Christmas Tree Decorating Tips: 10 Easy Steps for a Beautiful, Meaningful Tree

My childhood revolved around picking out, decorating and adoring our Christmas tree. There were live ones that drew all of us kids to the living room, aluminum ones with a color wheel, flocked snow-covered ones, and artificial ones. The best were the live. We’d race there and sit under the tree, savoring that clean, fresh pine smell that made us quiver with anticipation of what was to come. Pretty soon we had a pen and paper, drawing up our Christmas list. Over the years there were dolls, skates, bikes, games and bookoo toys. I know all those were important, but the tree was the center of the universe as far as we were concerned; it brought all of together as a family. It helped us gather and dream about what we could be that year and to ask for those things that helped us get there-whether an astronaut, a scientist, a teacher, a nurse, or cowboy. 

As we grew up, an arresting and stunningly decorated Christmas tree had a way of transforming our entire living space, drawing every eye toward its warmth the second we saw it. Its branches glittered with lights tucked inside, drawing us to smell, touch, and savor its beauty. We each had our favorite ornaments, some homemade, some not, thinking what they meant and where we wanted to hang them. They nestled in evergreen needles, telling a story that only we might know. No matter what, our tree always took on a life of its own with pizazz and personality. When the tree lights glowed, Christmas was on its way.

No matter the size of your tree, whether live or artificial, it has a way of becoming the centerpiece of our home during the holidays. Whether ornaments and lights are new or family heirlooms passed down generations, and collected over the years, the tree becomes a living display of memories. All comers are drawn to it, and the room is immediately welcoming with its festive twinkling adornment. 

The beauty of a decorated tree is not just about looking good, it’s about making us feel good. Our dreams are in that tree, our hope is in that tree, our lives are in that tree. Another year has passed, we might be the same or vastly different, but one thing is sure and steadfast. Our tree centers us and brings joy for the future where we give thanks to God and our family, making it not just a decoration but a celebration for all time.

10 Easy Steps to Decorate Your Christmas Tree

1. Decide what you want your Christmas tree to look like-all white lights, multicolored lights, all red, or a multitude of colors. We’ve had those blinking ones, you know the kind, they make you feel like you’ve gone on an Astroworld tilt-a-whirl ride. Guaranteed to make you hurl!

2. Ornaments, decide color and concept-family heirlooms, sports theme-football, baseball, skiing, or soccer, Barbie, Smurfs, Beanie Baby, travel locations, country look or year. We’ve done it all over the years, finally deciding to just evolve-if they weren’t broken, we’d keep them and add to our eclectic collection. 

3. Add lights first, starting at the bottom of the tree, going into the branches, woven from inside then outside for beauty and depth.

4. Add bows and ribbon, tucking them into the branches. For dried fruit such as cranberries, or oranges or popcorn, drape over the branches in loops. We had a bird once that got out of his cage and ripped the heart of our tree to shreds, consuming every ounce of the fruit and popcorn,  leaving a trail of destruction in his path. Moral of the story, don’t let a bird out to fly willy-nilly during the holidays. Your Christmas tree will never be the same!

5. Hang ornaments for balance with different colors, shapes and sizes woven through the tapestry of the theme. Warning, if you have a cat or boisterous dog or toddler, watch low hanging, shiny balls, chances are, they’ll get batted off and end up under the couch, the next room or the neighbor’s yard. We’ve had all of those things happen, and you can go through boxes of balls in no time at all!

6. Get back and look at the tree as you’re decorating. I’ve had some real doozies occur, bald spots, ornaments teetering on the brink of disaster, too near the end of the branch. Turn your back, they fall, shattering into those extra sharp shards that take calling your mother with first aid advice.

7. Put on a tree topper-one that means something to you-a star, an angel, or a ribbon. My cats have often made a b-line straight up the tree in search of reaching that coveted jewel, losing their balance and taking the whole shebang down. I have been awakened by crashing trees more times than I can count.

8. Put sprigs or sprays of decorative picks throughout the tree. It gives it a finished professional look you’ll love.

9. Do put a tree skirt or decorative floor cover that complements your overall theme.

10. Don’t sweat it, do what makes you happy, and your family will love it too. In fact, they’ll probably take credit for your idea. Happy tree decorating!