15 Best Pencil Christmas Trees: Your Ultimate List

EDITOR’S CHOICE: This is a modern, Ultra-Realistic Prescott Pine National Tree with branches that have been molded from real pine trees to create a beautifully rounded needle look to them.

Just like real trees, it has some floppier branches that stick out apart from the main tree and interrupt the cone-shape silhouette which gives it that realistic imperfect feel. For some, that’s a plus, and for others, it’s not a traditional shape. Like with all realistic trees, you won’t want to hang ornaments right on the tip of branches.

At 7.5 feet tall, this is a perfect height for eight to 10-foot ceilings. It has a width of 35 inches, so make sure you block that out before you buy, but for comparison, with a non-pencil tree of 7.5 feet tall (like the Dunhill Fir by National Tree) you’d be looking at a width of closer to 60 inches.

It has a very nice fullness with 973 branch tips and, like most realistic trees, has traditional needle branches at the center of the tree since they give better coverage to hide the pole. This tree comes pre-lit with 350 clear lights. In my opinion, pre-lit is the best thing to happen to Christmas trees since ornaments.

If you’re nostalgic for a real tree, this one is for you. Throw on some Christmas tree scent and it’s just like being a kid again.

For something non-traditional and a lot more rustic, this Alpine-Style Vickerman Tree will turn heads.

Skipping the classic, dense triangle shape of groomed Christmas trees, this one gets its inspiration directly from pine trees growing in the wilderness, brought down to a scale that can fit in your living room.

The real wood trunk is a huge upgrade from the metal poles you’re used to trying to hide. The branches are sparse and flat like you’d see in the forest, and they’re pre-lit so you’re good to go. The design comes in many sizes including this stunning eight-foot tree. This is a perfect tree for a cozy cabin or rustic aesthetic.

If you love that faux snow look, this 6.5-Foot Portland Pine Tree is the best flocked skinny tree out there. 

The Portland Pine tree has long, realistic needles. This gives the flocking more surface area to hang onto so it doesn’t end up looking clumped on. The long needles also create a more realistic and rustic feel.

This one is 6.5 feet tall and 24 inches in diameter so it’s a good medium size for a pencil tree. It’s pre-lit with 300 lights to save you time and frustration and it has 410 branch tips for a dense, full tree. 

I like that it has a five-year warranty on the tree and a three-year warranty on the lights.

For those not a fan of the traditional tree skirt base, which takes up more room than you think, check out this Potted Montclair Spruce by National Tree.

The Montclair by National Tree is a five-foot-tall tree with a gentle triangle shape and a decorative urn at the base. This is also a big plus if you don’t exchange gifts because this tree won’t look unfinished all on its own without presents.

It has decent volume with 205 branch tips and is sized to fit nearly anywhere at 22 inches in diameter. This one also comes pre-lit with 100 clear lights and when you combine that with the more elegant base, this tree doesn’t need decorating. It can certainly take it and would be lovely covered in ribbons and ornaments, but it doesn’t need it.

It’s rated for indoor and outdoor displays. A pair of these would look lovely on either side of your door.

It also comes in a small four-foot size for a big drop in price.

For those looking for a unique and modern tree silhouette that’s eye-catching but takes up almost no space, Treetopia is the brand for you. 

Treetopia’s trees have clean, topiary-like lines for a tree that’s skinny all the way down. It’s a less traditional shape for a tree but that can make for a show-stopping effect once it’s decorated.

Despite being one of the thinnest trees on the list, Treetopia’s trees are very dense and full. This isn’t the kind of tree that you have to worry about it looking cheap because you can see the pole. 

It’s also a nice choice if you simply don’t have much space to fit a tree. Their six-foot Christmas tree has a diameter of only 18 inches but is packed with 406 branch tips. If you choose a pre-lit tree, it comes with 250 clear lights. 

The branches of Treetopia’s trees are covered by a five-year warranty and the lights are covered by a two-year warranty.

From my knowledge of past years, I can tell you that these trees sell out quickly so grab yours before they’re gone. 

If you’re looking for something a little nontraditional and ultra-slender, try this Collapsible Gold Tinsel Tree.

At only 14.5 inches in diameter, this skinny tree can fit into some truly tight spaces. It’s 65 inches tall, so it’s about five and a half feet in height. This tree is actually collapsible. The “branches” are arranged in a spiral pattern so when you’re done for the season it folds flat for easy storage.

The ultra-skinny topiary style is eye-catching, like something out of a painting. Because of the design, this isn’t the best tree for hanging ornaments on. The metallic gold tinsel has a bright shine to it and is dotted by gold sequins and lit with 35 warm white LED lights. Another neat perk is that you don’t have to plug this in so you can put this tree anywhere without having to worry about wires. It takes three AA batteries (not included) and runs on a timer of six hours on then 18 hours off.

This tree is also available in red and green.

