Twelve Tips For Decorating a Christmas Tree

Sometimes decorating a christmas tree can seem so complicated that you feel like singing "Uh oh christmas tree" rather than "Oh christmas tree. Whether you are decorating a natural evergreen or an
artificial tree here are some tips for making the entire experience a little less disorganized.

1. I know this article is supposed to be about decorating a christmas tree but let's start first with removing the decorations. Think back to last year. Did you just strip everything off the tree and throw it in a box? Are your christmas tree lights all gnarled up into a snarl? Are the limbs of your artificial prelit christmas trees actually stuffed inside your golf bag? This is how you end up with a bad case
of Uh oh christmas tree. I am sure you have heard of that old saying "as it begins, so it ends and so it begins again." This applies to decorating a christmas tree as well. This year, you are going to swear to pack up everything in an organized way so that you don't waste time sorting through damaged ornaments and piles of old tinsel.

2. Whether or not your tree looks really good might be dependent on what kind of tree you choose. Believe it or not there are some species of trees that are easier to decorate than others. Pine is the
type of evergreen tree that is voted most likely to lose its needles and turn into a version of the pathetic Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The best types of trees when it comes to holding ornaments are firs and spruces. This is because their branches are the sturdiest. Of course if you are decorating an artificial prelit tree than this tip is really not much use to you.

3. If you are decorating a christmas tree that is real make sure it is fresh. You can tell if a tree is fresh or not by bending the branches. If the branches bend a bit that means it is full of moisture and more likely to support a christmas decoration. If it snaps, don't buy it. It is too dry to support decorations and likely to spill its needles all over your floor too.

4. If you are buying a natural tree, remember to put the Christmas mat below it before you put it on the stand. Some christmas tree skirts and mats come with a slit in the center and buttons or Velcro
fastens others. Make sure you note what kind you have before you t the tree on the stand as you can't slip a christmas tree skirt over the tree's head like a person would a sweater.

5. When decorating a christmas tree make sure that you unsnarl the lights before you try to drape them around the tree. It is also safest to make sure all the bulbs are working before you try to do
this too. There is a tiny chance that if you try to change burned out christmas bulbs while they are on the tree that a spark could ignite the tree and turn it into a christmas candle.

6. You may have heard that decorating a christmas tree with electric lightbulbs is much safer than decorating them the old fashioned way with candles. This is true as long as you obey one cardinal rule: don't rest a bulb directly against the branches of the tree. Like the old fashioned candles, hot christmas bulbs can heat up needles and catch fire. This is especially true if you shopped for a christmas tree at the last minute and ended up with a dry tree. The absolutely safest trees to buy are prelit artificial christmas trees as some of them have automatic shut-down features if they get too hot.

7. If you have lots of pets and children running around during the holiday season an artificial prelit tree might be safer than a natural one with bulbs strung around it. There is less risk of tiny fingers pulling bulbs down or getting electrocuted. There is also less danger of pets and children swallowing the needles that are shed from natural trees.

8. Decorating christmas trees is ultimately all about proportion. When hanging decorations put the largest sized decorations at the bottom and the smallest one at the top. The effect is just more
pleasing to the eye.

9. When decorating a christmas tree it is best not to throw clumps of tinsel at the tree as if they were handfuls of spaghetti. The most attractive effect is achieved by hanging clumps of tinsel just at the
very edges of each branch. Think a bit about how real icicles look when they are hanging from real trees.

10. Do choose a theme for your tree. Choosing a theme and sticking with it gives you the most fashionable looking tree. You can choose a color theme - sticking to gold, silver and red or pink and gold only (which looks great on a white prelit artificial tree) or you can style the tree after traditions such as the German style tree (decorated mostly with food), the Victorian style tree (decorated with tiny detailed ornaments and lots of angels) or the Country style tree (decorated with glass balls, wooden ornaments and plenty of flocking to simulate snow.)

11. When decorating a christmas tree remember to make it uniquely yours by adding heirlooms that have been passed down from generation to generation. Another nice touch is Christmas cards or cookies and candies that you have made in your own kitchen. This gives your xmas tree a unique personal touch.

12. Whether you are decorating a natural or prelit artificial tree remember that less is always more. Otherwise the tree could look very cluttered is is not just the general rule of thumb of christmas tree
decorating. It is a golden rule that applies to all interior decorating.

