Old Money Christmas Trees: 13 Tartan and Equestrian Ideas

The old money Christmas tree is not a single tree, it is a mood: tartan ribbon, brass that has gone slightly antique, velvet bows that do not try too hard. 34 Ralph Lauren Christmas Ideas covers the whole house, this one stays on the tree and goes deep, with thirteen full looks you could actually copy this weekend.

Half the trees here are real firs and half are good artificial ones, because the look cares less about what the tree is made of than about what hangs on it. What changes from entry to entry is the palette (burgundy and brass, navy and silver, wine and black), the finish (mercury glass next to carved wood next to velvet), and the motif, whether that is equestrian brass, a stray polo bear, or a run of Black Watch plaid.

Pick by the room the tree has to live in and the metal already on your light fixtures, gold or silver rarely mix well on the same tree. Everything you need to buy sits in a list under each photo, sized for a standard six to seven foot tree, so there is no guessing on quantities.

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Classic Tartan And Brass

Tartan is the DNA of the Ralph Lauren Christmas look, and these three trees prove it can carry a whole room on its own without turning busy. Ribbon goes in first, cut short and tucked rather than draped in one long run, then brass and velvet fill in behind it. If the tree needs a base to match, the no sew options in The Tree Base Is the Focal Point Now sit well under any of these three.

The Blackwatch Library Tree

This is the anchor tree of the whole collection: a real fir wrapped floor to ceiling in Black Watch tartan ribbon, with burgundy velvet balls and antique brass bells doing the rest of the work. The ribbon goes in before anything else, cut into short lengths and pushed deep into the branches rather than draped across the front, which is what keeps it from looking like a school play backdrop.

What separates it from the other tartan tree in this group is the weight: brass bells instead of plain gold balls, and cedar picks instead of garland, so it reads heavier and older. The honest catch is time, tucking that much ribbon by hand takes a slow evening, skip the garland if you are short on patience, the ribbon and bells carry it alone.

A real Fraser fir, 7.5 feet, wearing 42 ornaments in hunter green, burgundy and brass.

The Red Tartan Parlor Tree

Full and wide where the library tree is tall and narrow, this pre-lit artificial tree wears the more traditional reading of the palette: red, cream and antique gold rather than hunter green and burgundy. Plaid velvet bows sit at different depths through the branches, and a cascade of ivory ribbon runs from the topper down one side instead of looping evenly around.

An artificial tree makes this one of the easiest entries to pull off in an afternoon, no watering, no needle drop, just unbox and fluff. The one thing to watch is proportion, keep the bows to a handful of sizes or the tree starts to look like a craft fair table rather than a considered one.

A pre-lit artificial tree, 7 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in red, cream and antique gold.

The Black Watch Pencil Tree

Where the other two trees go full, this one goes narrow: a slim pre-lit pencil tree built for a tight corner or a foyer where floor space is the whole problem. Mercury glass balls and crystal icicles replace velvet here, catching light in a way matte ornaments never do, with the same Black Watch plaid worked in as ribbon instead of fabric bows.

The slim shape means it holds far fewer ornaments than a full tree its height would, so every piece has to earn its spot, there is nowhere to hide a dented bauble. Skip tinsel garland entirely, it fights the mercury glass for shine and the tree ends up looking cluttered rather than rich.

A pre-lit slim pencil artificial tree, 7 feet, wearing 42 ornaments in navy, hunter green and silver.

Equestrian Heritage

Leather straps, small brass hunting horns and tartan ribbons woven generously throughout the branches turn a plain fir into something that reads like it belongs in a manor study. The two trees in this group share that stable-yard hardware look but at completely different scales, one full size in a study, one a small living spruce still in its pot.

The Equestrian Lodge Tree

This real, broad fir is the one tree here built entirely around the stable yard rather than the dinner table: brass stirrups and horseshoes, leather strap pendants, forest green velvet bows instead of red. It is the fullest tree in the collection, meant to stand in a room with dark wood and leather furniture already doing the heavy lifting.

Leather ornaments are the one thing worth buying real rather than printed, the faux ones flatten under warm light and lose the detail that makes this tree work. It takes longer to source than a plain bauble tree, give yourself a week of browsing rather than a single shopping trip.

