Christmas tree decorating. Is there a method to your madness?

[CrinchyGrinchy]

I'm currently decorating my tree. I'll admit I'm an anal perfectionist when it comes to tree decorating so I have a Balsam Hill faux tree so I can bend the branches into perfect positions for my baubles to hang.

A faux tree means fluffing it first. I absolutely hate this process, but the tree looks so much better afterwards.

Once I start decorating I go in with the 'filler baubles' (the plain mostly plastic coloured ones ie: silver, red, etc) on the inner parts of the branches leaving room for the nicer ones towards the outer ends of the branches. Once I've got all the filler baubles on then I go in with all my nicer glass ones, so they're on full show in prime position and look beautiful and noticeable.

It takes me an entire day to decorate my tree. I realise I'm totally anal over it, and every year I swear I'm going to buy a load of new plastic baubles and just let the kids do the tree. But when it comes Christmas time every year I can't bring myself to do it.

Anyway, just wondering if people have a 'process' they follow each year to decorate their tree. Just wondering if I could learn a few things. Perhaps I should be putting my filler baubles on after my nice ones? Or any other things I can do to make the process easier or tree look nicer.

Put the 3 bits together, dh puts the branches in order, Tinsel and lights then we pack as many random coloured baubles, tree hanging things the more random and un coordinated the better

3Oish minutes later jobs done

No, lights go on first - after the faff of untangling them - and then the same old multicoloured assorted decs go on - most dating back forever - wherever there’s a space. And the icicles as they’re known in this house (lametta) - no tinsel or anything else. Preferably all accompanied by mulled wine and a CD of proper carols on. 🎄

Always a real tree, I should have added.

Ten foot real tree.
Lights on first.
Bung on decades of accumulated random decorations.
Keep glass decorations near the top away from visiting small children and animals.

Carefully styled trees are not my thing, I like seeing the chaotic mix of the inherited, the bought, those made in school and the absurd since many of them have memories attached even if some are a bit tatty and others faintly ridiculous.

Love all your trees! I need to put more red things on mine it's all a bit silver at the moment

For anyone with a balsam hill tree ( looking at you @Peridot1 ) this video shows you how you fluff it. What I love about the video is it shows you what most people think of as fluffing the branch but then she shows you the correct way to do it. My BH tree has 2 types of branch ends, it either splits into 2 or it splits into 3, once you figure out the method you just repeat. For the 3 ended one you have the middle one going straight and the left and right branches at 10 and 2 or 4 and 8 as you look at it. You fluff up and sideways and the branches should overlap. Mine honestly looks exactly like the photo on BH website with no gaps.

The other trick to fluffing the BH tree is to do one row of branches at a time, but I do have help as we all decorate the tree. When you put the bottom section in you tie up the upper branches only leaving the bottom row down. Fluff that, I then string lights up and down each branch from trunk to ends as I like depth in lighting. Then you lower the next layer of branches down. Access it key to fluffing. Now I know this sounds like a lot of work but 4 of us do it, even the children, they can be taught with the handy video from BH, I think we do 2 branches each on each layer. I will confess that when we pack the tree away we tie up each layer so that next year this becomes very simple. Plus I am looking at the tree for at least 3 weeks so I like to make the effort to make it look lovely.

Decorating wise, there are lots of videos on YouTube showing you how to style a tree. Simply take one set of baubles in one design and depending on how many you have of them you make a diamond pattern or triangle pattern, upright or inverted. Each child gets given one set so they know where they put them and they know to stand back and check. They love doing this. One year I had flu so just watched and it was hard because I couldn't join in but also fantastic because they knew exactly what to do, I include Dh in that.

Mine went up yesterday
Not fluffed all of it, only the bits you can see.
Picture is when I had electricity.
It needs re arranging today and the floating candles

@GatesToTown - thanks. I watched the video yesterday. Finally. Have had the tree about five years! I’m going to redo it all properly on Saturday.

@Peridot1 it does work, we have Christmas music on and snacks. Like I said though I have help which keeps you going. My 6ft tree gets 1000 lights. I absolutely love Christmas, not for any presents just family.

