HOW I DECORATE MY CHRISTMAS TREE
December 2, 2018 • HOLIDAYS, OUR HOME
It is so hard to choose my favorite part of the Christmas season. I love the fact that it brings my extended family together under one roof. I love watching the magic of everything through my girls' eyes. Also at the top of that list is how much I love all the Christmas decor. I am a product of my raising. My grandmother owned her own florist. She also owned a Christmas store in the second half of her building. So my passion and knowledge come from watching my grandmother and my mother create the most beautiful trees, garland, and wreaths every Christmas for 30 years. I am no expert on decorating. I'm just a girl who grew up watching women whose art was holiday décor.
I like to go with a more formal and traditional tree in my living room. I try to coordinate my trees with the rooms' existing decor to create a cohesive look. Consequently I use more whimsical and fun decor throughout the rest of my house- like the girls' bedrooms and playroom. But this post will revolve around my traditional tree. First I recommend picking a Christmas tree that's no more than 1-1.5ft shorter than your ceilings. I have 9ft ceilings and a 7.5ft tree.
Decide on a color scheme and choose your ribbon first. The ribbon takes up the most room on my tree. So I revolve the ornaments and picks around my ribbon. Pick two or three different textures or prints that are cohesive, but not matchy matchy. I went with a simple neutral color palette for my tree, so it was easy to find cohesive ribbon. If you are going to go with two very opposite colors I would suggest you find a third pattern that includes a little of both colors to tie them all together. I also like to choose ribbon that stands out - typically that means glitter for me. The shimmer glows beautifully against the lights. You also want thick wired ribbon, especially if you have a larger tree. Thin ribbon (similar to what you would put bows on presents with) will look odd against a large tree. I would guess my thickest ribbon is about 4" thick.
Ribbon will be the first thing you put on your tree. I cut my ribbon into 12-18" sections and loop them in my tree in a zig zag pattern. Place them all in a vertical-ish direction adjusting the placements ever so slightly. Once I've finished off one roll, I switch colors and alternate my zig zag placements in the opposite way of the first roll. I used approximately five rolls of ribbon on my tree.
Ornaments are next- if you have a good sized tree, you're going to need good sized ornaments to balance it out. I have 13 extra large ornaments, and I could probably use a few more. Again, choose ornaments in about two-three different colors. But choose several different shapes, textures and patterns to mix it up and also use ornaments that incorporate both colors to tie them together. I place my largest ornaments in a zig zag pattern and take them about 2/3 of the way up my tree.
Medium and small ornaments can be sprinkled throughout the tree, concentrating the small ornaments towards the top half of the tree. The medium sized ornaments can be used across the entire tree. Once you have all your ornaments placed you should have very little holes at this point. I remember helping my mom decorate her trees growing up and getting so frustrated that I could not find a spot for ALL the ornaments she wanted me to put on her trees. When you get to this point - you've made it.
Finally, I always like to use picks to fill in the holes through out my tree, again placing them in a zig zag pattern. I also like to use picks as my tree topper. I like the larger statement they make. I have about eight picks in my tree topper and another dozen or so throughout my tree.
I hope this was helpful! I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. Happy decorating!
I hope this was helpful! I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas. Happy decorating!
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