Many people have taken down their Christmas tree by now—or are at least thinking about it. Portia Gorman is just getting started.

She is among a hardy band of decorators who deck the boughs of their artificial trees for various holidays year-round. Next up for her is Valentine’s Day.


The influencer recently held a family meeting with her husband, Errol Gorman, and three young children over the eight looks she’s planning for the year ahead. Portia usually does the lion’s share of the work—picking out the decorations, placing them on the tree and then boxing everything back up before the next cycle starts.

Her children, aged 4, 7 and 9, pinky-promised to help this year. Her husband agreed to assist more too and even said he would build her a shed to store decorations, including hundreds of artificial flowers. Errol, who founded a software company, foresees a few key benefits to building the shed. More space in the garage is one.

Another, he says: “Happy wife, happy life.”

The decorators say they like having a creative hobby and something a bit surprising to show visitors. Many say seeing their trees gives them an all-season dopamine hit.

“There’s always something to celebrate,” says Cynthia Chamble.

About five years ago, Chamble started decorating her tree for three holidays a year. She’s now up to six. The Brooklyn, N.Y., retiree enjoys the creative outlet and says constantly seeing her 5- foot tree makes her feel like she’s in a forest. She spends about $600 a year on tree décor, including artificial flowers and ribbons.

Her favorite designs include one with blue and white trim to commemorate Israel, a summer-themed tree with sandal ornaments and plastic fish, and one for Black History Month that had cutout pictures of historical figures.

Her family and friends have come to accept her hobby, she says. They’ve also figured out why she occasionally invites them over for home-cooked macaroni and cheese.

“They’ll say, you need help taking down some decorations, huh, Cynthia?” she says.

For Deb Ireland, decorating her tree for various holidays has become a way to bond with her eight grandchildren, aged 8 to 12.

Her butterfly tree is a fan favorite, says Ireland, a retired teacher in Waseca, Minn. Her grandchildren help make the butterflies out of tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Some of them are camera-ready, and others not so much—but it’s no matter to Ireland.

“Even the butterflies with one wing are put on the tree,” she says.

Michelle Meyer generally doesn’t like to imitate the latest decorating trends in the tree world. She passed on the candy cane look that seemed to be all over social media this past Christmas season. She opted for a winter theme that included large snowflakes for her 7-foot silver tinsel tree.

Some of her family’s best-loved looks include her trees for Mardi Gras including colorful masks and beaded necklaces and Flag Day.


Decorating is a way for her to memorialize her late mother, who always decked out her own house for various holidays, says Meyer, in Frederick, Md. “It makes me feel close to her and reminds me that I’m a lot like her,” she says.

Corey Davey, an interior designer in Dallas, says an increased desire for a sense of comfort at home is one reason people are keeping their trees up year-round.

A longing to maintain the sense of joy that may be associated with the holidays is another motivator, says Karol Ward, a therapist in New York City. “The tree is a way to express playfulness and boost mood,” she says.

What began as a hobby for interior designer Sami Riccioli has evolved into a business. About four years ago she decided to decorate her tree for holidays including St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo.


Her trees’ popularity on Instagram attracted the attention of companies. She now gets paid to design custom trees for store windows and recently created one to promote a movie, says Riccioli, in Lower Gwynedd, Pa.

She still occasionally gets some side-eye from people who visit her home.

“One repairman said he thought I still had my Christmas tree up in April because I was too lazy to take it down,” she says.

Write to Veronica Dagher at Veronica.Dagher@wsj.com