It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time to trim the tree, decorate the home, and bake some of your family’s favorite holiday goodies! If you’re like me, I am sure you want to make the most of the holiday season and enjoy every minute possible with your family and friends. So let’s get everything decorated now, so we can enjoy the rest of the season!

I’ve tackled some of your tree trimming questions and created a step-by-step tutorial to decorate the perfect Christmas tree! Follow these simple steps and your Christmas tree will be the talk of the town and ready for Christmas morning!

Step One: Select the Right Christmas Tree

Deciding whether to buy a real or artificial tree is completely a personal choice. I grew up cutting down our own trees in the Colorado mountains, so I tend to prefer real trees, but I know that decorating with artificial trees is much easier because you can bend the branches to secure your ornaments. Plus, many people are allergic to real trees, so artificial may be your best bet!

If you decide to buy a real tree and want your family to experience cutting down the tree on their own, check out Flower Mound Christmas Trees. Holiday Warehouse in Plano is a great bet if you’re looking for a beautiful variety of artificial trees and a warehouse full of festive displays that will give you plenty of decorating inspiration!

Whichever way you decide to go, make sure that you measure your ceiling height and the space where you will be placing your tree, so you know the proper measurements for your tree.

Step Two: Decide on a Theme

Decide on a theme and color palette that embodies your style or represents you and your family. Select a variety of basic ornaments to create a sense of unity, then incorporate more ornate pieces or sentimental favorites to show off your personality. Lay out and organize all of your ornaments in advance so you can plan accordingly.

I chose a “rustic-glam” theme this year, incorporating a metallic color scheme with some of my favorite rustic pine cones and deer statues all provided by my friends at Holiday Warehouse in Plano.

Step Three: Hang Christmas Tree Lights

Lights are the first decoration that you will add to your tree. Allow about 100 lights for every vertical foot of tree. Christmas tree lights come in a variety of different colors and lengths. Lights usually come on white or green strands. Be sure to choose the color that matches your tree, so the strands are not visible through the branches. I chose green strands this year since my tree is a classic evergreen.

In order to hang the Christmas tree lights, start at the bottom bough and move upwards. String the lights starting at the trunk and moving towards the tip of the branch and then back. Continue until you reach the top of the tree. Make sure that the lights are plugged in while you are wrapping the tree, so you can easily see if you missed any sections.

Step Four: Add the Ribbon or Garland

Choose a ribbon or garland that correlates with the theme of your tree. Garlands add a beautiful pop of color and texture that gives some added appeal to your tree. Starting at the top of the tree, softly wrap your ribbon slowly around the tree, increasing the width as you move down. If you want to mix up the classic ribbon look, consider draping the ribbon in a vertical manner by starting at the top of the tree and creating bustles of about 1.5 feet in length moving towards the base of the tree. To create a little more texture, I chose two different ribbons – a champagne lace and a gold jeweled ribbon to coordinate with my metallic Christmas balls.

Step Five: Add the Christmas Tree Picks and Stems

Christmas tree picks and stems are a great way to add a little volume to your tree and make it look more full. You can buy these florals already made or have your local holiday store make you one that matches the theme of you tree. Holiday Warehouse here in Dallas is one of my favorite local holiday shops and they have a beautiful floral department that will design and customize a pick for your tree.

Step Six: Hang the Christmas Tree Ornaments

Now this is the fun part of the decorating! You always want to decorate with odd numbers, so make sure that you have an odd number of each type of ornament. For example, the various ornaments on my tree are in sets of 5s and 7s. Smaller trees could use 3 or 5! Start by placing your favorite ornaments in prime places throughout the tree so that they are easily visible. Use a copper wire to secure them to the tree and place heavier ornaments towards the top of the tree and closer to the trunk so they are not knocked off by pets or passersby.

To create a sense of consistency and unity, select between 5 and 9 different balls and use an odd number of each type on your tree. Then hang the large ornaments and balls evenly throughout the tree, ensuring that you hang some closer to the trunk to create depth and dimension. Once you have hung the larger balls and ornaments, fill in around them with medium to small sized ornaments.

Finally, add your accent pieces and icicles. Hang icicles near the end of the branch as they appear in nature to emphasize the height of the tree. Using different pieces like these below help to create add volume to your tree.

Make sure you step back and evaluate your work while you are decorating to ensure you aren’t missing any sections and that your favorite pieces are properly showcased!

Step Seven: Add the Tree Topper

Finally, add your tree topper. There are such a beautiful variety of tree toppers including angels, stars, and bows. Include whatever matches your theme best. This year I went with three large bows and a floral pick as my tree topper to give it some added height.

Now sit back, dim the lights, and enjoy the beautiful glow of your Christmas tree with your loved ones! Merry Christmas to all!

Photos by Stephanie Drenka