A real full fir, 7 feet, wearing 41 ornaments in camel, forest green and brass.

The Living Equestrian Spruce

A small spruce still rooted in its growing pot, this is the quiet counterpart to the full lodge tree, same brass-and-leather world but scaled down to a side table. Miniature horseshoe ornaments and cream-and-navy tartan ribbon ties replace the larger strap pendants, so the detail stays readable at a smaller size.

Buying it already potted means it survives past the holidays if you keep it watered and cool, the honest tradeoff is that it holds far fewer ornaments than a cut tree its height, so resist the urge to overload it. Navy velvet bows should go in last, after the ribbon and horseshoes, or they get buried.

A real potted spruce, 4 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in navy, cream and brass.

Highland Lodge And Rustic Wood

This is the one tree in the set that leans away from glass and brass toward grain and feather. Carved wooden stars, simple turned wood spheres, and wooden nutcracker-style figurines sit alongside gold accents for just enough shine, the kind of tree that looks right next to a stone fireplace rather than a mirrored console.

The Highland Hunting Lodge Tree

This full, wide noble fir is the only tree in the set built mostly from wood and feather rather than glass and metal. Carved wooden stars sit next to pheasant feather picks and dried orange slices, with brushed gold balls worked in sparingly just to catch the firelight.

It costs more effort than it looks like it should, dried orange slices need to be made or sourced ahead of time, not grabbed last minute, and they fade if the tree sits too close to a heat vent. Skip glass ornaments entirely here, even one breaks the rustic read the whole tree is going for.

A real noble fir, 7 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in mahogany, hunter green and antique gold.

Polo Bear And Nostalgic Keepsakes

Every Ralph Lauren moodboard eventually gets a bear in it, because the teddy bear thing is so Ralph that leaving it off would feel like an oversight. These two trees take that nostalgia in different directions, one with brass-framed polo bears on a small tree, one with a full run of vintage-style toys on a real fir.

The Polo Bear Tabletop Tree

A small pre-lit tree on a sideboard, built entirely around the one motif the look keeps coming back to: teddy bears in brass oval frames, like old family photographs that happened to end up on a tree. Gold balls and cream velvet ribbon fill in around them so the bears stay the focal point instead of getting lost.

Because it sits low on a shelf or table, every ornament shows, there is no back of the tree to hide a weak piece, so buy the bear ornaments first and build everything else to match their gold tone. It is the fastest tree in the whole collection to put up, under an hour from box to finished.

A pre-lit artificial tabletop tree, 4 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in navy, gold and cream.

The Nostalgic Toy Chest Tree

Full size where the tabletop tree is small, this real fir carries a wider cast of vintage-style toys, a rocking horse, a train, a teddy bear, all cast in warm resin rather than plastic. Brass bells and cream velvet ribbon sit between them so the toys read as a collection rather than a jumble.

The resin toy ornaments cost more per piece than plain balls, so this tree works best bought gradually over a few seasons rather than all at once, which is honestly how the real version of this look tends to happen anyway. Keep the toy pieces toward the front where they can be seen, the back of the tree can carry the plain brass balls instead.

A real full fir, 7 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in chocolate brown, cream and brass.

Quiet Luxury Neutrals

The restraint version of the look drops color almost entirely and leans on finish instead. Matte ornaments, natural pine cones, and traditional metallic accents like brass, nickel, and chrome do the work that a dozen bright baubles usually do, which is why these two trees carry noticeably fewer ornaments than anything else on the list.

The Quiet Luxury Fir

This real tree is deliberately sparse, with gaps left between the branches rather than filled in, which is what makes the matte pewter and ivory read as intentional rather than unfinished. Ribbon goes on as short ties rather than bows, and a handful of brass twig picks are the only warm note in an otherwise cool, quiet palette.

The hardest part is resisting the urge to add more, a tree this restrained looks wrong the moment it gets crowded, so stop well before the branches feel full. It is also the cheapest tree on this list to put together, fewer ornaments means a smaller shopping list from the start.

A real fir, 7 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in charcoal, pewter and ivory.

