Are you one of this people with a perfect looking Christmas tree?

[Missrabbitt]

If so, how? And where did you get the tree/decorations? We have a mish mash of decorations and a terrible old tree that I’m going to dispose of and start afresh. However I think my decorating skills are as much to blame for the terrible looking tree we had last year as the decorations.

Do you have a real or fake tree? I’m considering investing in a good quality fake which comes with lights- any recommendations of a good one to buy?

Where do I start with buying colour co-ordinated decorations? Does anywhere sell a large pack so I don’t have to choose them myself?

The loveliest trees are always those that record the family history. My Mum's tree still has the pom pom robin DBro made at primary school on it every year, he's now 49. That's a proper tree. Someone above put their tree and the DCs tree, personally I loved the DCs tree more because it's the random crap that gives a tree personality, in the same way that the nicest homes have their families history in the furnishings.

Real and fake trees are decorated differently, with a real tree there are bigger gaps between the branches and so the baubles hang in free space and move and twinkle in a way that doesn't happen with a fake tree with closely packed branches.

Mine looks like it’s been dipped in glue then dragged up and down the Christmas aisle in wilkos.

@LeftieLucy

Mine looks like it’s been dipped in glue then dragged up and down the Christmas aisle in wilkos.

I think you win the thread, LL! 😂💗

I love my tree, it's full of memories. Bit sad that i've only got one of my mums left. He's a 60 year old santa who has definitely seen better days but he always has a prominent position so i can always see him.

@PinkWaferBiscuit

Perfect trees are soulless. Give me a tree full of mish mashed decorations, home made pieces and memories any day.

A tree full of purpose brought decorations seems to me to be the very opposite of what Christmas is all about. What do people do when styles change do they buy a whole new set of decorations every few years?? A tree that is thrown together tells a story and is in my opinion a perfect tree.

Absolutely! The done-for-show Insta-tree is for people with the souls of anxious little window-dressers.

🎄🌲🎄🌲

I have a 'perfect' tree up the living room. It's a Balsalm hill prelit and is decorated in white and silver, no tinsel, lots of 'naice' individual baubles, put the 'good' baubles on first, placing them in diagonals to each other. Then I put the fillers on. I like lots of stars, deer and icicles on too, I find you need loads of baubles, but the main thing is the fluffing of the branches and positioning them so they're perfect, slightly turned up as a normal tree I can spend 3 hours ruffling each branch inidivually to make it look really good, font add beads, or tinsel and I'm not massively keen on bows. Make sure each bauble drops from the branch and doesn't sit on top of the branch underneath none should touch either and you shouldnt have similar shapes or patterns next to each other. So glittery should bd next go matte or shiny, and a bauble next to a star or an icicle. Sort all your baubles out and put all of ond type on then go to another.
I've got a matching garland for over the fire and monogrammed silver velvet stockings that are stuffed and never filled with gifts, also a few little chrietmassy nicknacks in the same theme. Nobody really goes in their but me, so I like it perfect.

In the kitchen/living/diner we have a real tree, I fill it with mismatched baubles and homemade things, there's usually a biscuit or two on it as well. Its the one presents appear under on the big day.

I have a snug which doesn't quite fit a tree in, but I put a lovely garland full of dried orange, berries and cinnamon about the fireplace and I change over the cuwhion covers so they're Xmas themed.

Oh and warm white lights. Not bright or multicoloured and certainly not flashing.

You're gently lighting a tree not signally a 747 in to land.

@Tomeeornottomee

I really really want a proper naff 70s silver tinsel tree with multicoloured fairy lights and as many different colour, shape, sizes of tacky baubles. I’m basically trying to recreate my childhood 😂😂😂

My parents have one if those now. My dad always just chopped or dug up dome sort of tree ( very rural), My mum got fed up of waiting fir goodness knows what every year. They bought the cheapest one in the clarity shop. It’s a white and silver monstrosity that they ram all my and my brothers old tat on ( we’re 50’s) and sone of my mums creations ( she’s artistic).

Looks amazing.

Mish mash is the only way to go for me. Each decoration means something - gifted, handed down or chosen as our one new decoration that we add each year. Colour co- ordinatng wouldn't work in hs house!

I consider my tree to be perfect although it's not up yet. My rules are:

1. More is more
2. Old decorations are the wise custodians of the tree and must never be thrown out
3. Multicoloured lights are the best
4. Get a real tree and nearly kill yourself dragging it home
5. Lights, then tinsel, then ornaments, then the fairy and her entourage (she has some best mates and a nutcracker bodyguard) go on last.
6. Decorating should be accompanied by festive music, drinks and mince pies.
7. At the end everyone must look at the tree and admire it for several minutes.

