Why You Should Put Bows on Your Christmas Tree This Year

It seems like every time we log onto TikTok or Instagram and start scrolling through the For You Page and Reels, there's one thing everyone is using to decorate their Christmas trees: velvet bows.

This decor approach isn’t necessarily new—imagine a traditional Christmas tree, and you’ll probably think of a giant pine adorned with colorful ornaments, small Christmas lights, gifts scattered at the bottom, a star on top, and ribbons abound.

According to Simply Ribbons, the first mention of folks putting bows on their Christmas trees is in the 1800s in Chaucers Canterbury Tales. 

Once ribbons became more widely accessible in the 20th century, holiday enthusiasts started using ribbons in Christmas decorations and on their gifts. And, when wire started being used as a part of the ribboned decor, things really took off. 

No matter how they got here today, these ribbon decorations are different from the ribbon decorations from, say, a decade ago. It’s clear that today, simple, thin, ribbons are making a big impact. One TikTok user is adding the velvet bows to her garland, while others tie the ribbons into bows directly onto the stems of their Christmas trees.

And it’s no surprise that lots of people are opting for velvet bows this year. Velvet is, after all, the fabric of the season and a big trend for 2023—it’s one of the only fabrics that can make a space feel dressed up while also intimate and cozy.

While you can buy velvet bows individually, the most cost-effective way to decorate your Christmas tree with bows this year is by buying an entire row of velvet ribbon and creating the bows yourself.

Creating the bows is fairly simple. As TikTokc creator @juliannamuise showed in one video, you’ll want to cut about two and a