I’ve really rekindled my love of all things Peanuts, Snoopy and Charlie Brown this year; I think it’s because of the character of Charlie Brown and just how endearing he is. I’ve really connected and related to Charlie this year so it’s only natural that come the festive season, I will sneak in some Peanut’s references. I’ve already done a Peanut’s Halloween post this year and reviewed the Sarsparilly Peanuts collection so now that it’s Christmas, let’s make the iconic Charlie Brown Christmas tree. However, if you are not crafty and want to purchase a pre-made tree, <a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00FX966I8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B00FX966I8&linkCode=as2&tag=missmonmon02-22&linkId=1e21a5a1b1734782ef41bb3d2aff31f5">Product Works 24-Inch Charlie Brown Christmas Tree with Linus's Blanket Holiday Décor, Classic Ornament, Greenyou can find one here.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Charlie Brown Christmas story, I’d highly recommend watching ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ from 1965. It’s only a 30 minute movie and I like to have it on in the background as I tidy up or do some cooking/baking. The story is pretty simple and oh so cute. The basis of the film is the Peanut’s gang are preparing for Christmas and are putting on a Christmas show; Lucy gives Charlie Brown the task of finding a Christmas tree, specifically “a shiny aluminium Christmas tree”. As Charlie sets off with best friend Linus to a tree lot, they are confronted with multicoloured aluminium trees of all shapes and sizes. Charlie misses the good old green real Christmas trees that have a true Christmas vibe and chooses a scrawny little twig of a tree at the tree.

When Charlie and Linus return to their friend with the tree, they get laughed at and ridiculed. Linus has had enough and makes a speech about how he’s worried that the true meaning of Christmas is getting lost with everything turning shiny, overly polished and without a soul. He argues that the little twig tree is more Christmas than any of the fake shiny trees. Charlie takes the little twig tree home and surely, one by one, his friends come over and decorate the twig tree with lights and decorations revealing it to be a truly lovely symbol of Christmas. I’ve always loved the scrawny tree as it symbolises that no matter how sad and small something looks, with a little love and understanding, it can be absolutely beautiful.

Materials

-Wooden plank; I used a plank from a palette
-Wood cutting equipment
-18/20 gauge wire (<a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01FGV1FXI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B01FGV1FXI&linkCode=as2&tag=missmonmon02-22&linkId=03391ffb6b00e1410a69e05e1d93ebb1">eBoot Stem Wire Floral Wire 14 Inch 26 Gauge Wire 100 Pieces (Dark Green)I used prepackaged floral shaping wire)
-<a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B0922WVH96/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B0922WVH96&linkCode=as2&tag=missmonmon02-22&linkId=28bfe402790049f8b0829c8494635819">Floral Tape Floral Tape Florist Tape Florist Green Self-Adhesive Tapes DIY Flower Supplies 2PCSFloral tape
–Artificial pine needles
–Wood glue
-Red bauble
-Blue material (optional)
Note: if you have green floral tape, you will also need brown paint and a paintbrush.

Method

-I started by constructing the base of the tree by making an X stand out of wood. I used wood from an old palette and cut two rectangles approximately 2.5 by 15 inches. I then cut two small squares 2.5 by 3 inches to be ‘feet’ for the stand. I glued the X base together and attached the smaller squares onto the ends so the base sat flat and stable on the ground. It was held down by clamps overnight to ensure it was secure and stable.
-After finding the centre of the X base, I drilled a hole into the middle of the base. Make sure your drill bit is the same thickness as your wire tree (coming in the next step).

-The wire I used for the tree itself was pre-cut 18 gauge floral wires. I started by bunching three wires together and wrapping the base with some floral tape. This is the main ‘trunk’ of my tree. I went along and added more branches and length to the trunk looking at a reference photo and trying to mimic the placement of my branches with the reference. I took my time and worked my way up the tree, slowly wrapping it all together with more floral tape.
-Using floral wire, I attached some fake pine branches to the ends of the wire branches I had made.
-Once I was happy with my structure, I used brown floral tape to wrap all the wired together and hide them. In some parts I added two layers of floral tape to ensure the twig looks smooth and clean. I also payed close attention to making sure the pine needles were securely attached.
-I pushed my twig into the hole I made in my wooden stand and added some extra glue just incase.
-For the final touches, I wrapped some blue material around the base of the tree to represent Linus’s blanket and of course, added a single red bauble to one of the branches.

I’m pretty chuffed with how my twig tree turned out. It’s super cute and I now display it proudly at the front of my house amongst all my other decorations. I think the most difficult part of this DIY would be making the base as I understand now everyone can just make wooden planks to their specified size but I do know that some larger hardware stores (such as Bunnings) can happily cut wooden planks to your desired length for you in store. This DIY can be a little problematic because there are wires going everywhere so please be careful not to cut yourself or poke yourself in the eye. If you wish, you can wear protective gloves and eyewear. It’s also worth noting that if you can’t find brown floral tape, you can always use green and paint it brown once you’ve wrapped it around your wires.

Now if you really don’t feel like creating your own Charlie Brown Christmas tree, whilst looking up reference photos, I found a few places where you can buy a ready made one including <a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B00FX966I8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B00FX966I8&linkCode=as2&tag=missmonmon02-22&linkId=1e21a5a1b1734782ef41bb3d2aff31f5">Product Works 24-Inch Charlie Brown Christmas Tree with Linus's Blanket Holiday Décor, Classic Ornament, Greenthis one from Amazon and <a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01MFB7C70/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B01MFB7C70&linkCode=as2&tag=missmonmon02-22&linkId=646f9676cb028b96e1e2a5365ac56d56">ProductWorks 18-inch Peanuts Charlie Brown Christmas Tree with Linus Blanketthis one here.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. This page contains affiliate links/codes which aids in funding future reviews.