Good luck with your tree!

Also, I'm loving all the tree pics on here!

I have bought one beautiful, quality glass bauble every year for the last 25 years, to replace the cheap plastic baubles I started with. Traditional red, green and gold.

We have a fake tree because I can't be doing with pine needles everywhere, and it saves money overall.

My decorations go back to when I was a child. I tend to buy everything in pairs, but we have a mish mash of colours, designs, shapes etc. Now that DD is older, we get ones of things that we are interested in, like Friends, Harry Potter etc, which will be great memories for DD when she is older and she can take some for her own tree. I have ornaments that DD made in primary school.

I also have an ornament with the year on for each year since DD was born.

I can't stand a perfect looking one colour tree, but as with everything in life, it is each to their own.

I love my tree to me it's perfect, I have not long moved in to my house with the oh, so only babble that means anything to us yet is for our wee 4 angel babies that we have lost right in the center of the tree.

I wondered about that too! 😂🤣 🧻

Ours is perfect to us, the only rule is that we don't have anything that isn't actually Christmassy, like robot or typewriter baubles etc. We do it together as a family with baubles and decorations that have been added to over time, some bought, some made.

I think I have a pretty perfect tree. It took a fair few years to build up my collection of decorations - you need a theme so it look cohesive. Also it helps to have a type of decoration that fills some gaps to make the tree look full, think bows, large flowers. You also don't want your decs hanging from a long loop, make sure they just hook onto the branch without dangling too much.

I'm not much of a creative type but have always loved the feel of a well decorated Christmas tree.
Last year I just added warm lights, babies breath in the gaps, and some red bows.

Simple and effective!

Ours last year. Couldn’t tell you how long we’ve had some of the baubles. I’ve got tons of decorations in the loft in different storage boxes all colour coordinated. Being in the flower trade I have access to lots of stuff at cost price, so I tend to stock up!

I think a ‘perfect’ tree is actually not too matchy-matchy and is shapely but not no-branch-out-of-place perfect. The exactingly colour-coordinated ones with decorations that have clearly been purchased all in one go instead of built up over time look a bit sad to me. The best trees in my opinion follow a feel or theme (classic, modern, etc) yet are still personal, and they are loaded with a ton of lights and the decorations are a wide variety of sizes and shapes. No tinsel.

I add 3-4 new, high quality ornaments every year which I know will go with what we already have (I like a classic tree with warm white lights and traditional colours). They also tell a story about our family, like instruments the children play, or something special from somewhere we’ve been on holiday, etc.

The fake trees that are too perfect in shape to be real and are loaded up with several boxes of officially ‘matching’ ornaments are, in my opinion, the worst.

In my youth I decorated Christmas trees for a posh garden centre.

If using a fake tree, correctly fluffing the branches is key to having a good base. Start at the bottom and the back of each branch. For example if the are 8 smaller branches attached, pick a bottom and a top one and pull open in opposing directions then alternate pulling less further apart as you go forward. You should end up with a full looking branch and once you’ve done them all you can tweak to make them look more natural.

When adding lights I like to put them on as I add each tree layer. So fluff the bottom layer, add lights, put middle layer on, fluff, add lights etc. I’m short so find it easier to add as I go and you can weave them deeper into the branches a bit easier.

If you want a polished looking tree stick to decorations in 2/3 colours. I use basic plain baubles as fillers. So get them in a few sizes and put those on first burying them a bit deeper into the tree and in any bare or awkward spots where you can see the branch arms. This can seem like a waste as they’ll feel too hidden but when you stand back with the lights on it’ll add depth.

Mixing textures also adds to the look. I’ve used fuzzy white baubles that look like snowballs, full glitter, glass and velvet.

Once your basic baubles are on, then you can dot your expensive or fancy ones around. Buy these or put them on in odd numbers as it look more pleasing to the eye. Spread similar ones on opposite sides and ends of the tree.

Any teardrop, long or candy cane shapes look lovely delicately hanging off the tip of branches.

If you have any heavy decorations that are weighing down a branch, use a plain filler bauble to wedge under and help support the weight.

If you don’t like the little gold string hanger that comes with the big packs of baubles, you can remove them and use green decoration hooks instead. They blend in better and don’t detract from your ornaments.

Garden wire is amazingly helpful if you want to attach something to the tree like large bows, flowers or even soft toys!

Don’t forget to put personal touches, special ornaments or things the kids have made. It doesn’t have to look like a show piece, it can still look beautiful with a bit of personality.