I can’t believe that Christmas is right around the corner. Growing up, we waited until the day after Thanksgiving to put up our tree. Partially because we always had a real tree. As a former Canadian, my mom strongly disliked artificial trees. Going to the Christmas tree farm and strapping our tree to the roof of the car (like the Griswolds) was a family tradition. There’s nothing like the smell of a fresh cut tree, but since then, both my mom and I have converted to using artificial trees. The older I have gotten, the earlier I have started decorating. The holiday season is my favorite time of year, and I want to enjoy it as long as possible! I love getting the decor done early, watching Hallmark movies, sipping hot cocoa by the fire and shopping for gifts online with Christmas all around me.
As part of my former design business, I provided holiday decorating services. I would create Christmas designs and shop for items to help people fully decorate their homes for the holidays. Over the years, I have acquired some preferences and methods in my holiday decorating that I want to share!
Shop These Trees:
CHRISTMAS TREE GUIDE
How Tall? Consider the size of the room and ceiling height when choosing your tree. You should allow a minimum of one to two feet from the ceiling for a tree topper. I prefer smaller scale trees (7-9 ft.) because they are easier to store, assemble and decorate and they require less ornaments and decor overall. Smaller trees also have a cozier and more realistic feel to me. If you have really tall ceilings, you can size up but you don’t necessarily have to. Just make sure to check all the dimensions because typically, the taller your tree gets, the wider it gets.
Flocked or Green? I like both options depending on the decor theme. I typically have more than one tree in my home, and I like to mix it up! Flocked trees aren’t as natural looking but tend to feel very festive. They are messy, but I love them. Natural green trees feel more realistic and are great for more traditional or organic Christmas themes.
Pre-lit or Unlit? I typically always go with a pre-lit tree unless I don’t plan to light it at all. Unlit trees can be a pretty look, but if you plan to light it, I highly suggest pre-lit. Unless it’s a real tree, I don’t see any reason to be stringing on lights. I also choose to have either a foot pedal or remote for the lights – so I look for that when purchasing a tree. My tree from Balsam Hill has “candlelight” LED lights which have the prettiest glow to them and will last forever without one light causing the whole strand to go out. Technology and design has come a long way from when I was a kid helping my mom decorate the tree.
Trimming the Tree – We have the ornaments that we use very year, and some sentimental ones that I always have on the tree (both Sloane and my own Baby’s first Christmas and our first married Christmas) but one way to spruce up your tree is to add filler and get creative. Eucalyptus leaves are really popular right now and are great for filling holes. I love the look of tying bows onto the tree instead of ribbon all around the tree. I used both on our tree last year pictured above. Hobby Lobby and Michaels are great for finding tree filler at a fraction of the price of designer sources. The trends in tree decorating change year to year, so it’s good to be as classic as possible for your main tree and have fun with secondary trees! I try to have a theme that I can stick to for at least 3 years so I don’t drive my husband crazy. Also, I love having a kid’s tree that is cute but also serves as a place to display all those handmade ornaments they bring home from school, and/or a sentimental tree that you can hang all of your own childhood ornaments on.
Pro Tips:
-Use floral wire to attach ornaments and tree filler. I also use green ornament hooks and open them up and twist them. They act as pre-cut pieces of floral wire. You want your hooks to blend in, not stand out.
-Try a tree collar or basket. It’s an easy and timeless alternative to a tree skirt.
-I love to wrap fake presents to fill in under the tree until I have all my real presents wrapped. I use my best paper and ribbons on them and store them in a bin for the next year. To prevent waste, last year we wrapped the lids separately so that the boxes could be used for real gifts and re-used again.
-I layer in all kinds of different textures and colors. I use floral and natural elements mixed with metallic and frosted ornaments and filler items. Changing up the ribbon or bows on your tree is a great way to freshen up your look without changing everything!
-When decorating the tree, start with the large ribbon (if using it), then the floral and filler, then the largest ornaments and finally the smallest items. If using tie on ribbon strands or bows, do it last. Also, if you have a collection of the same items, put them on in groups so you can easily track evenly spacing them out.
-Make your own custom tree topper from coordinating ribbon or tree filler!
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