What is the Most Popular Tree Topper: Star or Angel?

Decorating the Christmas tree is my most anticipated ritual when the holiday season approaches. I always spend hours meticulously arranging every detail. Typically, I place a classic star topper on the tree, allowing its light to illuminate the entire tree; occasionally, I switch it out for an elegant angel. While there is no regulation requiring a specific treetop decoration for Christmas trees, based on my understanding and observation, stars remain the most classic and popular choice. Furthermore, while exploring various decoration stores and perusing social media platforms, I discovered that, alongside stars, individuals also adorn Christmas trees with angels, Santa Claus, snowflakes, bows, and more.

This blog will present the most popular Christmas tree toppers and hope to offer you new ideas for decorating your Christmas tree.  After all, a Christmas tree that reflects your personality and idea can truly become the most captivating sight during the holiday season.

Star Tree Topper

Among the many Christmas decorations, the star is undoubtedly the most classic, popular, and timeless choice. As the finishing touch of the Christmas tree, the star Christmas tree toppers can be classified into four distinct categories: five-pointed star, Star of Bethlehem, Star of David, and Moravian star.

The five-pointed star is the most basic style, celebrated for its simple five-pointed form. The Star of Bethlehem holds profound religious importance. Legend has it that this radiant star once led the three wise men from the East to the birthplace of Jesus, embodying hope and salvation. The Star of David, also known as the six-pointed star, consists of two interlaced equilateral triangles. It represents Jewish identity and also embodies protection and strength. The Moravian Star is a striking multi-pointed star that has its roots in Germany. Typically featuring 26 sharp points, its beautiful three-dimensional design refracts light brilliantly and represents the wisdom that guides individuals.

Modern Christmas star tree toppers retain traditional elements while developing a dazzling variety of choices. In terms of colour, choices abound, including elegant silver, luxurious gold, and romantic pink, etc. The materials used range from retro metal and rustic rattan to crystal-clear glass. Functionality is also enhanced, featuring luminous models with built-in LED lights and projection designs that cast starry stars or snowflake patterns, creating a magical ambience for the holiday season.

Other Popular Star Tree Toppers

In addition to the stars mentioned above, other countries have their own unique and popular star tree topper.

In Sweden, straw star treetop decorations are quite popular. Unlike the typical five-pointed star, these designs feature a blend of sun and snowflake elements. They are intricately woven into a radial structure using straws or wheat straw, evoking the image of a radiant sun or natural stars, which reflects the Swedish reverence for nature.

In Ukraine, an eight-pointed Christmas star is one of the most popular symbols. It stands as a remarkable emblem of the Ukrainian holiday season. It represents illumination, the sun, and spiritual celebrations, aiming to foster a cheerful ambience. The eight-pointed Christmas star is often placed atop the Christmas tree or carried by carolers.

In Germany, alongside the Moravian Star, individuals often choose to adorn their treetops with another wooden star tree topper, typically hand-carved and planed with intricate and delicate patterns.

Angel Tree Topper

If the star is the eternal classic in Christmas decoration, then the angel ranks second with its elegance and sacredness. As a common decoration on the top of the Christmas tree, angels have rich and varied styles, which can be mainly divided into classic, modern, vintage, and biblical styles.

Most of the angel tree toppers on the market are in classic robe style, and typically depicted classically, wearing flowing robes, accompanied by candles or harps, with feather wings on the back, resulting in a soft and sacred visual appeal.

Modern angels are distinguished by their minimalist or abstract aesthetics, featuring metal lines that define geometric silhouettes of angels. They forgo intricate details and opt for sleek forms to convey a modern aesthetic.

Angels in a vintage style are typically crafted from classic materials like ceramics and glass, featuring hand-painted details along with glaze and gold accents. The palette consists primarily of gentle vintage hues, including cream, light gold, and soft pink, highlighting a feeling of nostalgia. The angel’s attire might feature Victorian lace textures, and the facial expression remains gentle and serene.

Alongside humanoid angels, there exist biblically accurate angel tree toppers. Unlike the gentle humanoid angels, this type of angel embodies the characteristics found in the Bible, featuring multiple pairs of wings or eyes, and possessing a mysterious and majestic presence.

Today’s angel treetop decorations resemble star treetop ones. Contemporary angel tree toppers offer a diverse range of options regarding materials and functionalities. Regarding materials, there are natural and rustic wooden angels, cute and soft felt angels, and delicate and exquisite woven angels. In terms of function, Modern angels feature LED lights with various lighting functions, and certain angel tree toppers with moving wings.