The Sage Conservatory Tree

Another real, potted tree still in active growth, this one trades the charcoal fir’s coolness for sage and brass instead, with magnolia leaf picks standing in for the usual pine accents. Cream velvet ribbon ties and a scatter of brass balls keep it from reading too green and flat.

Magnolia leaves hold their shape and color for weeks without water, which makes them an easy win here, the real effort goes into sourcing them fresh rather than in the decorating itself. This is the smallest tree on the whole list, so keep the ornament scale down to match, nothing over three inches.

A real potted tree, 4 feet, wearing 40 ornaments in sage green, brass and cream.

Moody Jewel Tones

Here the palette goes darker and the materials get a bit of weight to match. The introduction of velvet textures and brass accents creates weight and grandeur against deep wine, black and emerald, three trees built for a room that already runs dark and does not need convincing.

The Midnight Wine Pencil Tree

Tall and slim, this pre-lit pencil tree goes darker than anything else in the collection, wine-colored mercury glass balls against black velvet ribbon with just a few silver bells for contrast. It is built for a corner that already has dark walls or dark wood, where a lighter tree would wash out.

Mercury glass in a wine tone is harder to find than the usual silver or gold, expect to order it rather than find it at a general craft store. Keep the black ribbon to short ties, anything longer starts to swallow the light the glass is supposed to catch.

A pre-lit slim pencil artificial tree, 7.5 feet, wearing 42 ornaments in wine, black and silver.

The Grand Emerald Glam Tree

The biggest tree in the whole collection, a floor to ceiling pre-lit artificial fir dressed in emerald velvet bows, gold balls and a cascade of ivory ribbon that runs the full height of one side. Crystal icicles add shine without competing with the velvet’s matte finish.

A tree this tall needs the ribbon cascade planned before anything else goes on, work top to bottom in one pass or it ends up patchy. It is also the one tree here that benefits from a second, smaller light strand tucked deep inside the branches, the standard single strand does not reach the center on a nine foot tree.

A pre-lit artificial tree, 9 feet, wearing 42 ornaments in emerald, gold and ivory.

The Bold Blackwatch Statement Tree

The most dramatic tree in the collection, a full pre-lit artificial fir in black velvet ribbon and brushed gold balls, crowned with an oversized red and black tartan bow instead of a traditional topper. Red and black tartan ties work through the lower branches to tie the bow back into the body of the tree.

The oversized bow is the one piece worth spending on, a thin or flimsy bow reads cheap immediately and undoes the rest of the tree’s effort. This look wants a dark wall behind it, against white it loses most of its drama.

A pre-lit artificial tree, 7.5 feet, wearing 42 ornaments in black, gold and red.

Frequently Asked Questions

What colors are used in a Ralph Lauren Christmas tree?

The palette stays narrow on purpose. Most approved palettes mix tartan with gold and evergreen, or navy with gold and cream, or brown with deep green and brass, and the rule of thumb is two or three main shades plus one metallic, never more.

What ornaments go on a Ralph Lauren Christmas tree?

Expect ribbon before baubles. Classic ornaments in gold and red, with ribbon worked into the tree like tartan ribbon, form the base, then brass, velvet, or an occasional equestrian or polo bear piece layer on top depending on the entry.

Should the lights be warm white or colored?

Warm white, always. One stylist who worked for the brand is direct about it: “Always warm white lights, no colored lights.” Colored bulbs fight the muted, antique finishes the whole look depends on.

Can you get the Ralph Lauren tree look without spending a lot?

Yes, the ribbon does most of the heavy lifting and it does not need to be expensive. Tartan ribbon from any craft store instantly feels expensive once it is woven through the branches rather than left as one long strip.

Is a real or artificial tree better for this look?

Either works, the finish matters more than what the tree is made of. Even with an artificial tree, adding fresh elements for texture and authenticity like pine tips or magnolia closes the gap, which is exactly why this list splits evenly between the two.

How many ornaments should go on a Ralph Lauren style tree?

Fewer than a typical bauble tree. The approach favors thoughtful layering rather than an abundance of ornaments, which is why most trees here sit around forty pieces rather than the usual hundred plus.