Festive decor is as varied as your imagination – essentially, if you can dream it up, you can do it! The Christmas tree, the Christmas lights, and the actual Christmas decorations are the three cornerstones of decorating for Christmas. There is so much you can do in and around your house to make things look festive – all it takes is a little ingenuity! A lush garland draped around the mantel, festooning the bannister or even framing a door already adds astounding visual impact. Add to this a wreath over the door, and a few choice Christmas tree decorations, and you are ready for guests! With a small amount of elbow grease, you could be well on your way to DIY-ing a Christmas setup to be proud of.
I need help planning my Christmas tree
Culturally, thanks to movies and children’s stories, we are conditioned to want a perfect, colourful, perfectly symmetrical Christmas tree, but in reality, over perfection is overrated. Slight imperfection gives the tree character, which is probably also why there has been a spike in interest in handmade Christmas tree decorations in recent years. A little bit of charm goes a long way in making your tree characterful and warm, and different from the rows and rows of shopfront trees and artificial decor. Use your favourite colours and materials when planning your tree, and it will magically align with your preferences and personality!
Are lights on the tree too much?
Never! In addition to a set of ornaments that you love, and a few strings of Christmas lights to your tree. You can make your garland in such a way that whatever theme you chose for your tree, to pull the look through to all your decor elements, and to create a cohesive theme.
The top of the tree is up to you. Some people are angel people, while others like the star. Whichever you choose, make sure to balance it with the rest of your ornaments to create balance in your tree, and to prevent it from toppling over.
But it’s a lot of work to make my own decorations!
It need not be! If you have the right tools to help you out a couple of things together, the job can be done quickly and easily – and you might even have fun doing it! Consider supplies like gloves, scissors, tape, pliers, and wire to help you put a few magical creations together for your masterpiece. Don’t forget a stepladder, or even a sturdy chair, to help you reach high places!
If you have an artificial tree, make sure you remember to fluff out the branches before putting it up. Not only does this create a warmer, lusher look, and will help it to look more similar to a natural tree. Take care to separate all the wire branches to create an even spread of foliage and to fill in all gaps. No one likes a skinny tree, so fluff those branches for maximum volume!
All Christmas trees are not equal
Far from having to look like the Christmas trees from children’s books, it is perfectly possible to create a classy, artful Christmas tree without falling into the pitfalls of cheesy cliche. Decorating a Christmas tree is the perfect time to bring your latent creativity to life, think about what themes you would like to portray, and let your personal touch come through! Don’t feel bound by traditional colour schemes either – there is so much more to Christmas than just making everything red and green!
Although just to be clear – if you like red and green, that is a different story! The bottom line is authenticity. If you are a traditionalist, and red and green Christmas decor makes you happy, you should absolutely go with what you love. If a champagne and silver theme is more your style, you should go with that, and honestly – if a tropical-themed Christmas is what makes you happy, there is literally no one who is going to stop you from pursuing that theme! Christmas is a time to let your hair down with the family, so decorate that house in a way you like, cook food that you enjoy, and enjoy the fruits of your labour in the company of those you love.
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