To start off, divide your sugar cookie dough into two equal parts. Place each part onto a lightly floured silicone baking mat. This prevents your dough from sticking to the surface.

Next, grab your rolling pin (also lightly floured to prevent sticking) and roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. If the dough seems too sticky, don't hesitate to sprinkle on a little more flour.

Once your dough is rolled out, it is time to shape your cookies. Using a cookie cutter, cut out your desired shapes - snowflakes, stars, or in our case, Christmas trees.

Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat this process with the second piece of dough until you've used it all.

After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. This is important because if you start decorating while the cookies are still warm, the frosting may melt.

While your cookies are cooling, it is time to prepare your cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again often to guarantee that all ingredients are completely incorporated.

Next, add vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and powdered sugar to your bowl. Mix these ingredients on low speed until the powdered sugar is moistened. Then, increase your mixer's speed and beat until the mixture is smooth.

To bring in the Christmas spirit, add your desired amount of green food coloring to the frosting. Mix until all the color is combined. If you want your frosting to have a snowy-dusted look, don't fully mix in the green coloring.

Finally, use a piping bag with a large star attachment to pipe frosting onto your cookies in the shape of a tree. To bring your trees to life, sprinkle some Christmas-themed sprinkles, sand, or crystal sugar to represent ornaments on your tree.

Now, your Christmas tree sugar cookies are ready to be enjoyed!