Once you have your Christmas lights and garland in place, begin fluffing and arranging the boughs on the Christmas tree. This is especially important if you have an artificial tree, because branches can become bent and look less realistic. Once the tree is appropriately shaped, you can begin adding ornaments.
Sort through your ornaments and set aside any that need hooks. It is always a good idea to have extra hooks on hand for ornaments or for use with creative decorations.
Check for cracks and scratches on glass or ceramic ornaments. Throw away any that are not in good shape if they cannot be repaired or touched up. If you don’t have a lot of ornaments, you can fill in bare patches with other decorations.
Many people don’t have a large collection of ornaments to choose from, especially young couples and new families. That’s okay. You can add pretty bows, tiny boxes wrapped to look like gifts, or candy canes for extra decorations. Then just add a few new ornaments or a new set to your collection each year. You can ask friends or relatives if they’d like to trade decorations, if you’re simply bored with what you have.
Many families enjoy decorating the tree randomly, placing ornaments wherever they are pleasing to the eye. There is nothing wrong with random placement, but it is a good idea to step back every so often and make sure that ornaments are not gathered too closely together. It also helps to make sure there are not too many ornaments of one color or one size all grouped together. You can simply make a few adjustments as you go.
When you have all the ornaments in place, stand back once again and take it all in. When the decorations are arranged to your satisfaction, you can begin adding tinsel, or “icicles” if desired. Top your beautiful Christmas tree off with a lighted star or any other favorite tree topper.
*Please check back for more ornament and decoration ideas.