Would a Xmas tree in front of the panel cause sensors to malfunction

Any material blocking the panel can cause attenuation. Metal is more likely to have a noticeable impact. If it is a synthetic tree with metal frame yes it is likely a contributing factor.

General offline troubleshooting steps are found below. If you notice new offline issues right after adding the tree I would move the tree a bit, but you may also want to replace batteries in the offline sensors.