It’s officially the most wonderful time of the year! And while celebrating with loved ones is easy, decorating for the holiday season may not be. Coming up with a style that suits you, deciding what to buy, and how to arrange everything can be overwhelming. Here are some tips and trick to help you put together a Christmas tree you can enjoy for years to come:
Take Stock
You may already have some decorations or a faux tree in your home. Or maybe you plan on going out to a Christmas tree farm and purchasing a real tree. Gather together the decorations you plan to use and then you can make a list of what you need to shop for.
Select A Color Palette
This is one of the most important steps to creating a cohesive Christmas look. This year we went for a silver and gold theme with white mixed in as well. A few other classic combinations would be red and gold, red, silver and white, varying shades of blue and silver, or warm metallics ( copper and gold). You want to make sure that you stick with these colors for garlands, wreaths, ornaments and all other decorations for your home. Keep in mind that lighting also plays a role in color scheme. If your colors lean more cool (silver, blue, white, etc) you will want cooler toned string lights to match. If your colors are warm (copper, gold, cream, etc) you can opt for warmer, yellow toned lights.
Choose A Theme
Some excellent options are Classic Christmas, Woodland Christmas, and Farmhouse Christmas. Look up these terms on Pinterest to find inspiration for your own tree. If you are looking for a more adventurous style try Pink Christmas, Steampunk Christmas, or Candy Christmas. Use these elements throughout your home to create an overall style. Our tree has some woodsy ornaments that serve as focus points and make the overall style more interesting.
Plan Your Layout
If you are anything like me, you likely tend to put decorations on your tree at random, but there is an order to decorating to help you achieve a more stylish look:
Step 1 - Lights
You will want to start with lights if your tree is not pre-lit. Next, you can add any garlands or beads. Always decorate from top to bottom when adding lights or garlands. Nothing stands out worse than when the top of the tree is not lit or fully decorated. This will also help when it is time to plug the tree into the outlet since most outlets are located close to the floor.
Step 2 - Sprigs
If you have sprigs of pine, berries, or twigs you can add those in. Make sure sprigs are added asymmetrically (unless creating a tree topper, then styling somewhat symmetrically will help keep the top balanced) and spread out across the entire tree. We chose to do a more modern style tree topper and used sprigs to create a “crown” for our tree instead of a traditional star. You can also purchase large bouquets of faux pine and pine cones and cut them apart using scissors to achieve the look you want.
Step 3 - Christmas Balls
If you use Christmas balls, now is the time to add them in. Vary the colors ensuring you do not have multiples of the same shade/color/pattern near each other. I also recommend buying various sizes of Christmas ball ornaments to create dimension throughout the tree. You can also create dimension by pushing some ornaments towards the center of the tree while some hang from the end of the branches. When placing the balls on the tree, start at the top and follow a zig zag pattern as you move towards the bottom of the tree.
Step 4 - Matching Ornament Sets
At this stage of decorating, I like to add matching ornaments. This is anything that comes in sets. Icicles, snowflakes, and pine cones are all great examples. Space them out ensuring no two ornaments of the same kind are next to each other. Continue working in a zig zag pattern as you did with the balls going from top to bottom in the opposite direction. Remember to hang some on the back of the tree as well for balance.
Step 5 - Specialty Ornaments
Lastly, you can add any special ornaments. These can be themed ones such as woodland animals or your own personal/sentimental ornaments. While it is fun to create a cohesive look, those personal decorations are important as well.
One way you can still include personal ornaments in your Christmas decor (even if they don't match your theme) is to put these items towards the bottom or back of the tree. This is a great option because some trees can become too heavy in the front, and balancing the weight will help keep the tree from falling over.
Another idea is to create a kids' Christmas tree if you have children. This is a small tree that can be kept in the kids' rooms to display all their crafted or personal ornaments. This will allow you to still enjoy the fun, special ornaments while not having to figure out how to blend them in with your theme.
Taking Down the Decorations
This is usually the least fun part of Christmas, but at some point, it will be time to take the decorations down. Here are some ideas to make the process easier as well as fun.
First, make a cup of cocoa (you'll need it!) and maybe a couple leftover Christmas cookies too. Put on a show or movie in the background or play some music. It could be Christmas music for one last holiday huzzah or if you are tired of the holiday tunes put on whatever music makes you happy.
To take down the decorations, simply work backwards from the way you put the decor up. Start with personal ornaments, then matching sets, and so on and so forth until you have everything taken down.
You can minimize stress by having good storage containers to keep your decorations protected and organized so they will last for many holidays to come. Large, clear plastic storage containers work great for garlands, lights, and other big items. The ornament storage box pictured below is perfect for safely storing delicate, smaller items.
I hope this will be helpful for you as you prepare for the holiday season. Remember to have fun and it's okay if everything isn't perfect. The little quirky ornaments and decorations are a result of making memories through the years with loved ones. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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