A mum who has turned her knack for festive decor into a “professional Christmas tree decorator” side hustle is already taking bookings for 2025. Janine Ralph, 31 and from Bristol, launched her unique business venture decorating Christmas trees back in late 2022.
Fast forward two years and the stay-at-home mum’s services are in high demand, with bookings opening as early as January for the following Christmas. This year, Janine already has 19 clients lined up, charging £60 to decorate a small tree.
Despite having completed several jobs already, she has a busy December ahead – set to rake in a tidy profit of £1.6k this year doing a job she loves. And it seems her customers can’t get enough, with bookings already rolling in for Christmas 2025, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Speaking about her passion, Janine, from Withywood, said: “I love Christmas so much – it’s my season! I’ve got three trees in my own home in different styles. I get inspiration for my own trees and my clients’ on Instagram.
“But I never know exactly what tree and decorations I’ll have to work with until I get there! I love seeing the end result and knowing it was what I created.”
Janine started taking bookings from January this year and began decorating her first clients’ trees from the start of November.
Her prices start from £60 to decorate a pre-assembled tree under seven feet, which has already been wrapped with lights. For a tree over seven feet, which Janine also needs to assemble and add lights to, the cost will be £95.
Janine’s clients cover her time and travel expenses, as well as providing their own decorations. However, she often guides them on what to purchase if they desire a specific aesthetic for their tree.
This year, Janine has had to decline some requests due to the overwhelming interest in her professional tree decorating services from people across the country. She said: “This year, I’ve been trying new bits and styles of decoration.
“I’ve tried a different type of ribbon and bauble clusters. I love people asking for bookings but I couldn’t fit them all in!
“I had people asking to book me who live as far away as Scotland – but I didn’t want to be travelling that far! The furthest I’ve travelled was to Salisbury, which was about an hour and 40 minutes.”
Among her clientele are three generations of one family who, according to Janine, all have their trees decorated by her. She explained: “I have this elderly lady, and then I did her daughter’s tree, and now I’ve done her granddaughter’s tree!”
By mid-December, when her booking period ends, she expects to have made around £1.6k in profit. Last year, her profits enabled her to take her husband and two children to Hyde Park in London for Winter Wonderland, but she is unsure how she will spend it this year.
She added: “I’ve not opened my books for 2025 yet but I already have a list of clients wanting to book in when they open in January!”