Almost ready for Christmas, but still pining for a Christmas tree despite limited space and a footloose lifestyle? There are plenty of options, even at the last minute, for a trailer-sized Tannenbaum.
Living Christmas Trees
If you’re longing for a “real” tree, consider a potted miniature, seasonally available at the nearest garden store or floral section. Consider decorating a small Norfolk pine, a tiny spruce, or tabletop sized cypress. Culinary fans can enjoy a potted, trimmed rosemary “tree” that maintains its shape through the season and can do double duty providing sprigs of herbs after the holidays are done!
Outdoor Christmas Trees
If space is at a premium inside, consider setting up your Christmas tree outdoors. Whether it’s a big, glitzy artificial tree glimmering with lights and decorations, or a simply-decorated cut fresh Christmas tree, pull up some lawn chairs, string some extra lights on the awning, and enjoy the holidays outdoors. An outdoor tree is the perfect centerpiece for Christmas celebrations with newfound friends and traveling pals at the campground or RV park.
Pull up and Pop-up Trees
For a tree with a big look that stores small, consider a pull up, or pop up Christmas tree. Standing up to 6- feet tall, but folding nearly flat for storage, sparkly, pre-decorated and sometimes pre-lit pull up trees go up and down in seconds, have a relatively small footprint, and provide lots of holiday cheer for a modest investment. Click the base into place, put the pieces of the center support pole together then hang the coiled “tree” from the top of the pole for a lot of RV-friendly holiday bling.
Christmas Trees on the Wall
When floor space is at a premium, use a wall as a canvas for a colorful Christmas tree. Use clear Command brand hooks and sparkling lights to create a Christmas tree that takes absolutely no space. Use a simple outline or branch out, adding more lights and ornaments to your tree.
Off the grid doesn’t have to mean no tree in your RV. Washi tape, a staple of school locker decorating, and high-end paper crafting can make a snappy tree to brighten your RV. Washi tape is available at craft and big box stores in a variety of colors, widths and prints. The rice paper tape is sturdy and repositionable and comes off without leaving a mess. Create a tiny tree in a tight corner, a grove of Christmas trees along a bare wall, or a tall tree wrapping around a corner!
Looking for something more traditional, then opt for a half tree – a traditional style tree, with only one side and a flat back. Half trees are meant to be hung or pushed against the wall for space-saving merriment. It gives the look of a traditional artificial tree – with room to hang cherished ornaments that might have come along for the ride, while taking up half the space of a full tree. Half trees can be found at large craft stores and online.
Pencil and Slim Trees
When you don’t have much space, but still want a full tree for Santa to put presents under, consider a pencil or slim tree. Readily available in a variety of heights and styles, pencil or slim trees have a super slim silhouette, sometimes with a diameter of less than a foot, so they can be tucked into a small space. Pick up a slim or pencil tree at discount department stores, or craft and decorating outlets.
Tabletop Trees
Found anywhere from dollar stores to fancy boutiques, table top trees pack a lot of merriment into a teeny package. Sold decorated and pre-lit, or bare for your creative impulses, table top trees range from 12 inches to 2 feet and offer a lot of Christmas cheer in a small package. Grab a handful of simple table top trees from the local dollar store and organize a Christmas Eve decorating contest among RV park pals for a festive pre-Christmas party.
Virtual Tree
When space is at an absolute premium, go high tech and display the biggest, brightest Christmas tree ever on the TV in your RV or on your laptop screen. A scented candle or seasonal pine room freshener can add an additional touch of reality to your virtual tree. Download a Christmas tree scene or create photograph or video to use.
