Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Why are you so hard to decorate? It’s officially December and that means that most people have put their tree up. Whether you buy a real tree or a fake tree, figuring out how to decorate (or what color bulbs you want to use) can be a challenge. If you’re anything like me, you might change it up every year. If you haven’t figured it out yet, this is another “how to” post. Believe it or not there is a method to the madness of decorating a tree- and it will make your life 10x easier!

First things first- let’s get that tree some lights! Colored or white, maybe all blue, or red. Whatever your heart desires- these are the first thing that needs to be set on the tree, unless it’s pre-lit then you can just skip this step! If you’re choosing lights all of one color- make sure that the rest of your decor is going to compliment it nicely. You don’t want to have red lights and then decide you are doing all pink ornaments (hello, Valentine’s Day tree).

Okay, lights are on (or came with the tree). Now- decide if you want to use ribbon. If you do, this is step number two. If you need an easy tutorial, check out this one by A Pop of Pretty. Ribbon is a cost effective way to make the tree look fuller and bring in color and detail! You’ll want to use a ribbon that is at least 2″ wide and has wire in it- this will make it easier to bend and mold to the contour of the tree. Also, helpful tip- don’t try and wrap one extra long piece of ribbon around the tree (you will go crazy and get dizzy)- cut reasonably, easy to work with length pieces that you can tuck together in a place people won’t see. Don’t pull the ribbon tight- we aren’t wrapping the tree- we are decorating it! Just take your ribbon and swoop it through the branches. See tutorial here by Renovated Faith. Repeat, repeat repeat until you are happy with how the tree looks. Look how beautiful the tree by Renovated Faith is!

Are you making a bow with your ribbon? Click here for an easy tutorial!

Let me just add a quick little note in here that if you are adding decorative branches/flowers or twigs or sprays, this should happen next. Carefully place them throughout the tree. Have no idea what I am talking about- here you go! Michael’s Store is probably the easiest place to find everything you need to decorate your tree- and bonus- most of their stuff is already coordinating!

If you’re skipping the twigs, we are moving on to the ornaments! Hang your bulbs first- try to evenly space them (but they don’t have to be perfect). If you have bulbs of different sizes, hang the largest first and then fill in with the smaller sizes. If there are gaps in between, just keep filling until you have reached the desired look. I have included some inspiration photos below but if you need help shopping for decor items- I am here to help. Don’t forget, you can purchase a Design Package with me and we can shop and decorate together!