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Christmas

Christmas tree decorations.

29 replies

50shadesofknackered · 30/07/2013 17:08

What colours do you use when you decorate your christmas tree? I'm thinking of buying a bigger tree, the kind that look like they have frost on them. I need some inspiration, we always tend to go for the same colours and I want something different. So do you have a colour scheme or do you go crazy and use all colours? I would love a real tree but think I will wait till dd2 is a bit older as I don't want pines stuck in feet or mouths!

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curiousgeorgie · 30/07/2013 17:30

I have 3 trees.. Sort of 4 I guess.

The living room tree is a big tree decorated with red and gold decorations, bells, strings of red and gold beads and lots of tiny decorations that look like toys (gisella graham style) and a gold star on top.

The playroom has a black tree that's decorated with lots of pink decoration, pink tinsel, and all the pink snugly bunnies and mice that my daughters had / have as babies tucked into the branches with just the heads and arms showing, and a pink angel on top.

The third tree is in my dining room and is decorated with lots of colours... Blue, red, purple, green, turquoise and hot pink, with less traditional decorations like feathers and tiny cupcakes etc.

The 4th 'tree' is (in our old house) outside and was always there, though in our new house we are planning to plant one in time, and is decorated with only lights, about 20 gold stars, with a larger one on top and our house number in a large gold number... (Have to buy a new number too!!)

I only use white lights on all the trees and two or three strings per tree.

God I love Christmas Grin

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Witt · 30/07/2013 18:11

We only have one tree. I decorate it with olive green and silver coloured decorations. We have some little mirrored glitter balls, pine cones with glittery tips, baubles in green and silver and some glass decorations. We also have a green gisella graham fairy for the top (which I got last year after reading a Christmas thread Smile )

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attheendoftheday · 30/07/2013 20:10

We go for a Scandinavian look. We don't have any baubles or tinsel, we have wooden, felt and wicker decorations from when I lived in Finland, with a bunch of homemade ones added in and white lights.

I'm tempted to hang baubles in the window, though.

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attheendoftheday · 30/07/2013 20:14

Oh, and we have a red fairy at the top. I'm looking for a new tree topper, though. I'm not wild about stars or angels, really I'd like a sun. If anyone sees any interesting tree toppers please let me know!

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HopeForTheBest · 30/07/2013 20:19

We have a live tree every year; going to choose it is one of my favourite pre-Christmas activities (we do it 2nd week of December or thereabouts).

I decorate it with white lights and a few silver / glass baubles, and then my (ever growing) collections of fairies, angels and tiny birds, all in different colours, dotted around the tree.

No tinsel, instead I have those hanging beads in silver and a little bit of angels' hair.

The whole thing is then brought together with various natural items like pine cones, thistles etc. which I collect throughout the autumn and either use as-is, or spray white or silver.

The look is very "fairytale magic" rather than kitsch, somehow it works really well!

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 30/07/2013 20:26

I bought a pre-lit tree in 2011 and it's okay but not a substitute for a real tree. In 2011 it arrived about 4 days before Christmas so it was a late assembly and decorate effort. Plus my tree stand didn't fit it so I had to bulk the trunk out with cardboard and paper to make it stand up.

Last year was better because DH found an ancient heavy tree stand in our shed and I spent longer fluffing the branches and added more lights.
IIRC my tree in 2010 was £50 and not brilliant (lots of gappy bits and though it didn't needledrop, it was a shame to throw it out)

My decorations are all the traditional colours. No pink/teal/lilac here. Trees in green only .
I like clear lights but I do have a string of tiny coloured ones for the kitchen.

I have silver/white/clear glass
Gold/bronze
Traditional (the red/gold/green) Father Christmas/Snowman, teddy bears,

I change the colour schemes for the rooms but I keep in a colour 'theme'.
The tree has all our glass decorations, some are over 23 years old.
The fireplace has a mantle drape and all the candles (flameless if they are near decorations).
We've got an outdoor tree. This year I'll put some baubles on it and put it on the garden table

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TodaysAGoodDay · 30/07/2013 20:27

We have an artificial tree in white. I decorate it in blues and silver decorations. Very wintery and lovely.

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Isildur · 30/07/2013 20:54

We have always have a real tree, which the children decorate.

No problems with it so far, but it does look a bit as though Woolworths has been resurrected in our sitting-room..

We add anything and everything to it, stuff from the £1 shop, to weird looking things from Selfridges. It's fun, and I'm making the most of it while the children are still young enough to be proud of their efforts. Grin

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mmmmmchocolate · 30/07/2013 21:26

Yay a christmas tree decorating thread already!!

My main christmas tree is done in reds and golds. I use mainly glass baubles which I've collected over the last 8 years or so. I started with just a 'starter pack' but as the years have gone on they've been thrown out and replaced with heavy glass ornaments.

It has plain white lights that twinkle or fade (mood depending) and since i've learned tinsel is frowned upon from mumsnet I looked for ages to find something to drape around it. I don't like the strings of plastic beads as I think they're a bit tacky so I got lots of crackle glass beads and strung them together. The lights shine through the beads and sort of light them up. My tree is adorned, always gets comments from visitors and noone is allowed to touch it Blush

The kitchen tree is more fun, mainly decorated with gingerbread men and cookie cutters and little wooden spoons. It has a big bow on the top made from gingerbread ribbon.

I've always loved Scandinavian themes and have been unable to introduce them into my house which is really small but I might think about doing it in the hall if I can get it to flow.