Other Popular Angel Tree Toppers

Germany enjoys placing a golden angel atop the tree. It is also known as Rauschgoldengel, representing hope and joy. Typically, it consists of paper and folded metal foil, with arms folded under a vividly colored robe.

Straw angel tree toppers enjoy great popularity in Ukraine. The angel is typically crafted from straw and can range from being simple, showcasing basic features, to being intricate, adorned with a robe embellished with ears of rice or straw Christmas stars.

Glass Tree Topper

Glass tree toppers, often referred to as glass finial tree toppers, are distinctive artistic creations in Christmas decorations. These decorations primarily utilise blowing and moulding techniques to craft a glass bottle with a unique shape, followed by meticulous hand-painting to illustrate patterns, lines, or to adorn the surface with glitter and other decorative elements, culminating in a stunning visual effect.

The glass tree topper is distinguished by its impressive spire design. This upward line outline effortlessly evokes the image of a church spire, representing the human spirit’s aspiration for heaven.

The prevalent glass treetop decorations available today include spires, drops, spirals, and cones. The spires consist of one or more concave spheres, with the sphere’s surface adorned by slender tubular protrusions. The overall form is dignified and graceful. The drops feature a broader base, showcasing a lovely drop form in the centre, while the top gently tapers to a pointed finish, characterised by smooth and organic lines. The spirals pertain to the design of spiral lines on the bottle body or the tapered tube section, producing a distinctive dynamic beauty through the rotation of lines.  The cones resemble the spires, yet feature a broader base and a conical opening, offering both stability and elegance. To discover more about the final tree topper, feel free to click here for additional information.

Bow Tree Topper

Bows are commonly employed to adorn gifts, representing gifts and festive surprises. The bows tree toppers are typically large, designed to capture attention and fill the visual “gap”.

Popular bow styles available today encompass the traditional style, the rustic style, and the modern style. The classic style typically features red and green, reflecting the hues of the Christmas tree. The rustic style incorporates materials such as burlap, pine needles, and hemp rope to create a visually appealing and uncomplicated aesthetic. The modern style features a design with a single solid colour, complemented by a metallic satin ribbon or a red velvet ribbon. This combination exudes simplicity and luxury, making it ideal for Nordic-style decor.

It is worth mentioning that the bow treetop decoration is notably simple to install and offers excellent versatility in matching. Whether used individually or alongside other treetop decorations like stars and angels, it can create a stunning effect.

Creative Tree Topper

Alongside the previously mentioned decorations, the Internet era has given rise to a fresh trend in treetop adornments – creative tree toppers. These unconventional decorations have sparked a new trend in Christmas decor, showcasing their distinctive personality and charm. The standout aspect of creative treetop decorations is their ability to transcend traditional norms, showcasing humour, fun, and a unique personal touch.

It is tailor-made for different lovers. If you are a pet lover, you may choose to place a puppy or a kitten tree topper; if you are a fan of Star Wars or Darth Vader, you might put a Darth Vader tree topper with an LED lightsaber; if you are an enthusiast of Super Mario, you may put a super star tree topper.

In addition to the decorations mentioned above, there exists a unique type of creative Christmas tree adornment that I like to call “tree huggers.” This kind of decoration typically resembles Santa Claus, dwarfs, or other whimsical characters, and they are designed to be spread out and embrace the tree trunk.

Whenever I encounter these amazing, creative tree toppers, I find myself in awe of the brilliant ideas people come up with.  In this age of individuality, selecting a distinctive and funny tree top decoration could be the ideal method to ensure your Christmas tree shines amidst the numerous “perfect trees”. After all, isn’t the essence of the holiday centred around fostering joy and exchanging delightful surprises?

Conclusion

At present, popular Christmas tree toppers include stars, angels, finials, bows, and creative designs. The Christmas tree topper serves as the final flourish of the holiday season, embodying both family traditions and individual character. Whether it’s a timeless star, a sacred angel, an exquisite glass ornament, a lovely bow, or a creative tree topper, every selection embodies a distinct holiday essence.

No matter which topper you choose, the key is to align it with the tree’s size, the arrangement of the space, and to guarantee a secure fit. If you have enquiries about selecting the appropriate size for your tree topper, refer to our Christmas Tree Topper Size Guide here, which will explain how many feet of tree is suitable for how many inches of decoration.

Finally, I hope you succeed in finding the perfect Christmas tree topper that aligns with your preferences, bringing the holiday season to a close filled with warmth and delight.

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