What to Put on the Wall Behind the Christmas Tree (and in Every Holiday Photo)

Count the photos you took last December. The tree is in most of them, and so is whatever wall happens to be behind it. For a few weeks that wall is the most photographed surface in the house, and in most homes it is a blank stretch of builder beige. A removable accent wall changes every one of those photos, goes up in an afternoon, and can come down in January or stay for the rest of winter.

The short answer

Put a deep or textured wallpaper on the wall behind the tree so the lights and ornaments stand out against it. Choose a matte material so camera flash does not glare. Pick a pattern that feels like winter rather than Christmas, such as plaid, evergreen, birch, brick or a dark floral, and you can leave it up until spring. One wall takes two to three hours.

Why the wall matters more than the ornaments

String lights look brightest against a dark or mid-tone background. Against a white wall they wash out, and in photos the wall turns grey or yellow while the tree loses its edges. A deeper wall gives the tree an outline, makes warm lights look warmer, and makes every photo look like you planned it. The same is true for the mantel, the staircase and the spot where everyone lines up for the family picture.

Patterns that feel like winter, not just Christmas

Plaid. Cozy Plaid in Brown or Sage is the wall in the photo above. It reads as cabin and wool blanket, works from the first cold weekend through February, and makes a green tree look richer.

Evergreen and birch. Illustrated Evergreen Forest in Deep Green or Winter Blue, or Birch Tree, put the tree in a forest. Both are calm enough to live with after the ornaments are packed.

A dark floral. Midnight Floral gives you the deepest background of all, and white lights against it look like stars.

Brick or wood. Brick or Brown Wood gives the room a fireplace feel even if it does not have a fireplace, and stockings look right hung in front of it.

Deep teal or green geometric. Elegant Modern Leaves in Peacock is formal enough for a holiday party and has nothing seasonal in it.

Choose matte for photos

Our fabric peel and stick has a matte finish over a fine micro-weave, which means no hot spots from a phone flash or from the tree lights themselves. It is also the easiest of our materials to install and the one that removes without a mark, so it is the natural choice for a wall you may only want for the season.

How much you need

You do not have to paper the whole room, or even the whole wall. The tree and the people beside it occupy a zone about 8 feet wide. Rolls are 24 inches wide, so that is four strips. For an 8 foot ceiling with a baseboard, choose the 96 inch length. A full 12 foot wall is six strips. Add one spare. The full method is in how much wallpaper do I need.

When to order

Every roll is printed to order, which takes 2 to 3 business days. Standard shipping then takes about 3 days to the East Coast and 5 to 6 days to the West Coast.

In the middle of the country, order a day or two ahead of the East Coast date. Carriers slow down in December, so earlier is better, and express shipping is available at checkout. Hang the wall before the tree goes up; it is much easier than working around it. The full schedule is in our holiday order-by timeline.

Other walls that end up in photos

• Behind the sofa, where the gift opening happens.
• The entry, where guests are photographed in their coats. See mudroom and entry wallpaper.
• Behind the dining table. Ideas in our dining room guide.
• The staircase. Stair riser decals turn the stairs into the backdrop for the everyone-on-the-steps photo.
• A party photo corner. Three strips and a bar cart make a backdrop guests will use all night.

For a lighter seasonal touch, our holiday decals go up in minutes and store flat for next year.

Frequently asked questions

What colour wall looks best behind a Christmas tree?

Deep green, navy, teal, charcoal, warm brown and brick red all make lights and ornaments stand out. White and pale grey are the hardest to photograph against.

Can I put wallpaper up just for the holidays?

Yes. Peel and stick needs no curing time, so it can go up in late November and come down in January. Fabric peel and stick removes clean from fully cured paint.

Will tree lights or a nearby radiator affect it?

Tree lights do not. Keep the tree a few inches off the wall as you normally would, and press the edges firmly near any heat source.

What wallpaper feels festive but not Christmas-specific?

Plaid, evergreen and birch patterns, dark florals, and brick or wood looks. All of them work from November to March.

Browse the living room wallpaper collection or the full wallpaper collection, and order a $5 sample to hold up behind where the tree will stand.