Do you have a specific approach when it comes to how you decorate your Christmas tree? If you're aiming to create the picture perfect tree, whether real or faux, it takes a little more planning than simply throwing whatever Christmas decorations you have at it and hoping for the best.
While there are plenty of Christmas tree ideas out there to inspire how you decorate, there are some generic tips that can be used no matter what style of tree you're looking to create.
I'm an interior stylist, and I'm answering the questions: what order should you decorate in? How do you get an even spread of ornaments? What am I missing that's making my tree look bare? With this guide, you can get the order down, for easier Christmas tree decorating from here on out.
What order do you decorate a Christmas tree in?
If you want your best chance of building a cohesive, balanced Christmas decorating scheme for your tree, break down your decorations into categories, and take a systematic approach, as detailed below, unless your decorating a Christmas tree with no ornaments:
- Lights
- Garlands
- Large decorations
- Plain ornaments
- Special ornaments
- Sprays and filler foliage
There's one step you need to take after getting a tree out of the box and decorating it, however. "When it comes to the actual decorating, if it’s an artificial tree, really take time to fluff out every single branch," says David Lawson, Christmas tree designer and founder of David Lawson Design. "It’s not the most fun process but makes the world of difference to the end result."
Ready then? Let's get started.
1. Start with the lights
"After fluffing, it’s on to the lights," David says. "I always start at the bottom and work my way up." Of course, where possible, opting for a pre-lit Christmas tree is a huge time-saver, especially when it comes to untangling lighting before you can add them on.
There are a few Christmas light hacks you can try. Generally, I use the zig-zag method for how to put lights on a Christmas tree, but some people swear by the idea of putting them around the core of the trunk for a fuller look. Experiment first before you've put any ornaments on.
2. Next, add garlands
Garlands aren't just for your fireplace when it comes to Christmas living room decor. Whether garlands, ribbon or tinsel, this category relates to those long pieces of decoration that need to be wrapped around the tree. It's important to get these in place first, as you want them to set the tone for the structure of your Christmas tree decorations, rather than having to navigate it around other ornaments.
Price: $9.99
I picked up these Scandi wooden bead garlands to bring some form to this tree.
3. Hang your larger scale decorations
Next up, we can start to layer in our larger decorations. You might not have as oversized ones as the wood-effect starts, from Amazon, I included on this tree, but it's a good idea to start from the largest to smallest so that you can map out the most dominating elements of the design early on.
In some instances, you might want larger decorations at the bottom of the tree, gradually getting smaller as they move on up, while other times, you'll want to spread them across the tree from bottom to top. The zig zag technique works in this instance, too — you'll want to avoid symmetry, but have the eye travel up the tree with your larger decorations.
Price: $18.99
I bought these wood-effect stars from Amazon to decorate this Christmas tree and was impressed by the quality.
4. Work through to smaller, plainer ornaments
Before you go gung-ho with your other ornaments, break down your baubles into some sub-categories:
- Plain and fillers
- Matching sets with a little more design pizzazz
- Special one-offs
First we're going to introduce that middle section of the more recognizable ornaments that you have in multiples, balancing them across the tree. Then move onto the plains, or the filler baubles, that you have in even greater numbers, again working to fill it out.
Once you've started to fill out the tree, take a step back — don't worry too much about gaps right now, and don't overfill your tree at this point. You've still got some extras to add in that you'll want to leave room for.
5. Keep the most special ornaments until last
David Lawson recommends leaving that third category, your very best Christmas tree decorations, until last. "I’ll add the most special ones at the very end so you can choose really prime locations for them," the Christmas tree designer tells me.
6. Introduce sprays and filler foliage
Picks, also known as sprays, are a great way to fill out when decorating a Christmas tree, David says. "I’ll finish off by adding foliage, hazel branches, grapevine etc to add texture and visual interest," he explains.
The great thing about these is their point of entry into the tree is very narrow, but they add a sense of volume that can be used to fill out any gaps left when fluffing, too. Gypsophila Christmas trees are a trending idea too, and this budget-friendly floral can be used to make even a sparse tree seem fuller.
7. Finishing touches
Always take a step back, and look at your tree from various angles, especially any that are going to be regularly seen by guests.
Once you've happy with the final layout, it's time to add your tree topper, and something to disguise the base. It could be a pot or basket, a tree skirt, or you could simply surround it with wrapped gifts.
FAQs
What goes on the Christmas tree first?
The age-old question, what goes on the Christmas tree first? Unless you have a pre-lit tree the first thing to go should be the lights, then once you are happy with how they are arranged go in with the larger ornaments, keeping the majority of them closer to the trunk of the tree.
Then hang the heaviest to ensure they get the strongest branches. Then layer up the medium-sized and small ornaments before saving the best till last so all your favorites go pride of place. Just follow this step-by-step and you won't go wrong...
