How to Decorate a Christmas Tree
It’s that time of year again! Christmas season is here!
So, this post is all about how to decorate a Christmas tree like a pro! And here’s the best part: these tips are budget friendly! There’s a few simple techniques you can use to make your tree really amazing without breaking the bank!
To make it look really amazing I suggest picking out a color scheme. Not saying everything has to match (there’s no way I would give up my random ornaments given to me over the years). But for the main decorating staples I suggest sticking to the same colors. Some popular choices are:
- red and green
- red and white
- gold, silver and white
- silver and blue
- bright blues and greens.
Also I like to set up a little tree for my daughters nursery and the colors on that are very feminine. I used pink, purple and light blue. There’s tons of color options to choose from!
For my tree I chose red and bright green! So festive!
OK, first things first! Get your tree set up!
I prefer the fake trees because they are easier to work with, you don’t have vacuum up those annoying needles everyday, and you don’t have to water them! However, if you must have the real thing that’s fine too! They smell like Christmas and there’s something nostalgic about going to pick out your own tree!
After you get your tree set up go ahead and string the lights on!
Now here comes the fun part! You can use deco mesh make your tree really festive! You can find this at craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels. I suggest getting a large long roll and 1 or 2 coordinating smaller rolls. On this tree I used a red and green striped large roll and two smaller rolls. 1 red and 2 green. If you want it to go all the way around the tree get two large rolls. Mine is in the corner so I only used it on the front and sides.
First you start on the bottom of the tree off to the side far enough so it doesn’t show the back part of the tree. Take the end of the mesh and secure it by wrapping a tree branch around it (or use floral wire for real trees). Then you want to take around 16 inches so of the mesh and secure with another branch. Continue doing this around the tree. Skip a layer of branches and work your way up and around again. Do this until you almost got the top!
Next take your smaller roll or rolls of mesh and cut off 12 inch pieces. Then I like to make an “X” with the two different colors of mesh and scrunch to secure it in the middle to a few in different parts of the tree.
Next if you have any of those long ribbons it’s time to put those up. I’m talking about those really long cascading ribbons specifically for trees. I recommend getting two. Start at the top of the tree that holds the tree topper and wrap the ribbon around the top once, leaving one half cascading down the left side of the tree and the other half cascading down the right. Repeat with the second ribbon and have them hanging down the front left and right sections of the tree. Making a total of 4 long ribbons. Start by loosely draping the ribbon zig zagging from left to right and secure it with a tree branch or floral wire. I like to attach it a little deeper in the tree than the deco mesh.
Now take your larger ornaments that match your color scheme and start putting those on first! Put them a little deeper in the tree… But not too far. Just enough so you can still hang the smaller ornaments in the front without hitting the big ones too much. This adds depth creating the overall look to be much more appealing. Also I suggest using a couple of different textures and looks of the larger ornaments. To me it just looks cooler and gives off a much more unique vibe.
Also now is a great time to add any large decorative pieces on the front of the tree. I used a giant decorative ornament, large wrapped candy pieces, and the “Merry Christmas’ sign at the top to add some festive fun to my tree! Just space them out in various spots.
Next go ahead and add your smaller ornaments! I suggest getting a few ornaments to specifically match your color scheme and put those on first…. Spacing those out in various spots as well. I used 6 red glitter ornaments and 6 green. Then add you own personal ornaments!
Next I took different kinds floral or decorative picks and stems and just started sticking them in both sides of the tree! This adds dimension and will really make your tree pop!!! For my tree I found this really cool “Christmas lightbulbs” pick. I also used a couple of these fun red and green picks, some red flora stems, and some green curly q picks.
Last but not least is your tree topper! I just used a decorative star. The only problem with this is that the coil that holds the star isn’t that awesome. Nothing is wrong with it, but, it’s plain white and with such a decorative tree I decided I wanted to cover that up with a little added flair!
To do this I took three different ribbons (red, green, and red and green combined) and looked on Pinterest to make a giant decorative bow! I then cut some long cascading pieces of ribbon and attached the middle of the pieces to the bow with floral wire so the ribbon would cascade down either side! I then, using floral wire, attached the bow and cascading ribbons to midsection of the tree topper!
That’s it! It’s not nearly as difficult as you would think to make a stunning tree.
Happy decorating and Merry Christmas!!!