What’s Adorning Your Christmas Tree This Year?

WORDS : CHYKA KEEBAUGH

PHOTO : LISA ATKINSON

SPENDING A WEEKEND DECORATING THE TREE IS MY MOST FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS PAST TIME.

Over the years I have had many styles of Christmas tree decorations. One year it was covered in pom poms, another it had no decorations except for sparkling fairy lights and one year it had so many decorations from my collections I was convinced it would collapse! However you choose to style your tree, know that it is only part of your Christmas story and that the rest of your home decor will tell the rest.

I have been collecting my Christmas decorations for over 20 years - they are from my travels, some handmade, some gifted, but every single one of them is sentimental. I can tell you a story about every one of these ornaments so when it comes to the day where I hang them, it is a lovely sentimental day that is so special to me. Hand made ornaments, baubles I've lovingly wrapped and carried back from overseas holidays... you name it: I've done it. All in the name of a gorgeous, jam-packed tree!

TIPS FOR STYLING YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

Get the tree looking perfect before you apply the decorations. When you put up the Christmas tree allow yourself time to spruce it up before you put on any decorations. Move the branches around, straighten them and fluff them up to ensure the tree is standing tall and ready for decorations.

PUT UP THE LIGHTS FIRST I always put the lights on first so that they are set fair back within the tree and you do not see the powers cords wrapping around (your decorations will be able to cover up the power cords!). Ensure the lights are evenly dispersed around the tree.

TRY A GARLAND INSTEAD OF TINSEL Garland will give you a strong look throughout the tree and act as a base and is so much fun than tinsel. Let’s rest that sparkly tinsel for a few years, shall we?

THINK ABOUT YOUR COLOUR THEME I prefer to work with two or three colours to keep everything looking semi uniform. Gold and silver are always beautiful, or white and silver. Limiting your tree to fewer colours will make it more striking and visually pleasing.

PLAY WITH DIFFERENT SHAPES AND TEXTURES I love the concept of having a tree that is dynamic. To do this, different shapes and textures in your decorations are important.

HANG ONE SET OF DECORATIONS AT A TIME If I have a set of decorations which are all Reindeers, I will hang these up all at once and then move on to my next style of decoration. Doing it this way makes you focus on one style and time and helps to ensure all the decorations evenly cover the tree.

DON'T BY SHY OF ORNAMENTS A variety of ornaments will help to inject a sense of quirky fun into your Christmas tree and prompts people to further inspect your tree to see all its hidden treasures.

TAKE A STEP BACK AND ADMIRE YOUR WORK FROM ALL ANGLES Are all the decorations evenly dispersed? Is there enough coverage? Is there too much of one particular decoration? Are then any bald patches?

HAVE FUN! Christmas only last for a short period of time, so make the most out of your Christmas tree and create a tree you can be proud of! Play some carols, have your family help you and really make an event out of it.

NEED SOME MORE TREE INSPIRATION?

Being able to create a fresh spin on your Christmas theme year after year takes thought and creativity. If you are like me and are always the host - there are some small things that you can do to mix up your look without having to blow the budget… it could be as simple as replacing all ornaments for simple, silver baubles or as extravagant as replacing all ornaments by covering the tree in tied on coloured ribbons. Don’t feel as though you have to use the same tree, the same ornaments every year with your tree in the same spot. Mix it up, move it around, take inspiration from these examples and get creative!

My pompom inspired Christmas tree was certainly a labour of love, but look at all that delicious colour!

Four different Christmas table looks Keeping it classic with a collaboration of ideas centred around four themes; Classic, Contemporary, Designer and Resort.

Blue & White outdoor Christmas table has a beautifully soft palette and delicate floral styling. Keep your decoration silver, white and Tiffany blue to carry this theme through your home.

Celebrating Christmas with House & Garden shows how effective using one color, and not deviating from it, can be such a strong design statement.