3 Decorating Secrets to Try This Year To Make Your Christmas Tree Look Better
I learned most of my Christmas tree decorating secrets from Pottery Barn.
In my early twenties, when I was just learning to decorate my home, I used to drive down to the mall in late November with my mom and sister to attend an annual decorating class at the Park Meadows Pottery Barn.
We’d make the hour trek, grab a seasonal latte, and settle in for an hour with the designers from the store. They would break us into 3 groups- trees, mantles, and tablescapes and we’d rotate through each station as we learned how to incorporate that season’s offerings into our homes for the holidays.
Not only did this tradition give us great memories (I wish they still did this SO BADLY!), but it also taught me a lot about how to decorate for Christmas at a time when I was just starting to build my holiday decor collection and flex my decorating muscles a bit.
Over the years I’ve had so much fun decorating my home for Christmas and experimenting with new techniques, palettes, and concepts. Some years I go big, some years I pare it down.
Family Trees VS. Designer Trees
Truthfully, we decorate our main tree as a family and it doesn’t look like a professionally decorated tree at all. If you walk into our house, it’s a little bit crooked, the ornaments aren’t spaced evenly, and there isn’t much of a theme. There are Barbie and basketball ornaments, and lots of handmade paper memories. I resist the urge to adjust the spacing of things and I try to just leave things where they are placed (which means there is often a large concentration of ornaments at kid-level).
On the other hand, I have clients hire me to decorate their trees each year. These are statement trees, and they are an entirely different undertaking. And I know quite a few styling tricks for making these display-worthy trees look polished and beautiful.
In this article I’m going to share those Christmas tree decorating secrets in case you want to make your tree look better this year.
Christmas Tree Decorating Tip #1
Decorate In The Correct Order
Looking around the internet, I realize that this piece of advice might be a little controversial. Different “how to decorate a Christmas tree” articles list these steps in different orders, but in my experience this is the best way to approach the process.
1 | plan Ahead
Probably the most important of the Christmas tree decorating secrets is this: you need to plan ahead.
Especially if you are new to holiday decorating or are experiementing with a new look for your tree decor… the prep work starts long before it’s time to hang an ornament.
Here are some things to consider:
Choose A Theme or Palette
Early in the season, begin considering an overall concept you’d like to include in your holiday decorating, including your Christmas tree.
- Look to holiday catalogs, early holiday displays, and Pinterest to get ideas about how recent interior design trends are influencing holiday home design.
- Is there a color you’re currently obsessed with? Maybe you can add this to your existing color palette to bring new life to your existing holiday decor.
- Think about what you are currently into in terms of favorite places, hobbies, animals… what speaks to you right now? Could this be a theme for your tree? I have seen beautiful music-inspired trees and trees that revolve around gardening (think florals and tiny gardening tools). If you get creative your tree can really reflect your family’s interests.
Purchase Tree Decor + Supplies
Once you’ve chosen a theme, it’s time to shop for the decorative elements you will need to bring your vision to life.
Stock up on these essentials:
- Extra Large (16-22″) Ornaments -Shoot for 3-5 unique accents for 7′-9′ tree
- Large (4-6″) Basic Ornaments– 2 -3 Sets/Boxes of 6
- Figural/Sculptural Ornaments – Shoot for 10 additional, unique ornaments per foot of tree height
- Garland – Can be simple beaded swags OR the larger, fuller garlands you would typically put on a mantle for a more heavily decorated look
- Ribbon – 3-4 rolls of your primary color (4-5″ wide, with wire) and 1-2 Rolls of a smaller accent ribbon (can be 1″ or less, wireless is fine)
- Floral Picks + Sprays– Buy multiples of each chosen style, as you will group them in clusters. A good starting point would be to choose 3 styles (a floral, a leaf, and a berry or fashion spray) to bundle together. You will need approximately one bundle per foot of tree. So for a 9′ tree you would need approximately 27 sprays (9 of each). If you decide to use these as a topper, you will need considerably more. Here is a great guide to using Christmas tree picks and sprays if you have never worked with them before.
- Lights– Make sure last year’s lights are fully functional ahead of decorating day. Purchase more as needed; plan for approximately one 150-light strand per foot of tree for full coverage.
- Supplies– Wire ornament hooks, floral wire, and wire snips are all important to have handy!
Here is a guide you can pin to save for later reference >>>
2 | Cover The Base
A tree skirt or tree collar is essential for covering your Christmas tree stand and making the final result look polished. I added this as the first decorating step because one-piece tree collars are difficult to add after a tree has been decorated. If you have a simple skirt or a two-piece collar, you can add it at any time.
TIP: For a unique look, consider placing your Christmas tree stand inside a large, pretty planting pot in lieu of a tree skirt or collar!
3 | Shape Your Tree
As far as Christmas tree decorating secrets go, this one is MAJOR.
It is NOT enough to simply take your tree out of storage and get down to business. The flexible branches and stems are easily displaced while in storage, and you absolutely need to plan to spend time making adjustments.
I like to start at the top of the tree and work my way down.
