Holiday Tree Decorating & Design Ideas

The holidays often bring mixed emotions. If you’re like me, you’ll feel the excitement in the air for the simple pleasures the holidays bring, but dread the extra expense, all the shopping, parties to be had, and let us not forget the decorating. Especially the tree decorating.

While I’m a firm believer in buying quality pieces for your home for the everyday, I am also a firm believer in saving on your home decor where it counts. Christmas tree decorating is one of the best places to save money and headaches that holiday decorating brings. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can save this holiday season.

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

The first thing I would recommend is starting with a great Christmas tree. Whether it be a real tree or a synthetic tree, choose the right shape and size for your space. Scale always matters. If budget allows, Balsamhill.com makes a beautiful artificial tree. Their California baby Redwood flip tree is stunning. Target.com is always a great go to for an artificial Christmas tree for decorating. If you’re looking for a smaller tree or would like to decorate multiple places in your home, I would recommend a 5.5′ Balsam Fir tree. It looks and smells fresh and it’s a fun size to decorate!

It’s Full of Stars!

Now let’s talk about lights. I’ve always been a fan of the regular ‘ol white lights myself. They offer a good foundation or base for decorating. But if you have family members with a strong opinion on holiday decorating, like my youngest, multi-colored lights make for some great decorating ideas as well. Whether you choose multi-colored or white lights, the way you display them on the tree matters. I start at the top with a special tree decorating extension cord that you can find at your local Ace hardware store. This extension cord allows you to attach to the very top of the tree and run down the length of the tree.

Once you get the extension cord in place, begin generously wrapping the lights around the Christmas tree branches. Making sure you take the lights all the way out to the edge of the branch. Often it looks like there is enough lights, but once you get all your ornaments and ribbon on the tree, the lights get hidden in the back. By taking the light strand all the way to the edge of the branch, you allow for the tree to be merry and bright. If you’re looking for a traditional farmhouse style with handmade ornaments, add less lights to the tree. If you plan on decorating every branch with ornaments and extra ribbon, use more lights. Let’s spice up our tree decorating with some ornaments next.

Add Some Personality

Much like everything else in my home, I like to display unique items, and ornaments are no exception. Every year I pull out my holiday storage and I am reminded of some of my most precious memories with family. Especially the ones made by my children. As a general design tenet, you’ll want to add your accessories after your foundation pieces are in place. Think of your one of a kind ornaments as you would your home decor accessories. Lets talk about how to do that.

For an average sized tree, about 6 1/2 feet tall, I start out with 9 – 11 of my main show stoppers, like this Silver & Gold Mercury Glass Ball Ornament set at PotteryBarn.com. Think of your main ornaments as the furniture, so take the time to consider color, texture and size. Any good design has a strong combination of all three of these. Next, I hang about 7-9 ornaments like this Beaded Pinecone Ornament from Zgallery.com. The texture of the pine cone plays nicely off the reflective quality of the glass ornaments. Check out this quick video from Hobby Lobby on how to make your own.

Finally, I place about 5-7 ornaments on my tree like this Felted Wool Santa Mouse Ornament which you can find at worldmarket.com. I think these soft cute ornaments look great as the finishing touches to your tree decorating foundation. Now your set for the big guns!

After you’ve placed your staple ornaments on the tree, place all of your one-of-a-kind ornaments in just the right spots. Once I have these pieces in place, I always like to add a bit of texture. Be creative with it! Make popcorn strings and paint them a fun, vibrant orange or a blue color. I also string pom-poms in a playful color around the tree. Whatever you do, make this a moment to have fun and create your own holiday charm.

Have Fun, Make Memories!

Holiday decorating is a time for joy and fun with the family. Decorating as a family creates memories that will last a lifetime. If decorating is not your style and you just want to enjoy the time you have, hiring a designer to do your holiday decorating can be a great way to get a finished look fast. Call me at (928) 719-7714 today to get started, Christmas time is almost here!

Happy Holidays!

-Tiffany