautiful holiday decor and I can attest to the high quality of their products.

Disclaimer: If you do order something, would you be so kind as to use this URL when going to their website?

www.kingofchristmas.com/THEANTIQUEDJOURNEY.

I will earn a small commission off of any purchase made, which helps me continue writing weekly content. Your support of my blog is SO appreciated. Thank you!!

Closing Tidbits on Fluff, Light, and Decorate: Making Your Artificial Christmas Tree Look Lifelike

I hope that the ideas and photos shared here get your creative wheels turning for the upcoming holiday season. It’s not too early to start thinking about your Christmas theme, possible colors you want to use, or how you want your tree to look.

And, it just goes to show that with thoughtful decorations, thrifted finds, or things you already have on hand, any Christmas tree can be styled beautifully on a budget!

Be encouraged to ground your feet in the present moment, letting your dreams take flight within it.

Leave me a comment! How do you plan to decorate your tree this year? I love hearing from you!

PIN it to save it for later!

If you are new here, I’m Rachel, the writer and content creator here at The Antiqued Journey. I’m so happy to have you! I encourage you to stop by the ‘about me’ page to get to know me a little more.

Here on the blog, you will find loads of inspiration for decorating with vintage and antique decor, simple DIY crafts and many thrifting adventures. If that interests you, I invite you to sign up for my e-mail. You will receive a free digital download as a thank you!