How To Create A Themed Tree Based On Favorite Video Games

Video games are more than entertainment—they’re emotional anchors, narrative worlds, and cultural touchstones. When holiday traditions meet fandom, the result is something deeply personal: a tree that doesn’t just sparkle, but tells a story. A Zelda-themed tree might glow with Triforce gold and Hyrule green; a Final Fantasy tree could shimmer with crystalline summons and airship silhouettes; a retro Mario tree might burst with pixelated cheer and cheerful 8-bit reds. Creating such a tree isn’t about perfection—it’s about intentionality, layering meaning into every ornament, ribbon, and light. This guide walks through the full process—not as decoration, but as curation—grounded in real-world execution, material accessibility, and fan authenticity.

1. Choose Your Game Universe—and Define Its Visual Language

Selecting a single game—or tightly related series—is essential. A “Nintendo tree” risks visual dilution; a “Super Mario Bros. 3 tree” delivers cohesion. Start by identifying three core visual pillars for your chosen universe: color palette, iconic symbols, and texture language. For example:

• The Legend of Zelda (Breath of the Wild): Muted sage greens, slate blues, and warm amber; motifs include Sheikah runes, Korok seeds, and the Master Sword silhouette; textures lean into weathered parchment, brushed metal, and matte ceramic.
• Celeste: Crisp cerulean, soft rose, and clean white; recurring forms are the mountain peak, strawberry, and feather; surfaces emphasize smooth resin, frosted glass, and subtle gradient printing.
• Stardew Valley: Earthy ochres, harvest golds, and twilight purples; key icons are the watering can, heart-shaped fruit, and JojaMart logo; materials favor wood grain, hand-drawn paper, and woven twine.

Avoid mixing franchises unless they share canonical ties (e.g., Pokémon + Detective Pikachu, or Fallout + New Vegas). Cross-franchise blending often sacrifices narrative clarity for novelty—and a themed tree’s power lies in its ability to evoke immediate recognition and resonance.

Tip: Print a mood board using screenshots from your game’s official artbook or trusted fan wikis—not gameplay captures. In-game lighting and UI overlays distort true color and form.

2. Build Your Ornament Foundation: DIY, Custom, and Curated Sources

A successful game-themed tree balances handmade authenticity with polished consistency. Prioritize three tiers of ornaments:

1. Core Icons (30%): 5–7 large, unmistakable pieces—e.g., a 4-inch ceramic Link shield, a hand-painted Octopath Traveler compass, or a laser-cut Paper Mario book. These anchor the tree’s identity.
2. Narrative Elements (50%): Medium-sized ornaments telling micro-stories—Zelda’s Sheikah Slate interface etched onto acrylic, a tiny replica of the Portal gun with reflective foil, or a stitched “Pikmin” leaf made from recycled denim.
3. Atmospheric Accents (20%): Small, textural items that reinforce world-building—miniature potion vials filled with colored sand (Elden Ring), bioluminescent resin beads (Journey), or copper-wrapped “magic crystals” (Dragon Age).

Source strategically. Etsy remains strong for custom resin and polymer clay pieces—but verify sellers use official art licensing where applicable. For DIY, Cricut machines cut precise vinyl decals for clear baubles; printable SVG files (from licensed fan sites like Zelda Dungeon’s craft section) allow home-printed ornaments on cardstock or sticker paper. Avoid mass-market “gaming” ornaments sold at big-box stores—they rarely reflect specific titles and often misrepresent proportions or lore.

3. Lighting, Garlands, and Structural Design

Lighting transforms tone. Warm white LEDs suit nostalgic or cozy universes (Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley); cool blue-white mimics sci-fi interfaces (Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077); multicolor programmable LEDs work only if synced to in-universe logic—e.g., Halo’s energy sword pulse pattern or Undertale’s “Determination” rhythm.

Garlands should feel diegetic—not decorative. Instead of generic beads, consider:

• “Pixel garlands”: 12mm wooden cubes painted in 8-bit palettes, strung with black elastic cord.
• “Spellbook garlands”: Miniature book spines (1.5” tall), each labeled with a spell name (e.g., “Fireball,” “Cure Light Wounds”) and bound with twine.
• “Circuit garlands”: Thin copper wire coiled around black cord, with tiny soldered brass nodes resembling motherboard traces (ideal for Deus Ex or System Shock themes).

Tree shape matters. A full, bushy Nordmann fir supports heavy ornaments and layered garlands. A slim, pencil-shaped tree works best for vertical storytelling—e.g., a Dark Souls tree where ornaments descend chronologically from Lordran’s ruins to the Kiln of the First Flame. Always use a sturdy, weighted stand—game-themed ornaments often incorporate metal, stone, or dense resin, adding significant weight.

4. The Lore-First Assembly Process: A Step-by-Step Timeline

Build your tree in sequence—not by height or color, but by narrative hierarchy. This ensures thematic integrity and avoids last-minute clashes.

