Skinny ‘Treezempic’ Christmas trees are this year’s holiday trend

Jillian Barnes had been dreaming of decorating her first Christmas tree ever since moving into her cozy Boston apartment. She wanted something affordable, neutral and compact.

At Michael’s, the 29-year-old found a slender pre-decorated silver tinsel tree for $89 — much cheaper than the $500 full-size options she saw — and proudly told her sister it looked “almost Parisian.” But when she shared her festive decor online, the response was unexpected.

“Why do you have an Ozempic tree?” was the reaction online, according to Barnes.

Skinny Christmas trees, or pencil trees, are having a major moment this holiday season, said two interior designers interviewed by The Washington Post. With rising costs, tighter spaces and a growing trend toward scaling down traditions, many are embracing these minimalist, budget-friendly trees.

“I really didn’t know it was a trend,” Barnes, a personal trainer, said. “I thought it was chic.”

“We have definitely seen a higher — and earlier — demand for more slender trees this year, which is interesting because these models traditionally tend to sell later in the season,” Melissa Mills, senior vice president of merchandising at Michaels, told The Post in a statement.

“Currently, sales of slim and pencil-style trees are tracking 5% higher than 2023 and are far exceeding our expectations. Many of our styles have nearly sold out, with the Cashmere Pencil Tree standing out as our most popular — exceeding projected sales by over 25%,” the statement added.

Even actress Kelly Ripa is embracing it. Earlier this month, she posted a picture on her Instagram account of her slender tree, calling it “Treezempic.”

“She’s skinny, don’t skinny-shame her … But when I tell you, even the lightest ornament and the branches are like, ‘I can’t,’” Ripa later joked on her talk show “Live with Kelly and Mark.”

College student Daniella Loccisano said she mistakenly bought a skinny tree for her New York apartment. “I wanted something shorter but wasn’t expecting it to be so skinny when I took it out of the box,” said the 20-year-old, who noted she always grew up with a bigger tree. “But it’s more cost effective because you don’t have to use as many ornaments. It fits very nicely into my space.”

Loccisano said her friends and family have all said her tree is “funny looking.”

“They think it’s silly, and they laugh at it. But they still do think it’s cute,” she said.

The skinny Christmas tree could be speaking to a larger push to purchase more sustainable and practical items, interior design content creator Reeves Connelly says.

“It’s a tough housing market, and a lot of younger people don’t have the means or space for a large tree. This is like the cultural shift we’ve been seeing to things that more like streamlined and modern,” Connelly told The Post.

“I feel like it kind of like reflects the economic times. And a lot of people are a little bit more mindful about investing in something that is only temporary,” he said, adding that skinny trees can be seen as a way to “build up” to having a full-size tree in the future.

On social media, the majority of people showing their skinny Christmas trees are buying artificial trees. Jill Sidebottom, a spokesperson for the National Christmas Tree Association, said in an interview that real Christmas trees are graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture based on density and that tree farmers would not want to sell skinny trees. (Tree farmers in North Carolina that were impacted by Hurricane Helene are facing uncertainty about how their sales will be impacted this year.)

Sidebottom said she has seen a trend of people wanting more open and natural-looking trees that are popular in European aesthetic. She said she’s seen people remove branches to create a less full-looking tree in recent years.

Minneapolis interior designer Juliana Ghani suggests using “petite ornaments” if you opt for a skinny tree.

“Make sure you aren’t putting anything on your tree that is out of scale,” Ghani told The Post. Ghani says this trend is great for people who don’t have much storage space for their holiday decorations. She said that if you are in a small space, consider hanging garland around your mirrors or entryway to bring a festive vibe to your home.

Experts agreed that the skinny Christmas tree can look more elegant than larger trees.

“I feel like it has a little bit more of an aesthetic appeal when it comes to not really detracting from your space, as opposed to a full-size Christmas tree where it commands attention,” Connelly said. “A skinny tree retreats — kind of blends in — which I think is great.”