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lunar1 · 31/07/2013 04:40

My tree is really ott, it is decorated in red and line green with a little gold. It's quite dr Seuss looking. It took me a few years of sale shopping to perfect it.

Last year I have started collecting bits for a natural looking tree as well but won't do that one till next year as I don't have enough bits yet.

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StupidFlanders · 31/07/2013 06:21

Oh my god I love christmas! I could read these threads all day!

I've gone down the pre lit (there are good and bad ones) with the apple/lime green and hot pink route and am building up a nice collection of decorations.

The kids have a huge blow up one for their playroom and each year I laminate some Xmas drawings and colouring in they do and they stick them on with sticky tape- it's really nice to see their early ones!

They also have a little black one in their rooms with toy story/super hero decorations I've found at the supermarket over the years!

Please post any good online site you know of to get decorations, I like a lot of the American raz ones (I think).

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StupidFlanders · 31/07/2013 06:23

Ooh lunar- mine is dr Seuss looking too- good description. Google raz christmas decorations and there are a couple of collections that have some appropriate decorations!

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DamnDeDoubtance · 31/07/2013 07:38

OOOOOO tree thread....

Our main tree is real with white lights, the decs are all clear glass, crystals, silvers with some greens thrown in.

I have a ribbon which is wound round which is pearlised white with a green leaf print. I also bought lots of swarovski crystals which I thread around the tree so it sparkles and shimmers and twinkles!!!!!!

DD has her own tree which is an explosion of candy colours or whatever she fancys.

I am considering going scandinavion this year though.

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Leviticus · 31/07/2013 07:50

All colours - lovely decorations collected over the years and some from childhood that DM gave me. I LOVE buying new decorations. Topped off with multi coloured non-flashing lights and a sparkly angel on top bought when Woolies closed down. No tinsel.

I'll never have a themed tree. They can look beautiful though.

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nuttybean · 31/07/2013 08:07

I have a fake tree with white lights. I've gone for the scandinavian look. It's mostly red, green & white bits with wooden bits. I normally have a string of small red beads but I think this year I'll get some red & white gingham ribbon & try & put that around the tree or tie bows onto the branches. Maybe red & white spotted or some green.I need to get a few more decorations for the tree so will be on the look out. I love my tree & encourage dictate the kids where to hang bits.

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thistlelicker · 31/07/2013 08:18

Blue and silver

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PoppyWearer · 31/07/2013 08:23

Ours is completely uncoordinated, covered in decorations we have made and bought over the years, all reminding us of special times in the past. The DCs love putting them on the tree and talking about places we've been and what we did there.

I love our tree!

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lunar1 · 31/07/2013 08:37

Flanders, some of those RAZ decorations are gorgeous and fit my theme perfectly. I'm going to look at them properly when I'm on the laptop later. In fact they are so similar I'm guessing that the place I get my decorations from has pinched a few ideas!

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ballinacup · 31/07/2013 09:29

We have a very 1920s tree. Think baubles with Victorian Christmas scenes, rocking horses, candy canes.

Up until last year we had an angel we nicknamed Tulisa Angel due to the very ghetto gesture she appeared to be doing however she disappeared during the tree decoration, never to be found again. So now we have a traditional Santa.

We do have tinsel, however this year I'm upgrading. Our local garden centre had some beautiful giant bow tree toppers with really long curls of ribbon that sort of fell artfully down the sides of the tree so I'm fancying one of those.

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TheYamiOfYawn · 31/07/2013 09:40

We have a real tree. White lights, red and gold baubles, gingerbread and felt shapes, red ribbon and red gingham bows, candy canes and a gold angel on top.

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StupidFlanders · 31/07/2013 09:48

Check out the Bethany Lowe collection on Shelley B home and Holiday website. Nice.

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anklebitersmum · 31/07/2013 09:57

White lights, matt and shiny baubles in gold & wine interspersed with little wooden rocking horses, tiny Santa teddy bears and little decorations gathered from wherever we've lived. We do beads if the tree shape allows them to be done 'properly' prior to the biters baubling.

Always, always, always a real tree Grin

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TerraNotSoFirma · 31/07/2013 10:08

White lights, 7ft tree, bronze, gold, burgundy and glass baubles.
Burgundy and gold velvet tree skirt.

I love my tree.

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farrowandbawl · 31/07/2013 10:30

I have a real tree which I save up for all year. About £1.50 a week goes into the tree pot.

I love it.

It gets decorated with white, clear and silver glass decorations, the odd red and natural wood colour thrown in to break it up and finished with three lots of wired wide ribbon, one red, one gold and one green tartan. The lights are plain warm twinkly lights and the icicle lights.

The kitchen has a smaller fake tree decorated with homemade foodie decorations - dried citrus slices, cinnamon sticks etc Battery operated twinkle lights.

The kids have a small fake one in their bedroom each (starwars for ds, goth for DD)- a small gift is placed under it instead of a stocking full of crap.

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BiddyPop · 06/08/2013 09:49

I don't have a theme, except that it is everything!!

We have a lot of red and gold baubles, but we have other colours too.

Sometimes I put on the 2 red and 2 gold strands of tinsel, but not every year.

But most of our decorations don't match - we have all sorts gathered over the years, bought on various travels, that I made myself (10 small red felt stockings with different beading decorations), that DD made at school, multicoloured birds, plain glass santa and snowman from Brussels, straw and wooden stars, tin images from Vienna, nutcrackers and a taxi cab from New York, a crib in a tree from Brazil....

It all works though.

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