The “New Year’s Tree” Is the Unique Holiday Tradition I’m Stealing from My Friend’s Mom
New Year’s Eve has always been one of my favorite holidays, and I have many core childhood memories of me donning a glitter-encrusted paper tiara and running around my parents’ front yard while banging on pots and pans in celebration (I’m sure our neighbors loved it). However, when I think of New Year’s as an adult, I’m always reminded of my childhood friend’s mom, who had an annual tradition of transforming her Christmas tree into a New Year’s tree on Boxing Day.
The tradition is simple: Every year on December 26 she would remove all of her Christmas ornaments (except for the round silver and gold ones) and replace them with a collection of New Year’s hats, crowns, noisemakers, and other festive pieces. She’d been collecting items since the 1980s (and maybe even before that), so her NYE tree always had a vintage feel to it. I was completely mesmerized by this tradition and vowed to keep it alive when I grew up and had a tree of my own.
After she passed away a few years ago, I especially wanted to honor her NYE tree with my own twist. In addition to the hats and crowns, I also add tinsel, glasses, and beaded necklaces. I’ve even used the tradition as an excuse to start collecting (and displaying) New York City-themed ornaments. But what has truly transformed my tree is a $10 Target angel tree topper that I DIY’d into a vintage-inspired New Year’s angel last year.
On its own, the Target tree angel boasts some vintage vibes, thanks to its sleek mid-century modern brass design. But I knew I could turn up the volume on the vintage holiday decor feel to give her a full New Year’s makeover.
The angel’s dress initially drew me in — it looked like two New Year’s party hats stacked together. I knew if I could re-create a vintage New Year’s hat and give her a face, hair, and cozy crochet wings, she’d feel more like a family heirloom than a piece of cheap Christmas decor. I used acrylic paints, yarn, glittery letters, pipe cleaners, tinsel, rhinestones, and a little crafty magic to completely transform the original angel (which I detailed in the TikTok above). I named the finished product Christy after my friend’s mom, and making her helped remind me of how special and meaningful this season can be.
Sadly, since I created this angel, the style I bought from Target hasn’t come back in stock this season (I now have to make a Christmas version). But there are still some good alternatives to choose from if you wish to create your own version.
CB2 has a comparable angel topper. It just might require you to get a large wooden ball from a hardware store or on Amazon and glue it to the top of the angel’s body. Then you can prime everything with white primer and begin painting your design.
This $14.95 ornament looks super similar to the angel I found at Target. So you could re-create the look and place it on top of a smaller tree. It’s also sold in a set of four, if you want to make individual New Year’s angel ornaments for even more festivity.
This angel is technically tabletop decor, but the stand makes it easy to weave into the top of a tree. I love that it features a more pleated texture on the body, which would add some gorgeous interest to a New Year’s Eve hat design.
Either way, this holiday tradition lets you customize your angel topper however you want. Depending on the base and craft supplies you choose, it’ll likely be a fairly inexpensive project that you can reuse year after year, too. Best of all, styling a New Year’s-themed tree keeps the fun of the holidays alive, even after Christmas!