If you love the metallic look consider checking out traditional aluminum Christmas trees.

This Iridescent Skinny Tree has a color-shifting, magical look to it that reminds me of sunlight on fresh snow. It’s is definitely a tree to stand out from the crowd.

The photo doesn’t do it justice as it’s difficult to photograph iridescence, but you know that translucent plastic that changes color depending on how you look at it and that makes you think about unicorns and fairies–this is an entire Christmas tree made out of that stuff. Sign me up.

It’s made by National Tree, a trusted company, and comes in two different sizes.

The seven-foot iridescent tree has a base diameter of only 24 inches.

Plus, iridescents and holographics are really in right now so join in the fun.

This 7.5-Foot Tacoma Slim Tree is tall enough to work even in rooms with high ceilings, yet slim enough at 30 inches wide to save you plenty of space. The long needle-style branches help keep this tree looking full and with 787 branch tips, it didn’t need much help in the first place.

It’s pre-lit with clear lights, but some feel like a tree of this height really needs more, so if you’re looking for a heavily lit tree, but are in love with the long needles of this one, just be aware that you may end up wanting to pick up an extra string of lights to add to it–or you might not. This tree comes with collapsible metal tree stands, extra bulbs, and a two-year warranty on lights.

This Seven-Foot Home Heritage Pre-Lit Stanley Tree sports a combination of branches. Some are your standard bottle-brush type and others have a longer, skinnier needles that are a lighter color and have these sort of fluffy bits on the ends that give it a more realistic look and even a frosted effect from a distance.

They aren’t the injection-molded branches, but they’re certainly a step up from traditional. It’s pre-lit with 350 clear lights and has 335 bushy branch tips. This tree is definitely going to need some fluffing once you get it out of the box. The included metal stand is collapsible.

If you’re looking for something that will stand out, go for a downswept-style tree like this Pre-Lit Skinny Forestree by National Tree. The intentionally sloping angle of the branches is much more eye-catching than a traditional triangle-shaped tree.

Downswept trees have a more realistic look and seem like they’ve been plucked right out of a snowy forest. Right now the available sizes are two feet, three feet, and four feet.

This season, try something really dramatic with National Tree’s All-White Kingswood Fir.

This tree is available in heights of 4.5 feet, 6.5 feet, and 7.5 feet. At 6.5 feet, the tree is around 28 inches wide. It’s a good size to fit in tight spaces without sacrificing the traditional triangle Christmas tree shape completely.

The branches are made with the traditional flat needles so they’re strong enough to hold lots of ornaments. This tree comes pre-lit with 250 clear lights to enhance the twinkle effect.

These Sparkling Tinsel Trees from Vickerman have all the traditional bottlebrush branches and pencil tree shape but in fun and unexpected colors to wow your guests with something new.

Go unconventional with colors like their bold red Christmas tree feature above, hot pink, unique mocha, and classic antique gold color that bucks the traditional bright gold for a more bronzed look.

At 27 inches across on the 6.5-foot trees, they’re slightly wider than some of the others on here, but still a slim tree in comparison to regular trees.

So you say you want a skinny tree–but how about a really, really skinny tree? This Four-Feet Tall Champagne Tree Four-Pack by SilksAreForever looks less like Christmas trees and more like shiny, golden needles.

You really won’t find a skinnier tree anywhere.

The body of the tree is made of champagne-gold tinsel but the tree is so small I don’t think it would be able to hold ornaments. Each pack comes with four trees and each tree is four-feet tall. The wooden block base is included. 

If you’d ideally love a slim tree that comes pre-decorated to create holiday cheer with minimal effort or use of your rare free time, these Brylane Pop-Up Trees may be perfect for you.

These trees are pre-lit and fully decorated with ribbons with ornaments. There isn’t even any time needed for fluffing the branches since it’s a pop-up tree that collapses into a flat disc that’s easy to store. Think of it like a cone-shaped slinky that unfolds into a Christmas tree. It’s pretty brilliant. 

They’re available in a range of ribbon and ornament colors from gold, red plaid, and red and white. These aren’t the skinniest on the list at 30 inches in diameter for a six-foot tree but they still fall under the pencil category. 

It’s a nice choice for quick and easy tree decoration.

The neat thing about this Vickerman Bixley Fir Tree is that it has a mix of bottle-brush and molded plastic branches or a combination of realistic and traditional.

The traditional bottle-brush needles at the center of the tree, filling it out and hiding the pole, but it also has more highly realistic branches (made by taking molds of actual pine trees) that stretch to the edges of the tree to give it a more lifelike silhouette. It’s the best of both worlds.

This one is so pointy! I sort of like that it’s embracing the narrow triangle shape of Christmas trees you drew as a kid. The 7.5-foot tall tree is only 30 inches wide.

This style is also available in colored lights and in heights from 3.5 feet to 10 feet tall.