How to Decorate a Christmas Tree in 3 Easy Steps
Step 1: Hang Your Christmas Tree Lights
The first step in how to decorate a Christmas tree is adding the lights. Tree lights typically come on green or white wire strands, though you can also find black variations now, perfect if you happen to have a black christmas tree. Choose the strand color that matches your tree so the wire will be hidden. Illuminating your Christmas tree from the inside out will give it the most dynamic look. Start at the base of the trunk and work your way up, wrapping lights around every major branch, moving from the trunk to the tip and back. Fluff the branches as you work your way around the tree.
Here are four popular types of Christmas lights to choose from when decorating your tree.
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These Christmas tree lights are newer than the traditional incandescent lights and don't produce heat. They're typically more expensive, but they are flameproof, fireproof, and completely safe to decorate a Christmas tree with.
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These Christmas tree lights are round and come in many sizes. They look like balls of color on the tree, and while they have a softer glow than mini lights, the light they produce covers a larger area on the tree.
These retro lights stand straight up on the limbs of your Christmas tree. When the liquid tube on top of the light warms up, bubbles float up and down inside the tube, resembling lava lamps.
Add Christmas Tree Garland
There are no firm rules for decorating a Christmas tree when it comes to draping garland. To avoid branches bulging between tightly cinched garland strands, start at the top of the tree, and slowly increase the amount of garland between each wave as you work your way down the branches. Plan to use about two strands of garland for every vertical foot of tree.
To avoid a busy look on your tree, decorate your Christmas tree with a variety of garlands from plain to fancy. Thin, beaded garlands look best hung from branch to branch; thicker paper, ribbon, or foil garlands look best wrapped loosely around the entire tree. If you're still in need of a garland, consider making one this holiday season.
Decorating a Christmas tree with ribbon is a popular alternative to a garland. Loosely wrap wide, patterned ribbon around the entire tree in horizontal bands. To add interest, try making big bows from a similar ribbon and using them to decorate the tree branches. Once you know how to decorate a tree with ribbon, try and amp it up by using ribbon vertically on the tree, creating cascading streams of ribbon from the top of your tree to the base, tucking the ends under your tree topper, and securing around the trunk at the base.
Hang Christmas Tree Ornaments
The final step in decorating your tree is to hang your christmas ornaments. Here's what to consider as you're adding Christmas tree decorations.
- To showcase your favorite ornaments, place them in prime positions on the tree first.
- Next, hang your larger ornaments, spacing them evenly around the tree. Ornament balls in one color but several sizes and textures will create continuity from top to bottom. Hang the larger ones on the bottom, the smaller at the top.
- Fill in around those ornaments with medium- and small-size ornaments. Be sure to hang some ornaments closer to the trunk to create depth and interest. They reflect the light to make your tree sparkle from the inside. Make the tree yours by adding specialty items, such as handmade ornaments, clip-on ornaments, or icicles.
