How to Decorate Your Tree

How to decorate your tree is a page full of tips and tricks to getting your tree loaded with ornaments and lights and not having it look too bare or too full. (is there such a thing?)

How Many Ornaments to Use

A small tree looks best with small ornaments.
A large tree looks best with large ornaments.

4 foot tree: 50-75 ornaments
6-1/2 foot tree: 100-150 ornaments
7-1/2 foot tree: 175-250 ornaments
8-1/2 foot tree: 300-400 ornaments

Use approximately 10 foot of garland per foot of tree.
A small tree calls for a smaller diameter of garland than a larger tree.

Personalized Family Ornaments has a wide selection of ornaments large and small.

How Many Lights to Use

Take time to look over each strand of lights before you put them onto the tree. A small crack in the wire coating could spell danger.

A quick quide:
6-1/2 foot tree: 500 lights
7-1/2 foot tree: 1000 lights
8-1/2 foot tree: 1500 lights

Those numbers represent a typical lighting set up.
I personally like my tree to glow from the inside out and would easily double or triple those amounts!

Putting on the Lights

Lights are the first thing you put on your tree.
I like to have the lights plugged in while placing them, that way I know they work.

Lighting for a fresh cut tree:
Put on jersey gloves or a pair of old gloves.
Start at the bottom of the tree and work your way up.
Weave the lights in towards the trunk and out towards the branch tip.
Continue along until you've reached the top.
It takes a lot more lights at the bottom than it does the top.

Lighting for an artificial tree:
These are by far the easiest to put lights on.
Put the first layer of bottom branches into the trunk.
Now lay the lights onto those branches fanning them out from the center to the ends of the branches.
Insert the next layer of branches into the trunk and again lay the lights onto the branches you just put in.
Continue assembly and lighting until you reach the top.

Add the Ornaments

If you have small children or pets put fragile ornaments at the top of the tree out of their reach.

When placing ornaments try not to clump them together.

Tuck ornaments into the branches so that they peek out at you, but don't bury them so far into the tree that they are hard to find.

Larger ornaments should go in towards the trunk, smaller ones out near the tips.

Using Garland

If you use foil garland, it should be strung around the tree, not up and down.
Drape it gently around, don't wrap it too tightly.

Ribbon can be used to flow from the top of the tree down.

Additional Ornaments

A Tree Topper traditionally gets place on after all other decorations. It can be an angel, teddy bear, a star or any other object your family decides on.

Bows can be used on the tips of the branches, at the point where the garland meets the branches or in any bare spots.

Tips and Tricks

Use gloves to protect your hands while decorating the tree

Does your tree fall over every year?
Use a clean 5 gallon paint bucket to place your tree in. Set rocks from your yard into the bucket to hold the tree upright. You can use gift wrap or a sheet to hide the bucket!
Your kids will love this as it gets the tree up off the ground so more presents fit under it! Also if you have a fresh cut tree you don't have to water it as often.

I hope you have enjoyed these How to Decorate your tree tips.