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How to Decorate Your Christmas Tree

Did you ever look in the windows of those grand department stores and wonder how they got their Christmas trees to look so perfect?

It's not nearly as difficult as it looks. And I'll share the secret here.

1. The tree - not that it matters a whole lot what the tree is, but my favorite tree is the fat rounded kind with branches that allow a bit of space between, but not so much that you can see through them. I love the smell of fresh pine. But in my particular case, with an allergy to pine, I find the most adorable fake tree I can find and make it look as much like a real tree as possible.

2. The lights - Whatever kind of lights you choose, get enough to cover the tree well, but if you are going to add ornaments, you need less lights and more sparkle. I like to bury the lights just a bit inside the branches, so I add the lights as I put up the branches a couple of rounds per layer, so there's some depth to the tree, a few glowing lights hidden inside the branches.

3. The garland - If you want garland of some kind on your tree, now is the time to add it. After the light are on, the tree is up, walk around the tree with the garland in your hand and drop generous swags of garland between the branches of the tree, allowing them to fall freely and gracefully. My favorite garlands are thin ribbon with a nice satin sheen to reflect the lights, beads, or for a natural look, some popcorn and dried berries strung on a thread.

4. The ornaments - A wide variety of ornaments depicting a specific theme work very well. My ornaments are mostly gold and white with some dark red or Christmas red and Navy blue thrown in for accent. I have angels, drummer boys, toy soldiers, glass orbs, stars, sleighs, a rocking horse or two, some crystal bells with carved ornaments inside, and some crystal ornaments with imprints of the nativity. When I look for ornaments, I look for things that say "Christmas" to me, and fit in the color scheme I've chosen for my tree.

Occasionally, my kids get the better of me and we use colored lights instead of white lights on the tree. Those years, anything goes on the tree branches, and we've done everything from stuffed animals and hot wheels cars hung in the tree to paper ornaments cut out of colored paper. Spirals, paper chains, and glued ornaments with glitter all go in our collection.

5. The topper - Whatever you want to put on top of your tree - make sure it's big enough to be seen. Our tree usually gets an angel or a star. I have a selection. My tree is 7 feet tall, and my star is well over a foot tall. My angel on the other hand is not so big, because she's always competing with the angels on the tree - so she can't be too huge.

If it's a color year, we make a new star out of colored paper or fabric and attach all kinds of shinys to it with glue. Last year, we had a bright yellow star with silver glitter and gold braid along the edges of a six pointed Star of David. It was awesome.

6. The tree skirt - Under it all you need something to hold the packages, and the finish it off. I have a white braid and ribbon skirt this year. It started out as a circle of cloth and I was just stitching some ribbon along the edge - I ended up with layers of ribbon spreading out around the base of my tree. The best part is, I don't have to put many presents under a tree that has a great skirt.

I've found a great adornment for my Christmas tree is a nativity that I can set under the edge of the branches, in plain sight. The star on top is a special touch - and the boughs of the evergreen protect it. Everyone notices the nativity under the tree, and I have a special place where children look and ask questions, so I can tell them the story of Jesus birth.

Of course, there's another nativity on an end table, another in my dining room, and another in each of the bedrooms, because I love nativities.

After all, what is Christmas all about?

Merry Christmas!

Share the season of giving! Enjoy the blessing that is yours for the taking, by giving to others.

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Traditional Christmas Tree Decor

The two most traditional styles of christmas tree d้cor are Country and Victorian. The Victorian style of christmas tree d้cor is definitely more expensive than the Country style, which can be created from cheaper decorations, fabrics and materials. On the other hand the Victorian style is older and is very well suited to the corner christmas tree or the tall slim artificial christmas tree.

The country style of christmas tree d้cor is definitively American and actually didn't come into style until the 19th century. The look of this tree is rounder and fuller than the Victorian style. It incorporates the chubbier look of a natural pine. However any kind of fir tree is used as a Christmas tree in the United States.

If you like the look of the chubbier country style christmas tree but it is too big to fit into your space, then you can consider buying an artificial corner tree that looks like a pine. It is the fatter, squatter girth that you are looking for when you shop for this and christmas tree decorations online. However remember that for the tree to be truly rustic it should be a real one! You can get a real tree delivered to your door in time for xmas at www.hammacher.com.

