Holiday

Christmas Tree Decorating

Don’t just trim the tree or decorate the house, think outside the box. Experiment with a color theme - a great shade of red that you love, silver and white, shades of amber and gold, or green citrine. Get inspiration from fashion magazines, department store sales, flea markets, and even vintage movies. That’s what I do. I take the elements I like, create my own look and come up with a theme.

Start with color, shape, and feel

The colors, shapes, and feel of my decorations are part of the big picture, with a design concept that stretches from the decorations around the house to the gift wrap used, and even my holiday party, if I’m having one.

This particular year, I went with a silver theme: silver ornaments, silver garlands, silver and white lights, and gifts wrapped in silver paper. I could have been more traditional and used red on the tree, on my table, and for gifts. Or I could have mixed silver with gold, or just gone gold and be glamorous. I considered purple and citrine, from the tree skirt to the gifts underneath, all the way to the top and beyond.

Get organized before beginning

One thing I do know, I always get organized and do a little at a time, and you should too. Start by trimming the tree two to three weeks before Christmas, and always enlist the help of friends. A few tasty cocktails will do the trick. At the end of the day, or night, it’s really a lot of fun.

Choose the right tree

Since the tree is the centerpiece of our holiday décor, it’s important you find a handsome tree. Make sure it is fresh by pulling out some pine needles. If they are easy to pull out, the tree isn’t fresh. When you break the needles in half they should be lively, green, and very fragrant. The tree is basically the canvas for all of your decorations.

Ensure you have enough lights

Christmas lights are an integral part of every tree. When it comes to lights, the general rule of thumb is 100 lights per foot of tree. Yellowy-gold amber lights are my favorite. I also love a tree with all white lights, and have seen beautiful trees that are all red and others that are all green. It’s a personal choice, and the look of your tree should fit within the décor of your home.

For a twist, apply glue and dip the bulbs in gold or silver, or red or green glitter for that matter, for a beautiful, sparkly light. It’s that simple. Also be sure to stick to ornaments that compliment one another in shape and color and in different sizes. Use foliage to add texture and dimension.

Trim the tree step-by-step

When trimming, start with the lights and work your way from the bottom up/top down, from the inside out, weaving strings of lights along the branches "inside," then move to the outer edges of the branches. Next, place any garland you may be using followed by your biggest ornaments (7 or more per foot), filling in with smaller ones (about 10 per foot).

Work from the outside in, using one type or size ornament at a time, and make sure they’re evenly distributed over the area of the tree that will be seen. Placing ornaments and other decorations inside your tree as well as on the branch edges, adds a sense of needed depth. And be sure to use a beautiful tree skirt to finish off your look.

Finishing touches

For a little added glamour, I sometimes add fresh flowers to the tree. The flowers are placed in test tubes from the flower market and hold enough water for at least a day. Carnations, roses, and lilies look gorgeous on a tree and really bring it to life. I also used ribbon tied in bows one year, and for another I decorated my tree with bunches of black grapes (plastic) that I mixed with purple ornaments.

And don’t forget to make sure the tree has enough water. It should be in a stand with large water reservoir that’s kept filled.