She Went Viral for Her Toddler’s ‘Sad Beige’ Tree. This Year, Fans Are Loving Its Bright Christmas Makeover (Exclusive)

• Nattie Jo Powell, an influencer and mom, went viral on TikTok last year when she gave her daughter’s Christmas tree a neutral makeover, leading commenters to dub her a “sad beige” mom

• Powell went viral again this year when she repainted the tree with a brighter, 'Candyland' theme

• Powell tells PEOPLE why she made the switch and why she hasn’t totally abandoned the neutral aesthetic commenters disliked so much

In December 2023, Nattie Jo Powell, an influencer and mom, posted what she thought was just a fun video as she re-did her toddler’s Step 2 plastic Christmas tree to make her own aesthetic. Instead, her video, in which she spray-painted the traditional green tree and bright ornaments to more neutral colors, went viral, racking up millions of views.

Many of her follow-up videos were also seen by millions, with commenters criticizing her for taking the color out of Christmas. She was soon dubbed a “sad beige mom.”

But Powell, 29, never expected to get all that attention. “The response was wild,” she tells PEOPLE. “People had some very strong opinions, to say the least.” She only made the video for “kicks and giggles,” and had no idea it would become so popular.

There was a mix of positive and negative responses, as well as some “threatening” direct messages, she recalls. “Part of me learned to block out the haters, because a lot of people that did end up commenting hadn’t ever watched any of my videos before.” She saw them make assumptions about her life, so in some of her videos, she decided to “play it up” and dip into satire.

This year, Powell shared a major update with her followers: she decided to re-paint her toddler’s tree into bright pinks and purples. She went viral again, and commenters were thrilled at her turnaround. “Beige mom redemption arc,” one person commented. “An angel gained its wings,” another added.

Powell didn’t do it because of the Internet though. In the last year, her 2-year-old daughter Vivian has become a massive fan of those colors. “I just wanted to, honestly, have more fun with it,” she explains of the makeover.

Powell ultimately decided she didn’t want the spray-painted toy inside her house anymore, so the new pink version is now outside as part of a Candyland-themed play area that her daughter will find out about on Christmas day. Inside the house, Powell bought a new Step 2 plastic tree for her daughter to play with.

But she wants to be clear — even if some commenters found the original tree to be “sad beige,” she was never depriving her daughter of color. Last year, Vivian had just turned 1, and, Powell says, “ She didn’t have a favorite color ... I knew that eventually she would have a favorite color, and obviously the whole house would be turning into whatever that color that would be.”

She also points out that she had lots of colorful toys for her daughter and inside her house — it’s just that people who saw her original TikTok never saw them. “I was like, ‘Why not have one aesthetic toy in the living room when all the rest of her toys are bright and colorful?’ ” she remembers thinking.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

As for the response this year, Powell says it’s “honestly so comical” because she didn’t think people would remember her tree from 2023. “The response has overall been really positive this time around,” she notes, but adds that it’s a little ironic. “I feel like it's the same people who commented nasty things last year that are now the ones commenting nice things and saying that I've been forgiven and all sorts of stuff."

Though the Internet might think she’s changed, Powell says her outlook on colors and her toddler has stayed the same. “I actually have a background in child development, and that’s why my degree is in,” she shares. “I’ve worked with kids for over 10 years, and last year people gave me such a hard time, ‘Oh if you’re such a sad beige mom, your daughter is not going to develop properly.’ And I do take that stuff seriously.”

Ultimately, her neutral tree was just one toy. “I don’t think I’ve ever been the most ‘sad beige’ of moms,” she adds, noting that while she likes calming neutrals, her house is usually a “hot mess” full of colors and bright things.

“My daughter loves color,” she says. “She has a lot of color in her life.”

Read the original article on People