Hi everyone,
Decorating a Christmas Tree is one of my favourite things to do at Christmas time.There are so many possibilities! Do you get a real tree or an artificial tree? If you get a real tree, do you get one from the tree lot, tree farm or go out into the forest and cut down your own? If it is an artificial tree, do you get one with or without built in lights? Then there are all of the questions about how to decorate the tree. Where does one begin?
Other problems to consider are how much money to spend, how much time will it take to finally complete the whole decorating process and one thing that we don’t always think about and that is to make sure the Christmas tree super safe while it’s on display. We have had a few mishaps with our Christmas trees over the years that we still talk about in our family.
Step 1: Select a Tree Location
Before decorating a Christmas tree, make sure it is in the perfect spot. The ideal location for a Christmas tree is in front of a large window in the living room or family room, although homes with pets and/or small children may find this is simply not a practical choice.
Step 2: Choose a Theme For Your Tree
Before starting a décor project I like to start with a general picture in my mind of what I want it to look like in terms of a theme. Having a theme for your Christmas Tree helps narrow down your choices for how you want to decorate it. Having a theme in mind also gives your tree a sense of continuity and a pleasing pattern to look at rather than a random collection of non-related items. Now I don’t want to come across as being super pretentious with a whole bunch of rules for how to and for how not to decorate a Christmas tree. The theme you choose to go with is totally up to you and you can totally have a few themes blended into your tree too! That’s what I do!
Step 3: Set Your Tree Up The Day Before
It’s a good idea to set up the tree the day before the decorating day whether it’s a real or an artificial tree. This is a time to not only let the branches settle but also use this time for a safety check. Does the tree stand support the real tree? Is the structure of the artificial tree still sound. Trust me. Learn from my mistakes. last we put up the 16 year old artificial tree and it was definitely showing its age. After it was all decorated it leaned to one side so we took everything down and ended up buying a new tree. Yup, we had to decorate that tree again. But it did look much better and was definitely much safer!
Step 4: Hang Lights
As a general rule, plan on using at least 100 lights for every vertical foot. This means a 7-ft. Christmas tree would need 700 lights. If your tree is fuller than average, or you like a more sparkling appearance, you may need to use 150 lights for every vertical foot. 
Test the Christmas lights before you start to hang them. Start at the top of the tree, leaving approximately six inches between strand loops with larger spaces for a larger tree. Wrap around every major branch, and work your way down. If you are using white lights as your background, consider wrapping a few strands of colored lights around the outside for a special finishing touch.
Artificial Christmas trees often come with lights attached, eliminating the need to add a strand of lights separately
Step 5: Add Garland
Most experts recommend using two strands of garland for every vertical foot of tree. Beaded garlands look best draped from branch to branch, while ribbon or foil garland is most attractive when draped loosely around the entire tree. Start hanging garland at the top of your tree, gradually increasingly the amount of garland used as you work your way down. Wrap garland around the tree, not vertically.
Step 6: Hang Ornaments
Start decorating your tree with the largest ornaments, spacing them evenly apart. Fill in the gaps with the medium and small ornaments, balancing the shapes for an even appearance. Choose a variety of ornament shapes including traditional ball ornaments, icicles, teardrops, bells, and snowflakes. 
If your ornaments have different colors and finishes, hang the shiny and brightly colored ornaments before those with matte finishes and muted colors. Make sure the ornaments hang suspended instead of touching the branches. You can also try hanging some of the ornaments deeper inside the tree to add a sense of depth.
Step 7: Add Tinsel
Use a little tinsel to fill in any overtly blank spots on the tree. Tinsel can add a lot of sparkle to trees and though it is not appropriate for all tree themes, it can be beautiful when added to certain trees. It is necessary to do this as one of the final steps in decorating. If the tinsel is done earlier, it will be knocked-off when the ornaments are added.
Step 8: Add Your Tree Topper
I don’t have any good luck with tree toppers and have gone through so many different ones over the years without success. My poor and pricey angels always seemed to flop over and those lovely spikey tall toppers never seemed to stand up straight and tall. So I came up with my own plan. I just made this big bow using two different ribbons. It sits at the top of the tree and smartly hides the beads draped over the top and the long bow ends cascade nicely down the sides of the tree. Phew… super cheap, super easy and no more issues
Step 9: Add a Tree Skirt
The purpose of a tree skirt is to hide the tree stand and trunk, while catching the pine needles that may fall from a live tree. Even though most of the tree skirt will be covered by your Christmas presents, it's still a good idea to choose a design that coordinates well with the rest of your tree. Making your own Christmas tree skirt isn't too difficult, since there are many free patterns available online. Just keep in mind that the Christmas tree skirt should extend approximately one yard from the base of the tree.
Step 10: Add Your Final Embellishment
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