Work from the inside of each branch (near the trunk) down to the tip of the branch, straightening and adjusting each wire to achieve a realistic looking fullness.
This can be hard on your hands, so if you have a big tree, you might want to wear gloves while you work (many high-end trees come with gloves for this reason).
If you have a live tree, you will probably need to do a little shaping as well. Fluff and separate thick branches and trim the lower branches off to create the desired amount of space at the bottom of the tree.
You may also need to trim off any lopsided branches or any rogue parts at the top of the tree that will interfere with your Christmas tree topper.
4 | Get Your LIghts RighT
The lighting on your tree shouldn’t be an afterthought… correctly installed lights make or break the final effect.
Here are a few Christmas tree decorating secrets related to lighting:
Decorate With Lights On
This strategy ensures you can check for even coverage as you go in order to recognize and correct any sections you may have missed before you get too far along.
Work Bottom To Top
This makes it easy to make sure you have enough cord to reach the plug.
Try Different Shapes/Types of Lights
If you want to make your tree extra special, try mixing two different types of lights. Start with a basic warm white, for example. Once the tree is fully lit, come back with a coordinating accent light in a different shape/color.
I love the look of microlights or even a frosted globe with an accent color.
Make Lights The Same Hue or Color
I talk a lot about making sure the light bulbs in your home have matching color temperatures, and this is important with Christmas tree lighting as well. Make sure all the strands you choose for your tree have the same color temperature (all cool white, all warm color, etc.).
Don’t Wrap, Weave!
Do NOT simply walk in a circle around your tree and wrap the lights around the outer part of the branches like Napoleon, here!
You have to WEAVE the lights all the way into the depths of the tree so that it looks lit from within.
Starting at the base of each branch (near the trunk), begin wrapping the strand of lights around the branch, making sure to include some of the larger offshoots as well.
This takes a long time to do and isn’t always easy to remove at the end of the season with a live tree that has dried out, but it is a non-negotiable if you want your tree to look professionally decorated. If you haven’t done this in the past, you will need to purchase more lights than you typically use.
5 | Add Garlands + Ribbons
After stepping back and ensuring that you love how your tree is illuminated, it’s time for garland and/or ribbon.
To start, I suggest that you “choose two“. This can be either Garlands or ribbons, but whichever you choose, select two complimentary styles – one larger and one smaller.
A few decorating secrets for decorating your Christmas tree with garland and/or ribbons:
- Add interest by selecting different colors, textures, and sizes. I especially love soft, knitted pom-poms, wooden beads, and shiny metallics.
- Cut 24″ lengths of your larger ribbon to weave into the branches. You can let smaller, unstructured ribbon cascade down loosely from the top. This post from The Craft Patch breaks down a ton of different ways to incorporate ribbon into your tree if you want to get more help in this department!
- Bulk up a sparse tree by adding 3-4 heavy garlands (like the gilded or berry ones from Hobby Lobby) at a diagonal (tuck it in slightly).
6| Top It Off
There are many, many ways to top off a tree. When I was growing up it was always an angel; now I am obsessed with stars.
If you haven’t mixed up your Christmas tree topper in a while, here are some new ideas to consider!
Christmas Tree Topper Ideas:
- Bundle Of Picks (this is what you’ll often see at home decor or department stores)
- Classic Star or Angel
- Large Ribbon or Bow (decorating with bows is BIG this season, especially in earth-tone velvets)
- Santa Hat
- Family Picture
- Pre-fabricated Tree Topper
Remember to secure your topper well so it doesn’t fall down! Cut the top branch if necessary on a real tree for a perfect fit. Likewise, you can always bend the center of a faux tree.
Also, be sure to place your topper so that it’s slightly nestled down into the upper branches for an integrated look.
Tip: You may have to use some floral wire here to affix it and make sure it stays on straight!
7 | Build The Base
Now it’s finally time for the ornaments.
Oversized Ornaments
Start with 3-5 oversized Items. Typically these are about 18″ in diameter and might include items such as lanterns, figurines, bells, stuffed animals or any other jumbo ornament.
Because they will add visual weight to your display, these elements are usually best placed near the bottom of the tree. Look for empty spaces or holes in a live tree or adjust a faux tree to make a space where you can tuck these large items slightly back toward the trunk.
Attach them well using zip ties or floral wire, depending on how heavy they are.
Large Basic Ornaments
What I mean when I refer as “basic” ornaments are sets of simple balls that set the tone for your tree. These will usually be neutral in color (solid or maybe a subtle pattern) and larger in size (approximately 4-6″ in diameter).
These base ornaments are typically inexpensive to purchase and therefore are a great way to quickly add a new color or texture to your palette.
For example, the “pretty” personal tree I decorate in my home office is decorated with green, neutral, and natural tones to match our home decor. But I could easily make a completely different look by purchasing a set of large blue glass balls and tucking them into the tree behind my existing ornament collection.
These can be sold individually or in sets. I would suggest purchasing 2-3 sets (approximately 12-18) of these larger, basic balls to spread your color foundation throughout the surface of your tree.
