How To Decorate Your Christmas Tree Like a Pro: Step By Step

Christmas evokes many happy memories for me:

As a child, I can remember listening to Bing Crosby belt out his holiday hits from the record player while we jammed and the tinsel flew onto our K-mart tree. No, it wasn't fancy, but it was the process that I enjoyed. I guess it just felt like Christmas once we were allowed in the formal living room to decorate the tree. Since my feet only stepped on that white carpet twice a year, it really was a privilege!

Fast forward to present day and turn on Rockin' Holidays (the best Pandora station I've found), pour a piping hot cup of hot chocolate and get busy bringing Christmas to your adorable abode!

Since my days of tinsel tossing, my taste in Christmas decor has evolved. And, like everything else, I really like a tree with layers. Seriously, my hair has layers, my bed has layers and so does my Christmas tree. 

I had to start my own tree before Thanksgiving (tsk, tsk I know!) because we're fortunate enough to be able to help our clients decorate their homes for the holidays.

And, like your grandma's famous apple pie, there really isn't a recipe. But, this year I slowed down a bit and tried to break the process into manageable steps so our readers would be able to make their trees a little more spectacular as well.

So here goes:

Step 1:
Lay it all out. I make an assembly line of picks, sprays, pinecones, ribbon and ornaments.





Step 2:

Fluff your tree and check lights.

You can't expect a tree that's been crammed in a box all summer to come out and stand at attention. Not gonna happen. You have to put on some gloves and tug, pull, fluff and splay each and every branch.

Step 3:
Begin with ribbon. A pretty bow at the top of the tree makes a beautiful statement.

Don't stop with the ribbon on top! Integrate the ribbon into the tree by weaving it in and out of the branches. Start at the top and go down. Don't wrap it around the tree. Trust me on this!

You can also add decorative mesh in the same manner.

Step 4:
Add picks, sprays, branches and if you are daring, something BIG like this fat metallic sequined reindeer!

Step Five:
Go deep! Insert ornaments deep within the branches to hide holes.

Step 6:
Add your (non-sentimental) ornaments...en masse. Catherine always asks me, "Is three enough?" NO! The key to an awesome tree is repetition. More is More! Don't just grab one box of gold ornaments, buy five! I put about 50 plain balls on my tree before ever opening the box of family ornaments.

Step 7:
Add your special ornaments. Everyone has those meaningful ornaments that are special to your family. One of my favorites is this manatee:

Last Christmas we had a series of gifts for the boys to open with hints about where to look for their next clue. The final clue led them to the tree where this manatee surprised them with a trip to Florida where we actually got to swim with the gentle giants!

What do you do if you have a popscicle stick, pipe cleaner reindeer your child made in Kindergarten? You might consider a 2nd tree if you have a theme going on the main tree. Or, just embrace it and put that pipe cleaner reindeer front and center.

Step 8:
Stand back and admire your work. Look for holes, or a section that has 7 birds. We don't need a flock on the tree. 

Christmas morning is always such a fun time for our family!

Step 9: 

Sad, but true. After the kids go to bed, you may need to relocate a few ornaments.

Thanks to my wonderful husband, Patrick, for doing five hours of math homework with the boys, cleaning up after a stomach bug, and then taking pictures of the tree for my blog.

Most of all, remember to enjoy this time... Especially if you have children or grandchildren helping you decorate. These are the memories they will have when they are our age.

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