Christmas is my favorite time of year to decorate! Whimsical, traditional, vintage, modern….I love it all! We talked about decorating your mantel here https://thetinkeringspinster.com/decorate-your-mantel-for-christmas/ and now it’s time to talk about how to decorate your Christmas tree. Any Christmas tree from the most traditional to the funkiest, all use the same basic recipe: Lights, Topper, Garland, Ornaments, Filler. If you’re considering a whole new look or you just want some ideas on how to update your current tree, read on for some inspiration…
There are endless possibilities when decorating a Christmas tree. It’s all in what appeals to you. I’ll share my personal tree below, but first let’s talk about your choices.
It’s all about the tree…
Gone are the days when your only decisions in choosing a tree were real or artificial and what size it should be. If you decide an artificial tree is the way to go, that is just the first of many decisions to make. The variety of artificial trees has exploded!
I went into the At Home store last week and the variety of trees made me laugh. If you want to throw tradition out the window, now is the time! Here are some whimsical ideas:
Ombre
Colors
Wacky
Tree Alternatives
And then there is the traditional variety. Along with height, there are multiple options for girth.
Full
Slim
Pencil
Flatback
Obviously some things to think about when choosing your tree is how high your ceiling is and how much room you have. Everything after that is personal preference!
More decisions to make…
After you’ve chosen your tree it’s time to think about the decorations. Once again, there are endless possibilities!
Traditional — when you think of a traditional tree you think red, green and gold. You can’t go wrong with these traditional colors.
Monochromatic — maybe you have one color in mind for your tree and want to focus on finding ornaments in just that color.
Achromatic — following the trend of the chalkboard look, you could choose to have a black and white tree.
Theme — Themes can be anything. I’ve had a small “cocktail” tree that was a lot of fun to decorate. My sister has a little tree in her kitchen that is a Starbucks theme. And I probably have enough Santa ornaments to make a whole themed tree out of those!
Eclectic — If you have young kids you might have a more eclectic look, blending your traditional ornaments with all those precious handmade ornaments made with construction paper, pipe cleaners, paint and popsicle sticks. If you prefer a more elegant tree but want to honor those handmade ornaments, consider a second small theme tree, featuring your kids’ masterpieces! That allows you to have your fancier tree and makes them feel special by having their own tree.
Time to decorate…
There’s an easy order to decorating your tree that will make it perfect every year.
Lights — If you choose a real tree, or your artificial tree isn’t pre-lit you’ll need to string lights. Choose from white, colored or multi-colored, incandescent, LED or C7/C9.
Topper — Toppers can be anything from stars to angels to whatever your imagination comes up with.
Garland — Garland adds a nice flow to the tree but it’s not a necessary element. Some years I add garland, but not always. Your garland can be ribbon, beads…even feathers!
Unique Ornaments — If you have any unique ornaments, put these on your tree first. Stagger them throughout the tree to add interest. An easy way to place your ornaments on the tree is to think of a triangle. Take 3 similar ornaments and place them in a triangle. They can be similar in color or shape. Keep doing this in 3’s. When you’re done this will give you a beautifully balanced tree.
Side Note: I have a friend who bought a unique ornament every year for each of his kids. He took a Sharpie and wrote the year and which kid the ornament was for on each ornament. When the kids moved out, he gave them their ornaments. I thought that was such a great idea. But then of course he had to buy all new ornaments for his own tree! 🙂
Boxed Ornaments — If you choose not to use unique ornaments or your unique ornaments don’t fill up your tree, you can add boxed ornaments using the same triangle formula. Boxed ornaments are the best way to get a traditional look.
Filler — So once the tree is all decorated and there are still holes in the design or if it just seems flat, it’s time to get out the filler! Floral picks are a great way to add texture, color and interest to a tree. And you can pick them up at After Christmas sales!
Here’s an example of how filler adds texture to a tree:
My tree…
I’ve had the same tree for awhile now and I’m thinking I might mix it up next year! I’m going to hit the After Christmas sales in search of a red tree! Yes, that’s right. I said a red tree! Right now I have a 7 ft Slim tree that fits nicely in a corner. I found some pretty textured ribbon at Hobby Lobby that I used as garland this year.
I’ve been collecting Christmas ornaments for many years. Most of my ornaments fit into three categories: travel, keepsakes and collections. Some of my ornaments are traditional and beautiful and some are over the top non-traditional so I think it’s safe to say my tree fits into the eclectic category. Every time I travel someplace new I try to find an unusual ornament. I have ornaments from places like France, Maui, Cabo, Monaco, Boston, New York, St Louis and many more and every year when I unwrap the ornaments it takes me back to all those places and all the memories that go with them. Those who know me well know I’m not, well, let’s just say it….normal. So it’s no surprise that while vacationing in Boston I jumped at the chance to purchase an ornament of a lobster wearing a top hat, sitting in a martini glass!
My closest friends have been giving me ornaments as gifts through the years. Those are my keepsake ornaments and each of them means something very special to me. Some of them are funny memories and some of them are beautiful and traditional. A couple of examples of my funny keepsake ornaments… when I was in the 2nd grade I had to wear pink cat-eye glasses (thanks, mom). My friend Bill found this ornament and thought of me! And my friend Mary calls me the queen of DIY and actually found an ornament with that same name!!
I also have a collection of ornaments that I try to add to every few years from two favorite holiday designers, Christopher Radko and MacKenzie Childs. Radko ornaments are bright and beautiful and are meticulously hand painted on blown glass. Radko works with alot of charities and my favorite is my Elton John charity ornament!
MacKenzie Childs incorporates their signature “Courtly Check” black and white checks on their beautifully hand painted glass ornaments. I have my eye on their new Highland Nutcracker ornament released this year…
So here is my finished tree…a bright, fun, funky and slightly-odd-if-you-look-too-close Christmas tree!
And here’s a little tip if you don’t have a load of presents under your tree. Buy pretty ornament storage boxes! All the boxes you see under my tree are actually boxes I use to store my ornaments in.
I hope this has put you in the mood to decorate your Christmas tree or to mix it up a little next year. Don’t forget to hit the After Christmas sales for the best prices!
Let me hear your ideas on how to decorate your Christmas tree!
Happy tinkering!
Susan
