Oh Christmas Tree: Define Your Holiday Decorating Style

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You want onlookers to say, “Oh, that’s your tree!” rather than “Ew, that’s your tree?” this holiday season.  It takes little effort to lift a finger and place ornaments on a tree, yet it takes a lot of passion to transform a barren evergreen into something extra special. Whether you live alone in an apartment or a member of larger immediate family, you can use the following ideas to style your tree like no other on the block this holiday season. Grandma’s Garland Ask elderly relatives and best friends for their hand-me-down ornaments and sentimental pieces that they’ve kept and stowed away through the years.  December is a time to be with family and friends who cannot always close the distance in time for Christmas.  Therefore, place others’ tokens on your tree, so they’re there in spirit if not in presence.  Grandma’s garland, Aunt Rose’s twinkling lights, and your best friend’s star to go on top makes your tree truly unique. The Kid’s Crafts It’s likely that teachers and after school aides will devise activities so children can make their own ornaments.  But, the seasonal pastime translates well into the home, giving you added ornaments to place on the tree.  Let the kids contribute too, serving as artists or ‘consultants,’ helping you choose ornaments from the store and online sites offering personalized Christmas tree ornaments. Your Favorite Season Christmas is a great season for celebrating but maybe it is not your favorite.  So, use symbols and colors from other seasons to dress your Christmas tree.  Use bats from Halloween, bunnies from Easter, and hats and horns from New Year’s Eve, and bright and sunny summer colors to style your tree as you wish. Photo credit: www.ornamentshop.com Annual Ornaments Purchase new ornaments each year and accumulate a sleigh full of trinkets.  It’s cheaper than springing for a whole new set of decorations and ornaments each year.  The trick is in the storage; be sure to pack with care and place boxes somewhere dry place where they won’t be damaged or heavy things placed on top.  If you have enough room in storage, don’t even bother undressing the tree; just throw a large protective tarp over top. Homemade Dressing Take a lesson from the kids and make your own tree dressings rather than spend money on expensive store-offered items.  Tear old sheets in strips to wrap around the branches and use glue and colored glitter to dress the outside of aluminum cans, sticking them on the end of limbs.  Pop Theme Adopt a theme from popular culture and associate your tree with the Kardashians, a political party, or your city’s major league baseball team.  Like adding styles of other seasons to the tree, take advantage of ornaments other than those colored red and green and shaped like Santas and reindeers.  Celebrate the season with an obscure or surprise theme your family and onlookers will truly appreciate. Outside Aid It’s cold outside during the winter season.  Invite family and neighborhood friends inside for warm cocoa and some Christmas music.  Host a decorating party.  Invite people over for food and drinks with one catch; they must have their contributory ornament in hand.  The holidays are about togetherness, and to ensure you deck the halls with good people, send them an official invite. Holiday Hedgerow What’s better than one colossal Christmas tree?  It’s a number of well-dressed Christmas plants.  Why settle with one tree when you can host seasonal foliage throughout the house.  Impress onlookers with widespread holiday cheer and fresh air of seasonal cheer.  Head to your nearest plant nursery and inquire about indoor plants with limbs strong enough to withhold dressing and ornaments. Larger Presence You may want to deemphasize the size of the tree due to limited space, so compensate by wrapping large-sized boxes in colorful Christmas paper.  The federal holiday, taking place on a Thursday and giving workers a day off, is present enough, but present visitors with an eye-full of festive boxes.  Visit your local mail office and purchase oversized cardboard boxes to arrange around the tree and home. Helen Moser is a hostess and decorator extraordinaire. With a penchant for the holidays, she loves blogging about her tips and tricks to beautiful and fun decor to celebrate special days throughout the year.

You want onlookers to say, “Oh, that’s your tree!” rather than “Ew, that’s your tree?” this holiday season.  It takes little effort to lift a finger and place ornaments on a tree, yet it takes a lot of passion to transform a barren evergreen into something extra special.

Whether you live alone in an apartment or a member of larger immediate family, you can use the following ideas to style your tree like no other on the block this holiday season.

Grandma’s Garland

Ask elderly relatives and best friends for their hand-me-down ornaments and sentimental pieces that they’ve kept and stowed away through the years.  December is a time to be with family and friends who cannot always close the distance in time for Christmas.  Therefore, place others’ tokens on your tree, so they’re there in spirit if not in presence.  Grandma’s garland, Aunt Rose’s twinkling lights, and your best friend’s star to go on top makes your tree truly unique.

The Kid’s Crafts

It’s likely that teachers and after school aides will devise activities so children can make their own ornaments.  But, the seasonal pastime translates well into the home, giving you added ornaments to place on the tree.  Let the kids contribute too, serving as artists or ‘consultants,’ helping you choose ornaments from the store and online sites offering personalized Christmas tree ornaments.

Your Favorite Season

Christmas is a great season for celebrating but maybe it is not your favorite.  So, use symbols and colors from other seasons to dress your Christmas tree.  Use bats from Halloween, bunnies from Easter, and hats and horns from New Year’s Eve, and bright and sunny summer colors to style your tree as you wish.

Photo credit: www.ornamentshop.com

Annual Ornaments

Purchase new ornaments each year and accumulate a sleigh full of trinkets.  It’s cheaper than springing for a whole new set of decorations and ornaments each year.  The trick is in the storage; be sure to pack with care and place boxes somewhere dry place where they won’t be damaged or heavy things placed on top.  If you have enough room in storage, don’t even bother undressing the tree; just throw a large protective tarp over top.

Homemade Dressing

Take a lesson from the kids and make your own tree dressings rather than spend money on expensive store-offered items.  Tear old sheets in strips to wrap around the branches and use glue and colored glitter to dress the outside of aluminum cans, sticking them on the end of limbs. 

Pop Theme

Adopt a theme from popular culture and associate your tree with the Kardashians, a political party, or your city’s major league baseball team.  Like adding styles of other seasons to the tree, take advantage of ornaments other than those colored red and green and shaped like Santas and reindeers.  Celebrate the season with an obscure or surprise theme your family and onlookers will truly appreciate.

Outside Aid

It’s cold outside during the winter season.  Invite family and neighborhood friends inside for warm cocoa and some Christmas music.  Host a decorating party.  Invite people over for food and drinks with one catch; they must have their contributory ornament in hand.  The holidays are about togetherness, and to ensure you deck the halls with good people, send them an official invite.

Holiday Hedgerow

What’s better than one colossal Christmas tree?  It’s a number of well-dressed Christmas plants.  Why settle with one tree when you can host seasonal foliage throughout the house.  Impress onlookers with widespread holiday cheer and fresh air of seasonal cheer.  Head to your nearest plant nursery and inquire about indoor plants with limbs strong enough to withhold dressing and ornaments.

Larger Presence

You may want to deemphasize the size of the tree due to limited space, so compensate by wrapping large-sized boxes in colorful Christmas paper.  The federal holiday, taking place on a Thursday and giving workers a day off, is present enough, but present visitors with an eye-full of festive boxes.  Visit your local mail office and purchase oversized cardboard boxes to arrange around the tree and home.

Helen Moser is a hostess and decorator extraordinaire. With a penchant for the holidays, she loves blogging about her tips and tricks to beautiful and fun decor to celebrate special days throughout the year.