Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

The best Christmas tree decorating ideas and tips to help you create a beautiful Christmas tree!
It's easy and free, so find out more now!

I love the Christmas holidays and put up the Christmas tree early in the season.
My philosophy is this - Christmas only comes once a year, so I want to enjoy the sights, sounds and scents as much as possible. 

We're usually pretty well decorated for the Christmas holiday by the time Thanksgiving weekend rolls around, then enjoy the holiday decor through year end.

No matter when you decide it's time to do the holiday decorating, the Christmas tree is the centerpiece of traditional Christmas decor. 

There isn't really a 'right' or 'wrong' way to put up a Christmas tree, but there are some Christmas tree decorating ideas that will make the task a little easier and result in a beautiful Christmas tree.


Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #1:
THE TREE

First, decide what kind of tree you will use, real or artificial, and what size will work the best in your space.

I'm always an advocate of natural looking artificial Christmas trees.

As for the size of your Christmas tree, make sure you are taking into consideration:
1) the size room it is going into,
2)ceiling height and
3) the space allocated for the tree.  


Whether your tree goes together branch-by-branch or in two to three main sections, here is a very important piece of advice: make sure that you fully open and 'fluff' each branch before putting it into the trunk of the Christmas tree.

When I put our Christmas tree up, I literally take each branch and pull every piece of greenery out, rotating some greenery above the branch and some below.  


Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #2:THE LIGHTS

Your next Christmas tree decorating idea is a fool proof method for putting the lights on the tree. It doesn't matter what style of light or color you select; follow these steps and it will be absolutely beautiful.
NOTE: If you have a pre-lit Christmas tree, feel free to skip this portion!

First, make sure you test all of your lights before putting any of them on the tree. It's not a 100% guarantee that you won't have any issues down the road, but at least you'll know they work.


You should have a strand of 100 lights for every vertical foot of the tree. So if your Christmas tree is 7 feet in height you should have a minimum of 700 lights. I use more than that on my trees - my 8' tree has about 1,200 lights on it because I put them very close together and enjoy that look.

I also use a multi-outlet surge protector to handle all of the lights, stringing together no more than four strands of lights. It makes turning the Christmas tree lights on and off very simple - just flip the switch on the extension box.

Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #3:
THE GARLANDS & ROPING

Now for the next Christmas tree decorating idea - the garlands or roping for the tree. Of course, this is optional depending on the style of tree you are creating.
There are many different types of garland available, and it's a point where your creativity comes into play. You can fashion Christmas tree garland out of just about anything that suits the style of your tree.

• Traditional Christmas tree roping found in the 'tree trimming' section of your favorite holiday store is always an option.
• There are many types of beautiful, wide ribbon that has wire inserted into it, so you can shape it as you rope it around the tree.
• Beads, fabric, silk floral roping, faux berry/natural element roping, etc.
• Use your imagination!

Beads and narrow roping usually looks best when draped, or swagged, around the tree. The top of the tree should have smaller swags that get larger as you go down the tree.

Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #4:
THE ORNAMENTS


Yes, we are finally to the most fun part of the Christmas tree decorating ideas - the ornaments. Here is a really important tip, so listen up!

Gather all your Christmas tree ornaments and separate them by size, style, etc. so you know what you have to work with. It takes a few minutes to do this but is well worth the time.

Hang your larger ornaments first, using the lower part of the tree for the majority of those. Save the smallest ornaments for the upper portion of the tree.

If you have both matte finish and shiny finish ornaments, be sure to vary them around the tree.
Hang the ornaments on the inside of the tree as well as the outside, just like the lights (although the majority of ornaments will be near the outside of the tree).

Step back and look at your handiwork as you progress, to keep things evenly distributed.
I always like to use fillers on my Christmas trees to cover the inevitable gaps that occur between layers of branches. I use a variety of silk flowers and greenery, birds nests, etc. You can literally use any type of 'filler' that you want, depending on the theme of your Christmas tree.

These decorating ideas will help you create a beautiful Christmas tree. If you want even more details, ideas and tips, read Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas here!