Make Your Own Charlie Brown-ish Christmas Tree

Oh how we love the Charlie Brown specials! My kids look forward to seeing them every holiday season and randomly quote them throughout the year. So when we saw a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" at the local stores, the boys wanted one of their very own.

Here's the store version as shown on www.thegreehead.com:

So cute and pathetic, isn't it? On sale, I've seen it for around $12 but to tell you the truth I'm just cheap. I can't see spending that much on an 18 inch scraggly tree branch.

Fast forward to Black Friday... I was standing in line waiting for my turn at a great deal on electronics, when I see the tree on an endcap (these folks know they have a captive audience and use their marketing skills!). Why, it's nothing more than wrapped wire with a few pieces of faux evergreen. I can do that.

Here's what you'll need:

• Wire
• Floral tape
• A dollar store wreath, garland, or some source of the evergreen pieces
• Something for the base- I used wood scraps, you could also use an old coffee can, or a flower pot
•  Piece of blue flannel 
• Red ornament 
• Wire Cutters

1.) Cut ten pieces of evergreen.

2.) Cut a length of wire for the main stem, 23 inches (18 inches for the tree, plus some for under the base).

3.) Twist the end of the wire around one piece of evergreen.

4.) Start wrapping the floral tape where the wire is twisted and wrap around going down the wire about 3 inches.

5.) Make the branches in the same way, with shorter pieces of wire. Wrap the floral tape down most of the length of the wire for the branches, then twist them onto the main stem. Here you can be as creative as you want to be. I looked at a picture of the store's tree for reference and made my branches accordingly.

Wrap the main stem with floral tape as you go.

6.) Make or prepare your base. For my wood base I cut one piece in half and stapled them onto the main piece. I then made a small hole in the center with a screw. Other options are using a clean coffee can with a hole in the lid, or turning a flower pot upside-down.

7.) Feed the main stem through the hole and secure as needed. On my wood base I stapled the wire down and cut off any excess.

8.) All that's left is to add the scrap of blue flannel for Linus' Blanket, and a red ornament.

Have fun!