Fluff the tree up, trim any branches that are too long/likely to droop.

add the fairy lights. Then I stand back to check the lights are even/no empty spots

Then I add the filler baubles further up the branches and inside the tree - usually the plain ones we’ve had for years.

Next, I add the good/interesting tree decs. We like a full tree, lots of decorations collected over the years. Some have prime position.

Add the chocolate tree decorations, Dd is 3 & did that this year. There’s chocolate coins hidden in the branches somewhere too🤣

Then I stand back, admire & rearrange a few things.

Dd & dh add the tree topper, where I get the annual pic I’ve taken of them doing this since she was born.

It takes me about 2 hours on and off to decorate. I love it.

@GatesToTown - we have a pre lit tree so I don’t need to even worry about the lights. DS would not be interested in helping and DH is injured and a bit useless at the moment. So it’s just me.

Build, fluff, multi coloured lights on, reflective plain filler baubles inside to reflect lights, silver pine cones next, memorial and baby's first Christmas baubles positioned first at eye level at front of the tree, then a general rammy of uncoordinated nonsense dating back decades in some cases, then the candy canes fill in any gaps.
Love our tree 🌲♥️

i love seeing everyone’s trees!

We have two trees, but the method is the same on both. Build them and fluff accordingly. Then lights on (I zig zag them front to back on each level of branches. It makes you look like you have more lights). Then tinsel. Don’t care if it’s not fashionable - it brings me immense joy!

Then baubles which used to be a ‘plonk them wherever I feel like’ moment but now needs a bit more planning due to the two year old who will think it’s a football 🙈 this year I’ve done non breakables on the bottom and breakables at the top!

Then toppers - a big red bow on one, and a gold Venetian mask (very not authentic home bargains special but I love it) on the other.

Main tree and forest of mini trees

My tree is practically pre fluffed as we never put it away properly
It's a Christmas tree world ultra mountain pine 8ft and it's huge around the base. We got a storage bag and threw the box away.

Lights are the worst bit. 3 years ago we bought Twister firefly lights. Gorgeous soft twinkle but to get the effect, they are set extremely close along the wire so we never have enough as they don't go as far as a regular set. This is DH's job and he hates it 😂

I do my decorations a little different every year but always have a core of my favourites on there. Gold angels, carousel horses, glittery reindeer, vintage glass icicles and my Gisela Graham fairies.

Last year I had no baubles at all
I filled it with foliage and berries instead.

Gone back to a more traditional look this year. Brought out my teal and gold baubles but stuck with the berries. No tinsel ever.

Never considered filler baubles near the trunk but I like it and might try it next year.

I also did a Victorian tree this year
No lights only candles
Much easier lol.

Wow the trees on this thread are gorgeous 🌲

I have three this year. I normally have one on the windowsill and one in the conservatory but dsd has moved house and got a crawling baby this year so brought our old tree back that we'd given to her for us to store. I decided to put it up in the kitchen. I think tree 3 needs more baubles...

Lights first
Tinsle (in this case feather garlands)
Baubles - no real order, I know which ones I want at the front of the tree. I might put a few small ones inside to fill a gap, not so much since I discovered tree fillers. Also used flowers as tree fillers the last couple of years. They go nice with my colour scheme, gold, rose gold, pink, but not sure I’d use them for other colour schemes though.

DDs have their own trees, no method, just madness. It keeps them away from mine.

I have a second themed tree in the dining room, but one DD asked to do it this year, I’m trying really hard not to make adjustments to it 😬

I saw a tip the other day.... put 3 baubles on a hanger? And it helps fill the gaps quicker

Id show you my tree, but my toddler has decimated it upto half way lol

Funnily enough I hung (tinsel-covered) hangers with leftover Christmas decorations on my light fittings this year and it actually looks really festive 😃

That is lovely, but the ghostly person raising a glass is slightly creepy!

This is my tree from a previous year which shows the cascade ribbon effect more clearly. I think five of these around the tree would look good. I put lights on first then cascade ribbons. Hang the star above and then fill with baubles with larger ones on the bottom half of the tree. I try to use a mix of shapes so that there are longer ones to fill in the gaps. I try to use plenty of clear and coloured glass to catch the lights