Tip: As you work, don’t forget to step back every few minutes to check your spacing and make sure the ornaments are spaced evenly across the height and width of your tree.
8 | Incorporate Nostalgic, Themed + One-of-a-kind Ornaments
Finally, it’s time to give your tree personality! Here is where you add the unique, sentimental ornaments that represent your family and memories OR your fun, themed ornaments that will help tell the story of your designer tree.
A good rule of thumb is to include 10 additional ornaments per foot of tree height for a full feeling.
If you’re just starting your ornament collection, you can definitely get by with less. Or check out garage sales and thrift stores for inexpensive ornaments with added soul.
I found a set of tiny brass ornaments at our local ARC thrift store a few years ago, and once I added my own ribbons to them, they became one of my favorite items to pull out each year!
Pin these steps to use as a reminder for later >>>
Christmas Tree Decorating Tip #2
Be Thoughtful About Ornament Placement
What you decorate with is important, but one of my best Christmas tree decorating secrets is to pay attention to HOW you place the ornaments too. This is just as critical to achieving the “WOW!” you are looking for.
If you’ve ever watched a kid decorate, you know that they simply loop a ribbon on the end of a branch and move on to grabbing the next bauble. No judgment if you still use this strategy too! But professional decorators do it differently.
Here are some techniques you can use to properly attach and place your ornaments and improve the look of your tree,
Hug The Branch
Some ornaments look beautiful hanging delicately from a ribbon, but many (especially balls and larger ornaments) look better when affixed tightly to the branch. Less dangling means they are more secure, and you are better able to control the final placement this way.
Simply run a straightened wire hook through the loop at the top of your ornament then fold it in half and twist it so that the top of the ornament fist snugly against the branch.
Fill Holes
If you have a natural tree, chances are that there are some uneven areas. Pay extra attention to these areas when you start decorating, and choose larger ornaments to fill these open spots. You can also place smaller “dangly” ornaments so that they fall into open spaces where they can be seen and admired.
Consider Safety
If you have children or pets, make sure that any breakable ornaments are placed higher up on the tree.
It is also wise to attach these ornaments directly to the branch (as mentioned above). Rather than letting them rest at the end of a branch (where they might be more likely to slip off), tuck them in further toward the trunk.
Flip Your Ornaments
A decorator hack I recently saw is to flip your ball ornaments upside down so that they are resting ON TOP of the branch rather than hanging below it. This creates a beautiful effect, as if they are floating. Attach tightly with floral wire or a wire ornament hook.
Go Vertical
Long, elegant ornaments look pretty on the tips of branches. Make sure to select some long, thin shapes (such as icicles) for these areas.
Spread Out Accent Colors
If you have contrasting colors in your color palette, assess whether there is an even distribution of all colors across the surface area of your tree. Add or subtract as necessary to achieve balance.
Christmas Tree Decorating Tip #3
Incorporate Non-Ornaments
The final item on my list of Christmas tree decorating secrets is this: make your tree stand out with some unexpected non-ornament touches.
There are SO many creative ways to decorate a lovely Christmas tree. Use your imagination this year and go beyond the bulbs with one of these additions to your tree decor:
Faux Taper Candles
This one is trending right now and my heart says a big YES PLEASE! These are easy to add to your existing ornaments and add a romantic, old-world touch.
Velvet Ribbon Bows
Whether simply tied onto a branch or purchased as a ready-t-hang set, bows are a sweet and simple addition to update your Christmas tree this year.
Paper Crafts
I purchased a foldable paper star (bottom right) last year and loved how it looked hanging on my mantle.
Here is a similar set I found on Etsy that I am thinking about adding to my tree this year.
You can also hang book pages, family photo printouts, paper chains, or handmade snowflakes.
Food
Dried Fruit, especially cranberries and citrus fruits, make beautiful and natural looking garlands or ornaments. Popcorn garlands are traditional and creating them can be a fun family activity! I have also seen some cute edible decorations including hard candies or individually wrapped candy canes.
Picture Frames
You can attach small picture frames with favorite black and white family photos to the branches using floral wire. These are great substitutes for your large or XL decorations and frames fill holes nicely!
Faux Flowers
Simply twisting festive faux flower stems to the ends of branches is a fun way to incorporate your color palette into the tree in an unexpected way.
And there you have it; a few of my favorite decorating secrets for creating an epic designer-style Christmas tree.
Do you have any more tree-decorating tips I should know about? Disagree with my “order of operations”? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
For more holiday decorating content, visit my other posts in this series:
- How to Style a Christmas Bar Cart
- Make Memories With An Easy Holiday Coffee + Hot Cocoa Bar
- My Top Tips For Simple Holiday Decorating
Thanks for checking out this article; I’m so happy you’re here!
xoxo,
PS: When it’s time to put it all away, we need all the help we can get, right?!? I recently contributed to a Rent.com roundup of winter decoration storage tips to help you deal with the post-holiday cleanup when the time comes. Check out this valuable list of tips to get some ideas (mine is Christmas-tree related and is one of my favorite cheat-codes for lazy-girl decoration storage).
