Inside: Hacks you can use to boost your artificial tree to make it look more like a real tree.
This is a first for me! I’m actually going to have TWO trees this Christmas season. We will have a real tree in the living room and we will get that one closer to Christmas to avoid needle mess and all that. But before that, I’ve also put up a small artificial tree in my office! Fake trees have really come a long way. You can spend a lot on them, or a little and some look more real than others. Today, I thought I’d share with you how to make a fake Christmas tree look real. I’ve got three simple hacks for you to try or adapt for your own tree.
Hack 1: Cover up the Metal Stand
Real trees don’t grow on stands LOL – they grow in the ground and have realistic stumps or trunks or whatever you want to call them. So the very first step to making your artificial tree look more realistic is to cover up the obvious fake elements. 
Tree collars are a HUGE trend now. You can get them in basket form or to look like metal. I’ve gone ahead and built my own tree base cover out of wood to give it a Hygge feel. No matter what, the best hack is to cover up the stand.
In fact, in that photo, you can see how thin the tree looks. Even with the box around the bottom, it still really looks ‘fake’ and not-very-full, right?
Hack 2: Adding a lit garland in a different green
The more high end artificial trees will have multiple shades of green on them. But if you’re working with a less expensive tree (like I am), they tend to be fairly monochromatic. And Mother Nature isn’t monochrome! So the next hack is to find a long garland with greenery that is a slightly different green from your tree. 
In my case, the garland I have has some red bobbles on it, berries, twigs and some additional white twinkle lights.
Loosely intertwine the garland into your fake tree, focusing on the centre and trying to fill the bald spots.
Hack 3: Go super natural with your elements
The fastest way to make something look more fake is to add in more unnatural looking things to it, noemsayin’? So if you want your tree to look more real, avoid coloured lights and really sparkly ornaments. Stick to filling in gaps with twigs, natural woods and smaller garlands made of cinnamon sticks, pinecones and berries. 
It’s okay to have twinkle, but if you really want it to look real, keep the twinkle looking like a realistic twinkle!
Other Fake Christmas Tree Hacks
Sugar Bee Crafts explains how you can paint your fake tree! I might try this with a small tree I’ve had for years. So much fun!
The Heathered Nest explains how to add REAL branches into a fake tree.
And A Cultivated Nest talks about the best way to Store an Artificial Christmas Tree. Not like I do – back in the box with duct tape LOL .
