Decorating the Perfect Christmas Tree

After you have decided on the type of Christmas tree for your home, there is still one last step you need to take care of: decorating the tree. As anyone that has ever decorated a tree can tell you, this is often one of the more time consuming (though still enjoyable) parts of getting your home ready for Christmas.

While decorating the perfect Christmas tree is a largely subjective experience, there are a few pretty decent guidelines that can be used to help you out. Just use these simple guidelines and you are going to be able to create a Christmas tree unique to you.

• Location. Begin decorating the perfect Christmas tree by placing the tree in the location that you have picked out. Make sure that it is in a location that is going to be both eye catching and yet far enough away from the wall that you can easily reach all parts of the tree. Simply by keeping the tree from touching the walls, and you should be good to go.
• Lights and garland. Since the method for hanging lights and garland are the same, both are covered in this step. Start hanging the lights and garland at the top of the tree and work your way towards the bottom, weaving in and out among the branches. When hanging your lights, use the shorter strands to avoid a "cluttered" look, and be able to truly customize the look of your tree.
• Placement. Begin placing your decorations on the tree by working from the inside out, top to bottom. Begin placing your ornaments with the larger ornaments near the bottom of the tree, and slowly decreasing the size of the ornaments as you proceed towards the top of the tree, again working from the inside of the tree towards the outside. Avoid clumping the ornaments on either one side of the tree or in one area of the tree. Doing this helps to add a perception of "depth" for the ornaments.
• Types of ornaments. As you are hanging the ornaments make sure that you arrange the ornaments in a manner that is going to mix special, unique or themed ornaments along with the "filler" or standard ornaments that you can find everywhere else. A good ratio for mixing the special ornaments along with the regular ornaments is roughly ten to fifteen special ornaments every two feet of tree. When you are placing the ornaments on the tree, try to mix up the colors as much as you possibly can to avoid a perception of the tree being lopsided.

Finally, when you are finished hanging the lights and decorations, it is time to place the tree accessories such as a tree skirt. Before you place any accessories, make sure that your accessories are going to properly match with the rest of your theme of decorations. As you begin accessorizing your tree, keep in mind that this is an area that the only limitation is your imagination—have fun.