This year I find myself sharing my tree with another and I will admit that the joy of being completely selfish regarding Christmas decorations was one of my favourite things about living alone. So I find myself needing to accommodate someone else’s precious Christmas memories in to my perfectly matching tree and I imagine I’m not alone. So how do you create a successful and tasteful exhibition of festivity at home whilst accommodating all yours (and everyone else’s) sentimental ornaments? In short; you don’t try! It’s your home and it’s your Christmas so it should reflect you and yours – do what makes you sublimely happy and to hell with what House Beautiful tells you (no offence, I dearly love House Beautiful!)
If, however, you are just about to get in the loft and bring the deccies down and want some pointers, here are a few things I try to do to help make it look (sort of) considered:
Tree placement
First thing’s first – where to put the tree. The hallway is a great option for a warm and welcoming entrance to your home if you have the space, it’s so nice on these dark and cold days to come home to that special glow of fairy lights. Put the lights on a timer so they come on just as you get home from work.
If like me your hallway doesn’t accommodate a tree you might want to consider the living room. My favourite thing is to switch the lights on as soon as I come down of a morning and drink my morning cuppa under fairy lights, it’s so indulgent somehow to have all the opulence of a Christmas tree, twinkly lights and sparkly ornaments in your living room that this is the spot for me. This does usually involve a small amount of furniture shifting and I like mine to be near the window so I can see it when I get home (as with the hallway option, put a timer on so they are not left on when not at home). Just remember before you start rearranging your living room to check where your plug sockets are and if you have enough available to not overload them by adding additional wattage.
Tree decorating
Lights:
If you have an artificial tree then make your life easier and get a pre lit one, it was the best investment I have ever made (relative to Christmas decorations, not in life in general) If you have a real tree and need to do the lights then these should be the first thing you put on the tree and don’t forget to keep turning them on as you go to check you are happy with the distribution of lights – there’s nothing worse than the dreaded dark spot when you’ve finished and have to take everything off and start again!
Tinsel:
I’m not a tinsel person (not that there’s anything wrong with tinsel – I just can’t stand the feel of it so I don’t put it on my tree as that would involve touching it) If you do partake in tinsel, put this on after the lights. I’d recommend getting different thicknesses of tinsel and use the thinner type near the top and the thicker type nearer the bottom, wrap it around in a spiral from top to bottom for an even distribution.
Baubles/ornaments:
If you need to accommodate some none matching items (as above) you can either dot them about and let them mingle in and around all the matching stuff or you can group together and make a feature of the story they tell. I’m of the grouping persuasion – I group vertically right down the front and centre of the tree; don’t worry too much about colour or texture…size is the key!
Balancing the look of the ornaments is fairly straightforward, just think of it as stacking blocks: put the largest baubles at the bottom and work your way up using ornaments of a decreasing size up to the top.
Tree toppers:
Angel or star? Well this really should be anything you like in my opinion - I have a big gold crown on the top of my tree and a friend of mine adorns the top of hers with a Dolly Parton angel. It’s your home, your Christmas and your tree, it should look like it!
Other decorations
I like to keep it simple outside of the tree – mainly because cleaning around a load ornaments in one of the busiest months of the year is too much of a task for me, but again if you want decorations in every room of the house then go for it. The quickest and simplest way to add Christmas sparkle is of course with fairy lights. You can even get some battery operated ones to add sparkle to your bathroom should you wish. Tinsel or a garland wrapped around the staircase or fireplace is always festive and if all else fails get the mulled wine going and the smell will instantly fill your home with Christmas cheer!
Merry Christmas everyone