It’s official; Kate Hudson’s Christmas tree from last year is still inspiring holiday decorations in 2026.
It’s hardly a surprise. After all, the actress (best known for her starring turns in Bride Wars and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) kept her Christmas tree simple, classy, and very less is more: think silver, bronze and gold bows, a few ornaments and not much else.
Now, a bow is almost as Christmassy as it gets, whether it’s tied on a tree, a wreath or a present. A nostalgic tree does have one risk, though: if you do it without thinking it through, it can go from warm and charming to dated really quickly. Some experts gave me tips on how you can avoid this, and get Kate Hudson’s Christmas tree look.
Why Bows Are Back
For those who have yet to see Kate Hudson’s Christmas tree in all its glory, flick your eyes downwards…
It feels like a rebellion against the minimalist matchy-matchy (and beige) trend that has been going on for so many years, doesn’t it? “People are tired of the same old, store-bought, themed trees,” says Irena Cara, interior designer and co-founder of Nova Wrap.
Reilly Renwick, designer and creative lead of State of the Wall, points to Millennial parents whose kids are now the age they were in the 1990s. Many of them, he says, want to revive “the warm, festive and childlike vibe of a 90s Christmas, as opposed to what people are now calling the ‘sad beige’ of contemporary tree styling.”
So, how best to recreate it? Other than buying some of this beautiful metallic gold ribbon from Amazon. We have a few ideas…
1. Borrow The Feeling
Hey, we might not have Goldie Hawn as a mum, but when it comes to Christmas nostalgia, a lot of millennials remember our parents’ houses being packed with all kinds of stuff, and so much color that it felt cluttered. So, the biggest worry with going with a nostalgic look is the tree looking tacky.
For Renwick, “the biggest challenge for anyone trying to create a nostalgic tree is how to evade the ‘tacky’ accusations.” His answer is to look at what Kate Hudson did with hers. “The whole point of this ‘comeback’ thing is to evoke the festive vibe of the 90s, not to recreate it in painstaking detail,” he says.
Shop Nostalgic Christmas Tree Essentials:
2. Keep Metallic Bows Rich, Not Flashy
Want the Kate Hudson look? “My advice is to use the metallic bows with restraint, in such a way that they stand out but still leave space for the other decorations and the tree itself to still be visible,” says Renwick.
Cara has practical tips for gold, silver, and bronze. “Use brushed or matte ribbon to take the ‘shiny’ edge off, especially if the metals are varying warm tones. Also, make sure the bows are of varying sizes, to keep things interesting.”
For quantity, she says: “On a tree between 6 and 7 feet, use between 20 and 30 bows.” Lighting matters too: “Warm white lights make metallics look even better.”
3. Give Your Ribbon A Story
A Christmas tree runs the risk of feeling tacky, true, but it can also feel too generic, like it should be in a department store in the 90s. Nadi Melam, founder of Florals Memories, has a way to avoid this.
“You can’t purchase nostalgia, but you can tie it!” she says. Her suggestion is to reuse ribbon that already means something. “Use ribbons that have a story, such as paper that a bouquet you received came wrapped in. On the loose end of the ribbon, write down the date you received it, and now your tree is a timeline.”
Melam preserves flowers for a living, so she also suggests pairing a ribbon with a flower from your own garden. She says you can build the look slowly: “You can add one more ribbon to your tree each year.”
4. Mix Old And New
If you already have tons of ornaments that have been passed down by family or maybe something your kids have made, bows can tie them into a whole scheme.
Cara says to put the old pieces where people look first: “Place heirloom and vintage pieces at eye level in the center where people look first.” Then, let the ribbon link everything together. “Match the ribbon to details on the older ornaments, such as a gold edge or a red glass.”
5. Refresh it Each Year
A big advantage of a bow tree like Kate Hudson’s is that it’s very cheap to update, as ribbon is super easy to swap out for different colors and patterns. “Swap out the ribbon and keep the ornaments to change decorations year to year for a small cost,” says Cara.
Melam says to store ribbon carefully between seasons: “Moisture and light will cause your ribbon to fade, so store it flat in a cool, dark, dry place.”
Kate Hudson’s tree works because it feels warm and traditional without trying to look like a time capsule. Keep your color palette tight and give your ribbon some history to recreate the same nostalgia.
