How To Take Your Christmas Tree Up a Notch

When fall rolls around are you excited to get your Christmas tree out and decorate it? Do you repeat what you have done in years past or do you think of new ways to put it all together differently every year? When you are done putting in all that hard work decorating, do you love what you have done or are you thinking you should just start over with new things next year. Well, you don’t have to go that far, but here are some things you can do to take your tree up a notch this year without starting from scratch!

Use a Smaller Christmas Tree

Most people tend to buy trees that are too large. They just take up too much space in the room and they might be too tall. Plus, the bigger the tree is, the more decor you will need to cover it. You can always put a tree on a table or pedestal to create height. This way you don’t have to decorate the very deep bottom portion of a giant tree.

Personally, I have a very large 10 foot full tree and a slim bodied 9 foot tree. I definitely prefer the slim bodied 9 foot tree. I have spent years and years collecting ornaments for the 10 foot full tree and I never feel like I have enough. This tree literally eats ornaments! When I get ready to buy a new tree, I will go smaller. I’ll have so much decor on a smaller tree!

Use Larger Ornaments

The number one thing you can do to help your Christmas tree out is to use larger ornaments. Let me say it again for the people in the back, buy larger ornaments! We all have those tiny balls that come in packs of 50 or 100 or whatever and you would need a truck load of them to cover your tree. These take forever to attach because you need so many of them and they just don’t have very much visual impact. Yes, I have them and I continue to use them, but when I invest in new ornaments each year, I get the biggest I can find!

Think about it. Larger ornaments have more visual impact, take up more space in the tree, and take less time to cover your tree. Bigger is better!

Stick To A Color Scheme

When you are deciding what your masterpiece will look like, stick to a color scheme. It’s helpful to have this in mind when you are shopping for new items. I think it’s easiest to put everything you are wanting to use together out on a table or the floor or wherever you can so you can see it all together before you put it on the tree. This really helps you see where you are going and whether or not you want to include certain items.

Have a Theme

One step beyond a color scheme is to have a theme. You don’t have to come up with this on your own, either. There are so many on Pinterest. I also shop at the designer Christmas stores to see what themes they have put together every year. You can find the wholesalers on Pinterest that sell ornaments and ribbons and see their themes as well. My favorite one to look at themes is Raz Imports. Also, you can check them out on Instagram. This year they called one of their trees Santa’s Stables. I loved that as a theme.

This year I used that theme idea when I put my tree together. My tree looks nothing like theirs, but just having that theme in my mind helped me know what to include on my tree and around the room. I just makes everything “go together.”

Upgrade Your Ribbon On Your Christmas Tree

There are so many different ways to add ribbon to your Christmas tree. I use ribbon in some way on every tree. I don’t think I have ever done a tree without ribbon. Plus, I have used all kinds of ribbon. If you want to read about the specifics of ribbon and how I choose my ribbon, check out Christmas Tree Ribbons: How To Choose The Right Ones. You can also see one of my ribbon techniques in Cascading Christmas Ribbon Tutorial.

This year I spent some time putting together bows instead of cascading or wrapping the ribbon around the tree. Whatever your technique, if you are using stunning ribbon, your tree will also be stunning.

Use Focal Points

I love to use focal points in my tree. What do I mean by focal points? Items that are larger than the rest or items that might be related to the theme and not a traditional ball ornament. For example, in my fall tree I used owls. A few years back I used white deer in my Christmas tree. This year on my green and gold tree, I used sleighs and bows. These items really heighten the interest in a tree and can be a real wow factor! Use them!

Mix and Match

This might sound like a lot, but my last tip is not to get overwhelmed analyzing it all. Mix and match your finishes! What? You know, like mixing and matching your metals…you can mix and match things in your Christmas tree! Mix flocked pieces with non-flocked pieces. You can mix different shades of a color. Mix in pops of white or gold to brighten up a design. Get creative!

Add a Tree Collar

Add a tree collar to your Christmas tree instead of a tree skirt. This looks so much cleaner, especially if you have pets that like to get under your tree and mess up the tree skirt. I usually use a tree skirt under the tree we will put the gifts under, but the tree in the family room looks so much cleaner with a tree collar.

Ditch The Tiny Ice Cycles

If you are like me you have a collection of tiny ice cycles from Hobby Lobby that you have been building for 20 years or so. In fact, I think I have them in several colors. I use them most years because I think if I have them, I might as well use them, right? Well, not this year!

The past few years I have been working on upgrading my ice cycle game! Just like ornaments, bigger is better! If you buy new items this year, let it be large ice cycles and large ornaments!

If you want to see more of any of these Christmas tree designs or other holiday trees, check out Holidays in the main menu.

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