# Christmas Tree Coffee Mug Cozy Free Crochet Pattern
What if your mug cozy *was* the Christmas tree? This clever design crochets an actual little evergreen — tiered branches and all — that wraps around your mug, with a brown trunk and a star button on top. It’s a Secret Santa hero, a teacher gift slam dunk, and it fits standard mugs as well as taller travel mugs.
The special stitch here is the linked double crochet, which gives the tree a dense, no-gaps fabric that looks wonderfully rustic.
What you’ll need
- US I (5.5 mm) crochet hook
- 25–30 yds (0.5 oz total) of worsted or aran weight yarn in 2 colors — green and brown (shown in Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice)
- A star-shaped button, or a button of your choice
- Yarn needle and scissors
- Finished size: 9.5″ (24 cm) long, excluding the loop
Special stitch — LDC (linked double crochet): Work your double crochets linked into the horizontal bar of the previous stitch instead of chaining between them. It creates a solid fabric with no gaps — perfect for a tree that actually looks like a tree.
The pattern
The evergreens (green / Color A):
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Row 1: Ch 8 (or a chain long enough to fit around your chosen button) and join with a slip stitch to the 1st chain to make a ring. Ch 1, work 1 sc into the ring. Turn. (This little ring becomes the button loop.)
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Row 2: Ch 3, work 3 LDC into the same 1st stitch. Turn. (3 sts)
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Row 3: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next stitch, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (5 sts)
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Row 4: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 3 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (7 sts)
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Row 5: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 5 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (9 sts)
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Row 6: Skip the 1st stitch, slip stitch in the next 3 stitches. Ch 3, 2 LDC in the same stitch, LDC in the next stitch, 2 LDC in the next stitch; leave the last 3 stitches unworked. Turn. (5 sts) — here’s your first branch tier!
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Row 7: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 3 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (7 sts)
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Row 8: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 5 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (9 sts)
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Row 9: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 7 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (11 sts)
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Row 10: Skip the 1st stitch, slip stitch in the next 3 stitches. Ch 3, 2 LDC in the same stitch, LDC in the next 3 stitches, 2 LDC in the next stitch; leave the last 3 stitches unworked. Turn. (7 sts) — second branch tier!
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Row 11: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 5 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (9 sts)
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Row 12: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 7 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (11 sts)
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Row 13: Ch 3, 2 LDC in the 1st stitch, LDC in the next 9 stitches, 2 LDC in the last stitch. Turn. (13 sts)
- Edge: Ch 1, then sc all the way around the bottom and the branches of the tree, skipping the ch-8 loop. Break the yarn and join seamlessly to the first sc of the edge.
The trunk (brown / Color B):
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Row 1: With the right side of the evergreens facing you, join with a slip stitch in the back loop only of the 5th stitch from the right. Ch 1, sc in the same stitch, sc in the back loop only of the next 6 stitches. Turn. (7 sts)
- Rows 2–6: Ch 1, sc in each stitch across. Turn. (7 sts)
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Row 7: Ch 1, sc in each stitch across. Break the yarn and finish off. (If your mug is on the tall side, just add a few more rows here — try it on as you go!)
- Trunk edge: Rejoin the yarn with a slip stitch at the upper right corner of the trunk. Ch 1, sc around the 3 open sides of the trunk. Break the yarn and finish off. Weave in all ends.
Finishing: Sew the star button onto the trunk. To wear it, wrap the tree around your mug and fasten the little ch-8 loop at the tree’s tip over the button.
A few tips from my hook
- Making it for an oversized “Monday” mug? Add an extra row or three to the evergreens or the trunk — just try it on as you go.
- Rustic or glam? Keep it plain for farmhouse vibes, or stitch on tiny beads and use a sparkly yarn for full tinsel-tree energy.
- The linked double crochet is the star skill here — practice a few stitches first and the tree will fly.
A whole Christmas tree you can drink from. I love this hobby. Happy hooking!
