My mom has been wanting a new Christmas tree, so when our friends at King of Christmas offered to partner with us on a tree this year, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to create a really unique and special Christmas tree for her.

My mother was born and raised in the Azores, Portugal (and I was born there, too!) so I knew right away that a Portuguese themed tree would be perfect. Jo helped me brainstorm lots of ideas, and we ended up putting together a really unique and special Christmas tree.

Choosing the right Christmas tree

Mom and I picked out the tree together, and decided on a 7.5' Yorkshire Fir tree with 600 LED lights. Setting it up was super easy, thanks to the three hinged sections that fit together in seconds. And having it pre-lit already saved us so much time!

Hand-made Portuguese tile ornaments

With the tree set up, Jo and I got started on making the ornaments. We decided to feature hand-painted Portuguese tile as much as possible over the whole tree. We don't REALLY have time to create dozens of hand-painted tiles, though, so we found a perfect shortcut! We picked up these navy and white 3" patterned tiles from Lowe's.

These tiles already had a pattern I loved, and just needed some more color. We used multi-surface acrylic paint in yellow, light blue, and green to add little accents, making each tile unique. So much easier!

When the paint was dry, I cut the tiles apart and used hot glue to add a little ribbon loop and a piece of felt to the back, to finish it off.

The tiles look so amazing on the tree, I can't even believe it.

Custom Portuguese rooster tree topper

The rooster known as the Galo de Barcelos is an incredibly prevalent symbol in Portuguese culture, representing honesty, faith, integrity, and honor. I just had to include it on the tree, and the topper was the perfect spot for it. I used my scroll saw to cut out the shape and painted it with the typical swirling dot designs.

I stapled some pipe cleaners to the back and added it to the top of the tree. What a perfect representation of Portuguese culture!

Mosaic tile Christmas tree collar

With the top of the tree set, it was time to move on to the bottom. I used our DIY tree collar tutorial to make a simple straight-sided collar.

To decorate the collar, I purchased some peel-and-stick white mosaic tile sheets and painted a pattern on them using the same colors I'd used elsewhere in the decor.

From there it was easy to peel and stick the tiles right to the collar.

I absolutely love how this bold tile pattern brings some much-needed interest to the bottom of the tree. It looks so pretty with presents tucked around it.

Portuguese Imperio stocking holders

The fireplace nearby needed some decoration as well, and the stocking hangers were the perfect opportunity to add more Portuguese culture. I cut some simple wood shapes and decorated them like Imperios, the small chapels that dot every town and village in the Azores islands. They each have their own unique architectural style and colors, and I made sure to represent the one from my mom's hometown.

Vintage Azores map art over the mantel

Above the mantle I hung a print of a vintage Azores map that I found on Etsy. I built a simple frame out of 1x6 wood and painted it white to set the art off.

The finished tree

The whole look came together wonderfully, and I'm so pleased with how I was able to incorporate the Portuguese theme so elegantly into the Christmas decor.

We added simple wood bead garlands and some glass ball ornaments in white, gold, and navy blue to bring everything together.

One last touch was the custom fish-shaped gift tags I made, which represented yet another iconic symbol of the Azores.

My mom was thrilled with her new tree and all the little details we put into it to honor her Portuguese culture.