Christmas Tree Decorating... what's the key?

B00!

Just how do you make your trees look so nice? All week, I am struggling with lights and ribbon placement and :mad: oh,em,gee why is it so hard to make the tree presentable?

Is there some trick or formula I am missing? ...seriously.

:mad: ! Pinterest is NOT helping! :eek:! :rolleyes:

baby and crumble

TBH I just get it to look festive and leave it.

Too much tinkering to make it look "Perfect" takes away the joy.

Maybe my tree isn't perfect but it's perfect to me so I'm happy.

LaChatteGitane

I start with the lights. The more lights the better. Plug them in and squint your eyes. :pac: This to see if they are spread out evenly. Adjust if necessary.
Then I add the tinsel/garlands and I push them in quite far into the tree.
Hang the most precious baubles first in pride of place. Fill up the tree with other ornaments. The best way I have found is to hang them one kind or type after the other, spreading out the colours and textures as you go along.
Lastly I add a few bow ties.

Crazyteacher

I switch off the dinning room lights and look at the reflection on the window to see if the lights look even. The trick with baubles is to start with the larger baubles at the bottom and use the smaller ones at the top. Depending on your colour scheme( now I have a lot of different colours) I stand back every so often to make sure the colours are mixed well. I put some of the older sentimental ornaments in view at the centre of the tree so they can be seen. Lost my bows so now it's just fake springs of berries placed evenly in the branches.

French_Girl

Ah, I feel ya, BOO!

I've put my tree up good 2 weeks ago but I keep going back to it thinking it's just not... 100% yet!
Like something's not quite there.

This year I've put the lights on first but TBH, I normally leave them until the very end when all the baubles and ornaments are all in place and I'm 100% happy with it.
Don't know why, I'm probably the only one doing it as I know most of you put the lights on first (and I admit, it makes perfect sense), but I usually do it this way.
Anyway, I've put them on first this year and somehow don't find them to be "fitting" all that well.
The struggle is real.

And you're right, Pinterest does not help in the least, ha!

Cortina_MK_IV

When we were small something was added to the tree every year so you couldn't really see the tree. Last year we (my daughter did it actually) went minimal with one long set of lights, and I think only 2 types of decorations instead of sticking everything and anything on it and a star on top.

Something like this.

screamer

my formula is lights first then ribbon/ tinsel then baubles.
with the lights I run them top to bottom in horizontal lines then I place a couple of the smaller sets in inverted Vs across the top of the tree and down the sides and front. This helps to make more defined shapes with the lights.
I tend to stick to 2 to 3 colours for all the decs too and I add ribbon/ tinsel in slanted horizontal lines.

eoinzy2000

Let the children do it. They usually grab all and everything and place it randomly on the tree. It gives way more joy to all than faffing about trying to make it look pretty. You'll always have the 'the children did it, isn't it brilliant' excuse then.

B00!

Thank you all! Excellent advice! Appreciate it so much!

B00!

fourth time re-doing the tree... must get it done before company arrives

Grid.

Don't stress over it B00.....here's an idea!:D:p

B00!

:eek: that ^ looks better than my tree!!!!

(it's pretty bad when you'd rather clean the bathroom than :rolleyes: try to deco the tree... it may be hopeless)

B00!

French_Girl wrote: »

Ah, I feel ya, BOO!

I've put my tree up good 2 weeks ago but I keep going back to it thinking it's just not... 100% yet!
Like something's not quite there.

This year I've put the lights on first but TBH, I normally leave them until the very end when all the baubles and ornaments are all in place and I'm 100% happy with it.
Don't know why, I'm probably the only one doing it as I know most of you put the lights on first (and I admit, it makes perfect sense), but I usually do it this way.
Anyway, I've put them on first this year and somehow don't find them to be "fitting" all that well.
The struggle is real.

And you're right, Pinterest does not help in the least, ha!

Actually, this is working for me! wrapped ribbon around the tree and LIGHTS LAST, since I dont have that many lights to begin with, perfect solution French_Girl! Thank you!

French_Girl

B00! wrote:

Actually, this is working for me! wrapped ribbon around the tree and LIGHTS LAST, since I dont have that many lights to begin with, perfect solution French_Girl! Thank you!

Awww, I'm happy my long ranty post was good for something!

Honestly, BOO I'm sure by this point you've perfected your tree to the absolute best!!!

2 hrs to midnight and then it's just 10 days to Christmas!
OMG, 10 days.

B00!

My christmas tree looks like it's trying too hard. Like a tomboy that doesnt fit into lace and high heels. hmmph


...why is this so friggin difficult, arrrrggggggh... seventh try. I am ready to throw in the towel.

Posy

Are you sure you're not just being a perfectionist?
Sometimes we'll love everybody else's trees and feel that our own needs more lights/the decorations are awful/the ribbon is crooked when it's probably lovely to the average outsider.

Seven tries!!?
What lights and decorations are you using? What type of tree is it?? Could you post a picture so we can advise/critique?

B00!

Posy wrote: »

Are you sure you're not just being a perfectionist?
Sometimes we'll love everybody else's trees and feel that our own needs more lights/the decorations are awful/the ribbon is crooked when it's probably lovely to the average outsider.

Seven tries!!?
What lights and decorations are you using? What type of tree is it?? Could you post a picture so we can advise/critique?

...normally, I would say yes to being a perfectionist, but this is just very bad.
...yup, the ribbon is defo an issue
...seven is an underestimate at this point

I don't have photo ability on my flip-phone, but thanks all the same!
Basically, it's a skinny apartment 6 foot artificial tree. I have 50 white tiny twinkle lights, 20 vintage icicles, 8 clear glass balls, 5 frosted baubles, 4 jingle bells, 3 acrylic snowflakes, 2 gold glittered stars and a partridge topping the blasted treeeeee. (all very colourless ornaments, actually)

Thick clear silvery wire ribbon that I made a bow on top and tried cascading down the tree, like pinterest says is all the rage - yeah no, looked more like a poofy gown. So instead, I try making fancy bows to use as ornaments, then it looks like I just stuck some bows from the packages on the tree - pitiful. Then I try wrapping the tree in ribbon and there is no way to make those angles symetrical and not look a mess (this is where it stands today, awful). No matter what pinterest shows, ribbons do not work as tree attire. :eek:

I tried the no ribbon approach with just put ornaments. It looked very random, unappealing and unfinished.

Thanks for trying to help, but at this point, it's becoming a lost cause. The tree is :rolleyes: mocking me and.... we are not amused. :mad: