27 Ideas for Christmas Tree Toppers That Deserve a Starring Role

Double Topper

Accent your favorite Christmas tree topper with a pretty bow for a fresh look. Doubling up your toppers adds a visual weight to your tree, an especially smart move if your tree sports a lot of small-scale ornaments and decorations.

Classic Star Topper

If simple Christmas tree topper ideas are your style, try out a monochromatic scheme on your tree this year with gold-on-gold-on-gold. Yes, it's simple, but you'll be surprised by how stunning it is, especially with a crowning gold star Christmas tree topper.

Monogram Tree Topper

A wooden block letter is transformed into a creative tree topper with some paint and holiday-color ribbon. Paint your letter a desired color; let dry. Measure strips of glittery ribbon to fit across your letter, and adhere in place using hot glue. Secure a paper towel roll to the back of your letter with hot glue and slip onto the top of the tree.

Extra Touch Topper

Go full-on rustic by adding a set of antlers to a woven star. Fun little touches like this give you a chance to reuse decorations year after year, but with a new twist.

Kids' Craft Topper

Reserve a place of honor for displaying your child's Christmas artwork, right at the crown of the tree. Save the same piece to use year after year or rotate through your collection, displaying a different Picasso moment every season.

Fleur-De-Lis Medallion Tree Topper

Rolls of old book pages come together in this pretty paper tree topper with a vintage feel.

Modern Star Topper

If your Christmas tree is a colorful display, pick a topper that bucks the trend. Here, a white star crowns a tree awash in shades of pink. Scale is an important factor, too. A large tree with oversized decorations deserves a topper that follows suit.

Rustic Snowflake Topper

Top a clean and modern white tree with rustic wood snowflakes for a contrasting look. And don't be afraid to think outside the box. You might not find exactly what you're looking for in the Christmas tree topper aisle, but the wall art or ornament section may have the perfect item for you.

Big Bow Tree Topper

Reserve a spool of ribbon from your gift wrapping supplies to craft a set of unique Christmas tree toppers. Create an oversized bow to crown your Christmas tree and you might be so wowed, you'll forget the presents underneath. (OK, probably not.)

• How to Make Perfect Bows

Photo Star Tree Topper

Add instant charm to your Christmas tree with this easy tree topper. Cut a star shape from thick paper or cardstock. Cut out a black and white photo, mat it with colored paper, and glue it to the center of the star. Secure the star to a rolled paper cone or paper towel tube with glue, and carefully set your star on your tree's highest branches.

3-D Metallic Topper

Add a three-dimensional touch to the top of your tree with this DIY topper. Attach gold-dipped cones onto a wooden or foam circle with hot glue. The metallic spray paint is a sparkly way to crown your pretty tree, and the shape is something that's just a little bit different than your average star.

Shining Star Topper

When no branch is left undecorated, it's best to keep your Christmas tree topper simple. But that's not to say it can't be eye-catching. Here, a mirrored star matches the silver and white tree decorations, and the mirrored points introduce focal point sparkle.

Contrasting Topper

In a tree bedecked in calm neutrals and creams, go with a black or dark gray topper. Here, a star topper keeps in step with the star ornaments on the tree.

Popsicle-Stick Snowflake Tree Topper

Even if you don't have a white Christmas, your tree can be topped with the prettiest of snowflakes. Grab a bunch of Popsicle sticks and spray-paint them white; let dry. Using hot glue and starting with the base of the snowflake, glue the painted Popsicle sticks together, following the photo as a guide. Once your snowflake is finished, let it dry. Tuck into the top branches of your tree and secure with a bit of wire as needed.

Christmas Pick Topper

Buy up a few extra picks and fashion them into a crown-like Christmas tree topper. Simply arrange them around the top of the tree, wrapping the ends around branches to secure in place. Look for taller picks so your topper isn't left hiding out among the branches.

Cozy Star Topper

Repurpose an old sweater into a cozy Christmas tree topper. Cut out a star shape from the sweater, cutting through both the front and the back. With wrong sides of the two stars together, whipstitch the shapes using upholstery thread and leaving a small opening in each ornament. Fill with fiberfill, using the eraser end of a pencil to push fiberfill into all points. Whipstitch openings closed. Attach to the top of the tree with wire.

Framed Silhouette Tree Topper

This tree topper lends an antique look to your tree. Print a black silhouette on white paper. Cut it out, and fit the paper into a gold oval frame. Top the frame with a red bow, letting the ribbon ends cascade down the branches.

Editor's Tip: You can create a silhouette by tracing a family member's shadow onto white paper. Create a pattern, resize to fit your frame, and trim from black cardstock.

Peppermint Tree Topper

This yummy tree topper makes for a sweet Christmas decoration and looks especially great with red and white tree decorations.

Hydrangea Tree Topper

Wire big green faux hydrangeas to the top of your tree for a blooming tree topper. Let the leaves hang down to draw attention to the seasonal beauty.

Tinker Toys Tree Topper

Craft a star from Tinker Toys for a whimsical and fun tree topper on the cheap. Use green, red, and yellow wooden sticks to make the star festive.

Top Hat Tree Topper

An unused black hat makes the perfect addition to your Christmas tree. Wrap a light blue ribbon around a plain black hat, then embellish with a button and a poinsettia bract. Dust with a bit of fake snow, and put it on top of your tree for a fun and whimsical look.

Felt Star Tree Topper

A big yellow star is a traditional tree topper, but when made from felt, the topper gets a handmade twist. Cut two identical stars from yellow felt and stitch them together. Stick the star between two top branches. Don't worry about the star being perfect — imperfections just add to the charm.

Paper Medallion Tree Topper

For miniature trees, this paper topper is perfect. To make, cut pattern scrapbook paper to a 22x2-1/2-inch strip and accordion-fold along a scoring board. Gather into a fan shape and hot-glue the ends together to form a circle. Repeat this process with a smaller strip of solid-color paper. Using a round scallop punch, punch a tag from white cardstock and stamp a message with red ink. Layer the paper and adhere together using hot glue. Glue a strip of ribbon to the back of the paper to tie around the top of your tree.

Musical Star Tree Topper

Star tree toppers are always popular. Give yours a twist of style by covering it with strips of Christmas carol sheet music and outlining it with glitter.

Glittery Crown Tree Topper

Crown your tree at Christmastime with this easy-to-make tree topper. Measure a strip of paper to fit around the top of your tree. Cut out triangles on one edge to form a crown shape, then secure the paper edges together with a bit of tape or glue. Slip over the top of your tree to give it a royal look.

Pearly White Tree Topper

Make this glistening version of the ever-popular star tree topper from lengths of wired pearl beads. Twist five strands of pearls around a 3-inch foam circle to form a five-point star. Stick the pearl sprigs into the foam, and secure them with glue. Cut some pearls from extra sprigs and glue them to the front of the star to fill in the shape.

Burst of Color Tree Topper

Make a custom tree topper by inserting narrow sticks into a foam ball. Spray-paint with the color of your choice. When dry, spray with spray adhesive and sprinkle with glitter.

Tip: The topper will be most secure if one of the sticks is left long (about 18 inches) so it can be wired to a tree branch.