Christmas Tree
Decorating Ideas for the Holidays
Decorating Your Holiday Tree and
Home
'Tis the holiday season again so time
to get busy with some new and exciting Christmas tree
decorating ideas and themes to bring in the Yule Tide!
We are entering my favorite time of
the year. The stores are beginning to gear up for the
holiday season. It seems that each year the merchants begin
their displays earlier.
The major magazines begin to have
holiday themes and Christmas decorating ideas beginning in
August. It is easy to become overwhelmed with the holiday
time.
I have found, for me, that the best
way to enjoy the holidays is to keep it simple. I try to
keep this in mind in everything I do from my Christmas
decorating ideas to the foods I prepare for
guests.
For several years my husband and I
would have a Christmas open house. We invited coworkers,
neighbors, friends and relatives.
Each year the list of people we
invited would grow and so would the headaches and stress of
getting ready for the event. I began making homemade candies
a month prior to the event. We made homemade candies,
cookies, bars and a wide variety of finger foods.
I would comb the magazines and shop
the stores to come up with the latest holiday decorating
themes and a new pattern so that each year I would have new
displays for our guest to see. We would have so many people
in the house that you could hardly move, let alone admire
the Christmas decorating ideas that I had come up with.
We spent all of our time filling punch
bowls, making coffee, sometimes playing a decorate the
Christmas tree game and replenishing serving platters. And,
no artificial stuff for me! There was always a living
Christmas tree to finish the decor. We decided that we
needed to have a different way to celebrate the holidays
with friends.
We looked at the list of people that
we invited and agreed that we could eliminate coworkers from
the list. We each had holiday parities at work where we
could celebrate the season.
We then decided that we would have
smaller gatherings on three different evenings during the
season. This is how we started to keep things simple. We
invited neighbors over for one evening, friends for another
and relatives on another.
We serve appetizers and drinks. I
still make a variety of homemade sweets, but now I have a
cookie exchange with coworkers at our house. This gives me
time with coworkers outside the office setting and also
gives me a variety of cookies to serve. I still come up with
different Christmas tree decorating ideas, and with fewer
people in the house you can actually see the displays.
For instance, tree toppers. Most
families have a Christmas tree topper that they use every
year, but in my family it was different. One year, we would
have a Christmas tree angel, while the next year we would
use a Christmas star. Have fun searching and use your own
taste and judgment when looking for ornaments and
decorations.
I concentrate on decorating the trees
well. We place one in the living room and one in the family
room. I also have candles and greenery arranged on the
tables.
Another idea is to use large vases
filled with a variety of evergreens along with red and white
carnations to create a "snowy" theme. Add a few led twinkle
lights here and there and my Christmas decorating is
complete.
Buying Trees
The Christmas tree is one of the most
recognizable icons of the holiday season. Buyers of these
most sought after decorations basically have one question to
consider: Should I buy a real evergreen or an artificial
Christmas tree. Hopefully, a little thought and some
browsing around on the Internet will help you make a
decision.
The first consideration you want to
make is you own personal tastes. If you are a stickler for
tradition then you will most likely be drawn to the
traditional live Christmas tree. There are many beautiful
varieties available during the holiday season and you can
even order a real evergreen tree online.
The live evergreen holiday decoration
is ideal for the traditionalist and it is also a great item
to consider if you are short on storage space. If you have a
cramped attic and you basement is overflowing with stuff,
then a real Christmas tree is a great choice. You don’t
have to worry about stocking it away after the
season.
The fragrance that the live Christmas
tree brings into the home is magnificent and there are some
who really make a strong connection between this scent and
the holiday season. For some, there is no other choice than
a real live evergreen for their Christmas decorating
needs.
However, plenty of people prefer to
use artificial trees to decorate their homes. The artificial
Christmas tree is the perfect choice for someone who likes
to keep things well organized during the off season. In no
time at all, you can have your home decorated for the
holidays when you have everything you need in
stock.
The artificial variety also offers a
lot of interesting colors and designs that you just
can’t find in nature. If you have your heart set on a
pink Christmas tree, you have to go with the artificial
approach. There are tons of options available and you can
have a very colorful composition by using this kind of
decoration.
How about convenience? There are even
pre-lit Christmas trees that are a cinch to set up in your
home. You don’t have to worry about dealing with fussy
wires and tangled lights when you choose the pre-lit
version. This type comes in two basic forms: ones lit with
traditional bulbs and ones that are fiber optic. Not much
creativity in decorating ideas here. It's done for you.
With all of the decisions that we have
to make during the holidays things can get pretty stressful.
I do have one suggestion. You might want to opt for having
both. The real evergreen can be displayed in your living
room while the artificial Christmas tree can be placed in
your game room. This is the ideal approach to decorating a
home for the holidays.
Don't give in to the holiday rush this
season. And, make sure to avoid getting stressed with
Christmas tree decorating ideas. Take your time, enjoy and
have a Happy holiday season!
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