Entertaining + Holiday
Decorate Your Christmas Tree Like A Pro
Decorating your tree can be a nostalgic trip down memory lane complete with holiday carols and cocoa, or it can be an exercise in utter frustration as your lights get tangled, burn out, or run out halfway up the tree; your cat treats the ornaments like his personal playground, and no one else can be bothered to help. To make it easier and ensure great results, we’ve culled our favorite tips from the pros for making your Christmas tree really dazzle:
1. Plan on using at least one 100-light set for every foot of your tree’s height (light fanatics use 3 per foot!).
2. Use a power strip or extension cord with a switch to safely light multiple strands and make it easy to turn them all off with the flick of a switch.
3. Plug in lights before decorating the tree to make sure they work and make your job easier. Tuck plugs and cord ends in towards the trunk of the tree so there aren’t obvious gaps in lighting.
4. Start at the bottom and work upward, zigzagging within vertical sections, rather than trying to wrap lights around the whole circumference of the tree.
5. Nestle lights within the branches, don’t just drape them on the outside. If you want your tree to really shine (and you have a lot of patience!), wrap lights along each branch from the inside trunk to the outer tip, and back in again.
6. Contrary to common practice, hang your tree topper first, not last, so you don’t break or disturb ornaments you’ve already hung.
7. Hang any garlands next.
8. Hang your largest ornaments first, on the strongest branches, and use them to fill in any awkward spaces or holes.
9. Fill in with medium and smaller ornaments and balls, distributing colors and styles evenly across the tree.
10. For a designer look, focus your ornaments on a color scheme or theme, such as all-white, silver + gold, whimsical animals, or metallic pastels.
11. Don’t forget a tree skirt to cover the stand, catch needles and give your tree a finished look! We have everything from handcrafted felt pom-poms to embroidered stars.
Want some help? Our Design Crew installation pros can do all the work for you!
