Halloween Christmas Trees: Creepmas Decor From October to December

A Halloween Christmas tree is one artificial tree that stays up from October to December. It starts in orange and purple on black, with bats and jack-o’-lanterns. After Halloween, swap the orange for black, silver and pastel Christmas ornaments, keep the spooky favorites, and the same tree carries you through creepmas into Christmas.

What is creepmas?

Creepmas is an informal name for carrying Halloween’s spooky style into the Christmas season. The Duluth News Tribune describes it as “a macabre, gothic and spooky way to celebrate the winter holiday season.”

The term is recent and loose, with no official start date. Culture OC credits Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas with helping bridge the two holidays. Disney released the film on October 13, 1993. Our Krampus decorations guide covers the older, Alpine side of spooky December.

Why keep one tree up from October to December?

It saves a second setup, and the look can change a little each week. Old World Christmas, the glass ornament maker, described the Halloween tree in a July 30, 2026 trend report: a dedicated tree trimmed in black, orange and purple with figural glass ornaments, kept up “straight through the season.”

Local TV has noticed the habit too. A FOX 13 Salt Lake City piece, drawn from Simplemost, showed people putting their Christmas trees up early and dressing them for Halloween, then decorating a second time for Christmas.

Which tree works for both Halloween and Christmas?

Start with a color that suits both seasons.

A black tree is the easiest base, since it needs no change at all between seasons. Our guide to black Christmas trees compares heights and pre-lit options.

How do you switch a Halloween tree to Christmas?

A simple, staged method keeps the tree looking finished at every step.

1. Decorate in layers from the start. Put lights and any garland on first, then a base of plain black ornaments. These stay up all season.
2. Add the Halloween layer. Orange and purple ornaments go on last, along with jack-o’-lanterns and ghosts, so they come off first.
3. Keep the crossover pieces. Bats, black cats, crescent moons, spiders and ravens suit both holidays. Leave them on.
4. Pull the orange after October 31. Take down the pumpkins and candy corn, and switch orange lights to white or pastel.
5. Bring in the Christmas layer. Add silver and pastel glass balls with a few icicles. Lilac, pink and mint look soft and a little spooky against black.
6. Finish with a new topper. Trade a witch hat or jack-o’-lantern for a star, a moon or a bat.

For a softer creepmas feel, Old World Christmas’s report names a “Family-Friendly Whimsy” style with friendly ghosts, candy corn and owls. Its “Spooky-Chic Gothic” style leans on skulls, ravens, deep jewel tones and metallic glass, and it carries well into December.

For the December layer, our black Christmas ornaments guide covers glass and velvet designs, plus bats and skulls.

What about lighted Halloween trees?

Lighted Halloween trees come pre-lit, often in black with orange or purple bulbs, and many are tabletop size. They make a good second tree for a mantel or entry table while the main tree changes over.

If you keep a lighted tree through December, swapping it to white or pastel lights is often enough to shift it from Halloween to Christmas. Check the maker’s instructions before changing bulbs or adding strands.

How do you keep tree lights safe for three months?

A tree that stays lit from October to December runs its lights much longer than usual, so the basics matter more. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lists these points in its Christmas tree safety sheet:

• Use lights listed by a qualified testing laboratory. Some lights are for indoor or outdoor use only.
• Replace any string with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
• Read the manufacturer’s instructions for how many strands to connect.
• Keep the tree at least 3 feet from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents and lights.
• Never use lit candles on the tree, and turn off tree lights before leaving home or going to bed.

The NFPA says nearly half of home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission adds two more: look for the “fire resistant” label on an artificial tree, and never string together more than three sets of incandescent lights.

A creepmas season at a glance

For every other part of the season, from stockings to gifts, start with our goth Christmas decor guide.