OH, THAT CHRISTMAS TREE!

BY CHARITY & SUSAN BISHOP

For me, Christmas isn't just about throwing ornaments onto a tree and tossing packages underneath. I want to sell it. I want it to look awesome, like something you would see in a winter catalogue. 

There are two kinds of trees: Color Coordinated, and Anything Goes.

The first kind ("Color Coordinated") is the kind you see in show homes and the houses of perfectionists (me!), which means that a color theme was chosen and all of the ornaments, glass balls, and the angel/star on the very top match. My personal style is gold and burgundy; I have little golden balls of different textures and themes, and larger, darker glass ornaments and balls with golden accents. My mom has more of a country theme to her tree, which means she decorates with more ornaments, painted wooden beads, and little teddy bears.

The second ("Anything Goes") is more like you'll find in the majority of homes, a hodge-podge of ornaments passed down over the years and recently added, with no color or theme to it beyond chaos. This tree is the easiest to put together because you don't have to stick to a pattern, but you can often overwhelm the space with too many ornaments. Try thinning them out once in awhile, or hanging ornaments from a wire in a corner, to spread the Christmas spirit around. Remember, you want to have room for ribbons, and you want to see a bit of green too!

Use Ribbon On Your Tree.

If this hasn't occurred to you yet, go for it. Ribbon is fairly inexpensive, but make sure to buy the wide brand, not the kind you would use to tie back your hair. Then thread it through the tree in a diagonal pattern to create interest (that way the glass balls and ornaments have something to contrast with). You can do one ribbon, or two, but you will have to play with it awhile. It's rare that you can put it on once and pronounce it perfect. If you have to do it several times, that's fine. Don't stress, just be creative!

Silk Flowers.

Sometimes trees can look a little sparse, but I discovered a "trick." This time of the year your local craft store has lots of silk flowers at half price. Get the ones that are big and if they come in a clump, take tin snips and cut the flowers off the clump. Leave the stems fairly long.

The best way to put them in is to lay some in the front, some farther in. You shouldn't have any trouble getting them to stay on the branch, but if you do, use twist ties or unwind a paper clip and wrap it around the stem and branch. Put in as little or many flowers as you like. It definitely fills in the tree and adds depth!

Try and use non-breakable ornaments.

Particularly around kids and pets. Cats love to play with glass balls, and kids can break them, too. Hang more breakable ones higher and further in the tree, so if they do fall they'll hit soft branch bristles and hopefully not shatter on their long trip down. Avoid hanging these ornaments on the very tips of branches. With plastic trees, bend up the branch just slightly to anchor it in place, and make sure to squeeze the ornament hook tight. You'll have less ornaments falling off.

Twinkle Lights.

Heather says white lights are best, and I agree with her. For one thing, they go with whatever theme you are going with, rather than competing and/or clashing with your ornaments. You want enough lights (my tree takes three different strings) to make an impression, but not so many that it overwhelms the room.

Invest in a tree skirt.

Choose something that isn't too gaudy but compliments your style preferences. You might not think it's worth it, but trust me, it is. There's nothing uglier than the tree stand with its metal legs. A tree skirt tucks in over them, and provides a circular base to set presents on. Consider not only the tree, but your flooring. I have soft-toned hardwood floors in my house. A pale tree skirt would disappear, so I chose something bold.

Other Tips & Suggestions.

Avoid putting garland on trees. It just looks like too much -- "it's big, bulky, and just plain ugly" (Heather). Garland is best for mantelpieces, centerpieces, and winding around staircase railings.

Avoid gaudy "frosting" for trees. You've seen that stuff. It comes in big packages and is nothing more than tiny slips of glittery paper. It gets twisted in the vacuum hose, tracked all over the house by pets and cats (because it's so static that it sticks to everything) and just looks cheap. Don't do it.

Popcorn strings. This is an AWESOME idea if you have more of a country theme to your tree, but won't work if you have color coordinated decorations or go with two different color schemes. Make sure to make real popcorn, not the stuff that comes in bags -- you don't want butter of any kind on it. Use a long, fairly thick needle and strong string that isn't going to snap the first time it catches on a tree branch. Kari says that if properly stored, the same strand can be used for several years. She also suggests painting a handful of wooden beads and inserting them on the string sporadically to look like cranberries.

Walnuts. Kari's mom had a fantastic idea one Christmas... she glazed a bunch of walnuts (in the shell!) and glued loops and red ribbon to the tops, so she could hang them in the tree.

Bows. You can by bunches of cloth bows at craft stores fairly cheap this time of year, and use them like you would flower heads in the tree. Just make sure not to use too many -- you want the illusion of childish sophistication, not that you like bows so much that you never use anything else. They can be any color you want, but the most striking ones are gold, silver, or burgundy. They really look pretty among the lights.

Home-manufactured tree skirts. Beth says, "If you don't have a tree skirt, use a holiday or lace table cloth. If you use a lace table cloth, or are worried about seeing the tree stand, think about layering it over another fabric for contrast."