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Published: 28/11/2024
Your Christmas tree is one of the most important parts of your Christmas décor. It’s the centrepiece of your entire scheme, a key focal point for your guests, and the backdrop of your festive memories. Getting it to look just right can sometimes feel quite daunting, so we’ve pulled together a few of our top tree tips to ease your stress and help you make the most out of this vital piece.
1. Choose your Christmas tree.
The first thing to do is of course, choose your tree! Whether you go for real or artificial, make sure you consider where you plan to place it so you know how tall and wide it can be.
Top tip: Go for a tree that is one foot shorter than your ceiling. That way, there is plenty of room for your tree topper, without it looking squashed.
The most sustainable option is a high-quality, artificial Christmas tree. They come in a range of shapes and sizes and will remain in a wonderful condition for 10 years or more. Just make sure you store it carefully, ensuring it is dry and free from dust for the remainder of the year. Another sustainable option is to source a real, potted tree that can be brought in from the garden year after year.
Our favourite tree types are the Norway Spruce and the English Pine. Classic in shape with a deep, festive green colour, these stunning trees provide a beautiful base for whatever decorative style you choose.
When opting for an artificial tree, this next step cannot be missed!
2. Free the branches.
When you first unbox your artificial tree, and when it’s been stored for a year, it’s branches tend to be very flat and often all point in one direction. Grab some gloves (we’d recommend wearing long sleeves too), build your tree, then spend some time bending each main branch and offshoot to create a fluffed out luxurious look. It may take a while, but we promise you it is worth it!
3. Light it up.
Lights should be the first thing you put on your tree. Pre-lit trees can save you a lot of time untangling, but they do come at a more premium price. They also give you less scope for changing the lighting style and colour if you so choose. We prefer to work with separate light strings, using around 50-80 lights for every foot of tree.
Before you start arranging the lights on your tree, plug them in to check they’re all in working order after their year of storage. Once checked, start to wind your lights round from the base of the tree upwards. Place some strands towards the back, have some pulled forward, and alternate them being above and below branches.
Stand back and look for areas without lights. Adjust where you need to.
Top tip: Try the squint test! Stand back and half close your eyes while the tree lights are on. This makes it easier to see where the lighting is uneven. We don’t know why this works, but it does!
4. Choose your colour scheme or theme.
Choosing a colour scheme for your Christmas tree and surrounding décor, or opting for a selection of coordinating textures, such as natural woods, felts and ceramics, will give your final look a pleasing aesthetic. We’ve pulled together 5 decorating themes for Christmas 2024, have a read for inspiration.
Top tip: Use a Colour Wheel to see which colours work well together. Colours opposite one another are the most complementary. Blue and yellow or pink and green make great pairings and can be easily translated into more festive tones of blue and gold or dark green and red. Finish with a white or other bright accent color to tie your scheme together and add a beautiful pop of interest.
5. Decorate to your heart’s content.
By sticking to a specific colour palette you can introduce plenty of bauble variations without it looking too much. This could include different sizes, styles and finishes, as well as finials, onions and other shapes.
Place your largest items towards the back of the branches to create depth and have the more delicate items on smaller tree limbs and further forward. Your decorations don’t always have to dangle. Baubles can be twisted over a branch multiple times to vary the hang length, birds on clips can perch on various offshoots, and faux flowers are a great way to add further interest while filling gaps and adding a consistent colour base.
Top tip: By using both traditional sized 8cm baubles with slightly larger 10cm ones, you can really see a difference in the depth and interest of your final result. Try to have at least six of each style or type to add consistency to your look.
6. Get the kids involved.
Children love to join in the hanging of special decorations on the tree. If you have little ones in the house or visiting, be sure to have some unbreakable bauble options, like felt or resin ones, that can be used on lower branches.
If you’ve got copious creative contributions from their nursery or preschool, you might even consider a second tree, just for showing them off on. Pair these with novelty baubles or fun decorations that the children can enjoy positioning themselves.
7. Finishing touches.
No tree is complete without a showstopping tree topper. Select the perfect match to your colour scheme or decorating theme with options including Santa hats, floral crowns, light-up stars and traditional angels or fairies.
For a truly polished and professional look, you will want to hide the base area of your tree. Tree skirts or wicker baskets are the perfect option for this. Alternatively, some beautifully wrapped empty boxes that coordinate with your theme is a great way to finish off your tree, either while you wait for the real presents to arrive, or after they’ve all been opened.
Decorating the Christmas tree is what kickstarts a lot of people’s Christmas spirit. There is so much fun to be had being creative and getting the whole family involved, so pull on your Christmas jumper, get your favourite festive tunes playing, and see what masterpiece you can create!
