The Yule Tree Skirt Guide: Black, Gothic and Pagan Designs That Finish the Tree
Walk into most houses in December and you will find a tree that somebody spent a weekend on, standing in a plastic stand with a red felt circle or a bath towel around it. The skirt is the last thing bought and the first thing seen, because it is at floor level where the eye lands when you walk in. A dark tree skirt with one motif fixes this for less than the cost of a dozen ornaments.
This guide covers measuring, choosing a design to suit the tree, and the small number of practical things that stop a skirt looking like a placemat.
Measure first
The branch spread
Measure the diameter of the lowest ring of branches. The skirt should extend a hand's width beyond that line, so a tree with a 100 cm spread wants a skirt of roughly 120 cm. A skirt that stops inside the branches looks mean; one that runs half a metre past them looks like a rug with a tree on it.
The stand
Check the centre hole clears your stand's post and that the split in the skirt lets you fit it around an already-standing tree. Nearly every skirt has both, but the hole size varies and a skirt that will not sit flat is worse than no skirt.
Floor
On carpet, any skirt lies flat. On wood or tile, a lighter skirt can slide; a heavier woven one stays put and a few ornaments placed on the edge anchor it.
Choosing a design
Skirts on a black ground
The skirt should belong to the same family as the ornaments. That is the whole rule. If the tree is moon phases and gold, the skirt is a moon or a sun and moon pair. If the tree is ravens and skulls, the skirt is a raven or a pentagram with a skull. Mixing families is what makes a tree look like it was assembled from three different shops.
Celestial
Sun and moon, moon phases, a crescent with stars. These suit a black or dark green tree with gold ornaments and are the most forgiving; almost any witchy ornament set sits well above them. The Yule tree skirts have several in this group.
Animal
A black cat under a moon, a raven, an owl, or the animal familiars design that gathers several together. These pair with the black cat ornaments and owl ornaments and are the natural choice if the tree started life in October; our guide to converting a Halloween tree for December goes into that.
Symbol
Pentacle, pentagram, tree of life, triple moon. These make the strongest statement and suit a tree that is otherwise fairly plain: black branches, warm lights, a few gold ornaments, and the symbol on the floor doing the talking. For what the symbols mean, see the pentacle and the triple moon.
Gothic
Skulls with a twig star, a burning cauldron, a crow on a pentagram. These belong under a tree dressed from the gothic ornaments and are the right answer for a Gothmas room; our gothic Christmas decor guide covers the rest of it.
Colour
Nearly every witchy skirt is on a black ground, which is correct: the floor should be the darkest plane in the arrangement so the tree appears to rise out of it. The variable is the accent. Gold accents warm the whole tree and suit brass and copper ornaments. Silver and white accents suit a colder, more celestial tree. Green accents, in the oak leaf and evergreen designs, tie the skirt to real greenery on the mantel. Pick the accent that matches the metal already on the tree.
Ornaments on the skirt
The skirt is also a surface. A few larger pieces placed on it, a glass orb, a ceramic skull, a small resin bust, a wrapped gift or two, stop it reading as a flat disc and tie the floor to the tree. Keep them to the outer third so the motif in the middle stays visible, and keep them to the same family as everything else. On a hard floor, these also weigh the skirt down so it does not creep. Our candle styling guide covers the one thing not to put on a skirt, which is an open flame.
Skirt versus collar
Tree collars, the rigid metal or wicker cylinders, are fashionable and they hide the stand well. They also hide the floor entirely and remove the chance to put a design there. For a tree with a motif, a skirt wins. If you like the clean look of a collar, a black one with a flat skirt spread around it gives you both.
Beyond December
A skirt with a pentacle or moon on it is, in every practical sense, a round altar cloth. Several people use theirs on a low table or the floor for solstice work once the tree is down, and the Halloween tree skirt goes under an October tree first and a December tree second. Store it flat or rolled, never folded hard along the same line every year. Our witch rugs for ritual circles piece covers the floor-as-altar idea in more depth.
Real versus artificial trees
Under a real tree the skirt takes water. Drips from watering, sap, needles by the hundred. Choose a woven skirt that can be shaken out and spot cleaned rather than a felt one that stains, and put a plastic tray under the stand before the skirt goes on. Under an artificial tree the skirt stays clean but the stand is usually uglier and the legs wider, so check the centre hole and the split will clear them. Either way, lift the skirt at the split rather than dragging it when you need to get at the stand, and it will last a decade.
A short checklist
Before buying
Branch spread measured, stand post measured, floor type noted, ornament family decided.
Choosing
Same family as the ornaments. Same accent metal. Black ground.
Placing
Skirt on before the heavy ornaments go on the lowest branches, split at the back, a few weighted pieces on the edge if the floor is hard.
One skirt that finishes the tree
Frequently Asked Questions About Tree Skirts
What size tree skirt do I need?
Measure the diameter of the lowest ring of branches and add roughly a hand's width each side. A tree with a 100 cm spread wants a skirt around 120 cm. Check the centre hole clears your stand.
What colour tree skirt goes with a black tree?
A black or charcoal skirt with one motif in gold, cream, silver or green. The floor should be the darkest plane so the tree rises out of it. Bright red felt becomes the loudest thing in the room.
Can I use a Halloween tree skirt at Christmas?
Yes, if the design is a night motif such as a cat, raven, moon or pentagram rather than a pumpkin. Most witchy skirts are made to work from October to Twelfth Night.
Should the tree skirt match the ornaments?
Yes. Keep the skirt in the same design family and accent metal as the ornaments. That single rule is what makes a tree look finished rather than assembled.
The skirt is the cheapest part of the tree and the one that decides whether the whole thing looks considered. Measure it, match it to the ornaments, and let the floor be dark.
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