The key to creating your own country style christmas tree d้cor is to think in terms of the traditional colors of red and green. For a truly authentic effect don't use tiny twinkling mini lights, rope lights or fiber optic lights to light up this tree. Nothing will do but the old fashioned, vintage style red, green, blue and yellow egg shaped lights. At the very least try to use red and green lights.

The christmas tree d้cor for a country style tree is quite rustic. The materials that are used to decorate this type of tree are usually made of wood, tin, stuffed toys, velvet, ribbon, glass and tinsel.

Wooden ornaments can include items such as miniature sleighs, replicas of food and carved figures of Santa and Elves. Shiny red painted wooden apples are especially associated with this country style. When shopping for Christmas decorations online or at the mall, remember the glass christmas balls that you choose should be red and green in color. They should also be shiny rather than frosted metal to accomplish the look.

Tinsel, both in the form of garlands and icicles are also very much part of the traditional American country style christmas tree d้cor. You can buy furry looking tinsel garlands in white, red or green and wrap them around the tree in a spiral. Silver tinsel icicles should be hung in clumps at the ends of the boughs.

Velvet red bows and plaid ribbon bows tied to the boughs also give an xmas tree that old country feel. Plush toys such as teddy bears or stuffed santas can also be hung from the tree by a thread as a decoration. You can find a lot of these types plush or rustic style wooden ornaments when shopping for christmas ornaments online.

This type of tree also incorporates homemade baked goods in its d้cor. Ginger bread men and teddy bears make a nice compliment to the color of the dark green branches of the xmas tree. Popcorn strung on a garland is also a very traditional country look.

Traditionally the topper for this type of tree is a Christmas star of some sort. The classic home-made version is a cut out star made out of cardboard and wrapped in tin foil. However you can find all kinds of different versions of the xmas star when you go shopping for christmas decorations online - everything from the blinking electronic contraptions to stars made of feathers and tinsel.

By contrast, the Victorian style of christmas tree d้cor looks best on the tallest tree that you can find. This English style of tree decorating originated with Queen Victoria at the turn of the last century. The taller and slimmer the christmas tree the better.

Certain types of christmas tree confiers definitely suit the Victorian style more accurately than others. The taller slimmer trees include the spruce and the balsam fur. Victorian style trees are not as spindly as the rounder American style trees and show very little white space through their branches. Also the color of Victorian trees tend to have a bit of a blue tint to their green branches. Keep this in mind if you are shopping for an artificial or corner christmas tree.

Victorian christmas tree d้cor tends to be very detailed. The main topical theme is angels, birds, animals, portraits and musical instruments. Decorations can be conical, spherical and globular. These types of decorations are commonly made of tin and glass. The idea here is quantity. A Victorian christmas tree is allowed to look more cluttered so the idea is to hang it with as many tinier decorations as you can.

The color scheme of Victorian xmas d้cor is also a little different from the American style tree. Although red and green can play a part colors such as gold and silver should be much more predominant. Pink, blue and lavender ornaments are also much more common on a Victorian styled tree than an American country style one.

Crystal drops, similar to the ones you see hanging on chandeliers, hung on evergreen branches are also part of traditional Victorian christmas tree d้cor. You can buy plastic versions of these in craft stores and attach them to the tree with wired gold ribbon.

Victorian trees, like the American country style, also tend to be generously draped in tinsel and bows. Ribbons in gold, silver, pink and lavender distinguish the tree as being more English, rather than American in style.

The lights that you hang on a Victorian style tree should look like miniature candles. There are many sites that specialize in novelty christmas lights that look like white wax candles in candle holders. One of these is www.hammacher.com.If you decide not to go with the candle holder lights as a theme, tiny blue and yellow lights simulate the glow of true candlelight when hung in this tree.

Another common component of the Victorian tree is fake snow. This stuff, called "flocking" comes in a spray can. It is used to frost the branches of the tree so it looks like it is covered in a sifting of freshly fallen snowflakes.

You don't have to be English or American to prefer one kind of style of christmas tree decor over another. What this all boils down to is a matter of personal and perhaps how high your ceiling is and whether or not you can squeeze a fatter tree in your space. However if you buy a corner christmas tree that is artificial, none of this will be an issue.

For more information on Christmas trees, visit http://www.o-christmas-tree.com/christmastrees.htm - a year-round resource for all your christmas tree and decoration needs.