1. Week 3 Before Tree Day: Assemble and test all electronics (lights, battery packs, sound modules). Charge any Bluetooth speakers for ambient audio (e.g., Skyrim’s main theme looped softly).
2. Week 2: Hang structural garlands and ribbons first—these define spatial rhythm. Use clips, not hooks, for fabric-based garlands to prevent slippage.
3. Week 1: Place Core Icons at strategic focal points: top third (tree topper), mid-section (center front), and base (largest piece resting on stand rim). Ensure no two Core Icons visually compete (e.g., don’t place Master Sword and Triforce side-by-side at eye level).
4. Tree Day Morning: Add Narrative Elements, grouping by storyline—not size. Cluster all “Hyrule Field” items (Korok seed, horse figurine, map fragment) together; separate “Ganon’s Castle” pieces (twisted horn, cracked Gerudo emblem) to the opposite quadrant.
5. Final Hour: Weave in Atmospheric Accents *by texture*, not color: distribute all matte-finish items evenly before adding glossy ones. Finish with a final dusting of faux snow (biodegradable cellulose) only on branches representing “cold zones” (e.g., Elden Ring’s Mountaintops of the Giants, not the Lands Between plains).

This timeline prevents haphazard placement and honors how players experience these worlds—not as flat aesthetics, but as layered, geographically coherent spaces.

5. Do’s and Don’ts: A Practical Comparison Table

Action	Do	Don’t
Licensing & Respect	Use only officially licensed products or create original interpretations (e.g., a “Triforce-inspired” geometric ornament—not a direct copy of Nintendo’s trademarked symbol).	Reproduce copyrighted logos, character likenesses, or exact UI elements without permission—even for personal use.
Material Safety	Test adhesives on small areas first; use flame-retardant ribbon near lights; avoid aerosol sprays near resin or vinyl.	Apply hot glue directly to delicate fabrics or thin plastic ornaments—heat warps detail and creates brittle bonds.
Display Ethics	Include subtle nods to inclusive representation—e.g., a non-binary avatar token in a Mass Effect tree, or a wheelchair-accessible Moogle in Final Fantasy decor.	Perpetuate harmful tropes—e.g., stereotyped “tribal” motifs for Hyrule’s Zora, or exaggerated “villainous” features for morally gray characters like Vex or GlaDOS.
Longevity Planning	Store ornaments in compartmentalized, acid-free boxes labeled by game and year; photograph setups for future reference.	Leave fragile pieces on the tree past January—humidity shifts and dust accumulation degrade finishes quickly.

Mini Case Study: Maya’s “Spirit Island” Tree (Portland, OR)

Maya, a board game designer and longtime Spirit Island player, built her 2023 tree around the game’s ecological restoration theme—not fantasy combat. She sourced sustainably harvested birch branches for the trunk “frame,” wrapped them in undyed linen rope, and hung ornaments made exclusively from natural materials: acorn caps painted with spirit sigils, dried citrus slices stamped with elemental glyphs, and hand-blown glass orbs containing moss and miniature pine saplings. Her lights were solar-charged warm LEDs, and she played field recordings of Pacific Northwest rain and wind through a hidden speaker. Neighbors didn’t recognize the game at first—but they felt the intention. “People kept saying, ‘It smells like hope,’” Maya shared. “That’s exactly what Spirit Island is about: healing, reciprocity, quiet power. The tree wasn’t about showing off—it was about embodying the feeling.” Her approach proves that deep thematic resonance requires neither elaborate fabrication nor digital flash—just fidelity to the source’s emotional core.

Expert Insight: On Fandom as Curation

“Themed decoration succeeds when it moves beyond iconography into ethos. A good Zelda tree doesn’t just have a Triforce—it makes you pause and remember what courage, wisdom, and power mean *in that world*. That requires studying lore, not just screenshots. It’s curation, not collage.” — Dr. Lena Torres, Professor of Game Studies & Material Culture, NYU Tisch School of the Arts

FAQ

Can I mix games from the same developer or publisher?

Yes—if their visual languages align and their narratives coexist meaningfully. A “Square Enix Holiday Tree” works only if focused on one era or aesthetic (e.g., PS1-era Final Fantasy + Chrono Trigger), not a jumble of modern remasters and mobile spin-offs. Prioritize tonal harmony over corporate convenience.

How do I handle fragile or valuable collectibles as ornaments?

Never hang originals. Instead, create museum-grade replicas: scan collectibles at 600 dpi, 3D-print scaled-down versions in PLA+, then paint with archival acrylics. For high-value figures, use shadowbox mounts on the wall beside the tree—framed with matching garland extensions—to keep them safe while maintaining visual continuity.

What if my favorite game has dark or mature themes—like Silent Hill or Hellblade?

Abstract, not literal. Translate psychological tension into texture and light: use fractured mirror shards for “shattered reality,” deep indigo velvet ribbons for “weight of memory,” and directional spotlights casting long, distorted shadows. Mature themes gain power through restraint—not shock value.

Conclusion

Your tree is the first physical space where your fandom becomes tangible—a quiet declaration that these worlds matter, not just as play, but as part of your lived emotional landscape. It’s okay if your first attempt leans heavily on store-bought pieces, or if your color palette drifts from canon. What matters is the care behind each choice: why that shade of green echoes Hyrule’s spring, why that garland mimics the rhythm of a boss battle, why the silence between ornaments feels like standing atop Snowpeak. Every decision is an act of translation—from pixels to pine, from code to craft, from solo play to shared wonder. Start small this season. Pick one game. Sketch one ornament. Then build outward—not to impress, but to remember. Because the most enduring trees aren’t the most glittering. They’re the ones that, years later, still make you smile when you recall the first time you held that controller, pressed start, and stepped into another world.

💬 Your turn. Share which game you’ll theme next—and what one detail will anchor its soul. Tag a friend who needs this kind of joyful intentionality in their holidays.