Are you already thinking about how you’ll be decorating your Christmas tree this year? Because I am, and if you’re anything like me you like to make your Christmas tree the centerpiece of your December decor.
If you're aiming to make your tree bigger and better this year, there’s a DIY hack that’s gone down a storm on social media and it’s all about getting your tree - artificial or real - to look taller, fuller, and more impressive by simply creating a stand for it. The best part? It can also double up as a ledge to style your gifts on to achieve that organized, layered look this festive season. Both your tree and your gifts will look picture-perfect.
Here I talk you through the steps involved, and if festive DIY really isn't your thing, I spoke with one expert who gave me his Christmas decorating tips to make sure your tree looks fantastic even without a stand! Here's what you need to know.
Content creator El Peterson (@elpetersondesign), who is all about utilizing the high-low mix to create a beautiful Christmassy home, shared this inventive hack in a recent Instagram post, and I love the way it instantly elevates the look of her tree. The idea is to create a simple box stand from dark-painted wood on which you can put your tree to make it look taller. ‘It adds about a foot to the overall height and also allows more room for Christmas presents,’ she says in the post.
This is the added bonus - more space for presents. Instead of spreading them all out on the floor, you can layer them on two levels, creating a more organized, styled, and thought-through display for that picture-perfect Christmas tree look.
If you don’t feel like DIY-ing, try this instead
If building a stand is not something you’re keen to try, you can still make sure you have a beautiful, impressive-looking tree. The trick is to get it looking as thick and 'fluffed up' as possible, be that an artificial Christmas tree or a real one. It will then be able to properly support a maximalist approach with the ornaments.
‘The tree takes pride of place in homes up and down the country at Christmas time,' says Christmas decorating expert of Balsam Hill, Mac Harman. 'To get your tree looking bigger and more impressive, I would always recommend spending a decent amount of time “fluffing” your tree. This means teasing out each branch and twig so that it reaches its full potential - but there really is an art to it!’
To get started, Mac recommends wearing gloves when fluffing your branches to protect both your tree and your hands. ’Starting at the bottom of your tree from the back of each branch (closest to the trunk), stagger each twig and sprig so that it is offset from the one before, pointing in a different direction to those immediately around it,' he says. 'If you have a large, artificial, tree that comes in parts, I suggest “fluffing” the topmost section before putting the tree up.' Another top tip from the expert is to tie the branches you aren’t working on up with ribbon so they don’t get in your way.
Now if you really want to go all out, why don’t you build your stand, and use Mac’s method, to create a perfect foundation for a perfectly decorated tree? This year's Christmas living room decor will be unmatched.
Price: $409.99
If you don't have a high enough tree, put it on a box stand to elevate it, and layer the gifts underneath too.
