How to decorate your Christmas tree is entirely up to you, but I’ve created a list of steps which I’ve accumulated from Pinterest, articles I’ve read and things I’ve heard from friends and family, which might inspire you when taking on the task of embellishing your tree.
Oh, and before we start, a (controversial) head’s up that tinsel gets a resounding no from me!
1. Lights first. I always start with lights as they’re vital for giving your tree lots of sparkle! Once the lights are on, it makes everything else much easier as they are difficult to re-adjust once you’ve started adding everything else. Be generous with lights, you don’t want big gaps and make sure you take a look from a few metres back to check they’re evenly distributed before going onto the next stage.
Normally I go for a soft glow, but this year we decided to try out bright white lights. They really make a statement and make the tree stand out and we’ve found they look beautiful from outside on the street for passers by!
2. Beads. Not everyone likes beads but I think if they’re beautifully draped they add real character! Drape your beads along the ends of the branches and spiral around the tree.
3. The special, delicate decorations – those individual fancy ones you add to the collection each year. This year for our tree our favourite embellishing baubles are made of clear glass and mercury glass. We also have some special ornamental baubles with our initials and some super cute silver ponies! Get your main baubles on first so you can evenly distribute them across the tree. It’s okay to put most of these towards the front if you can’t see around the back of the tree.
4. Colour. Our red and silver baubles are all simple (and inexpensive) but help to add a pop of colour and depth to the tree. Decorate inside the tree, not just the branch ends. Remember to fill any gaps around the back of the tree. Different sizes and shapes of bauble add extra dimensions to your tree so we used both large and small filler baubles.
5. Stand well back and look out for anything that needs adjusting or moving. Look for any areas of too much/ too sparse decoration coverage. Remember that with a real Christmas tree, it’s never going to be perfect because of how the branches fall, but it’s the character and charm of your tree that counts!
6. Take a photo. You’ve seen everyone else do it on your instagram feed and you’re proud of your work so feel everyone needs to share in just how good your tree looks. The only problem is, you’ll never want to take it down!
