Hands up if you’ve already got your tree for this year’s Christmas! Maybe it’s the first time you’ve got a tree and you’re looking for ways to decorate it. This year is only the second year we have ours, and I wanted to make it better than last year’s (which was quite bare).
I found some tips online and have some of my own to share. Here’s what I did to decorate our tree!
LIGHTS
Once you’ve decided on a tree, the next most important thing is the lighting that goes on it. There are different kinds of lights – warm, cool and multi-coloured. What’s the theme you have in mind? Generally, dark green and pink trees fit a warm theme very well and white trees go well with cool light.
Our tree is dark green and 6ft tall (ours is the Ariostea from Masons Home Decor). We have 2 strings of warm 100 LED light bulbs each connected to each other. Normally a string of lights has 140 bulbs but 100 works well too. If you’re going with a cool theme on a white tree, make sure that your LED lights don’t have green cables or it will spoil the overall look.
I didn’t know that how you string your lights also affects the overall effect. This year, we used the “weaving technique.” I found an easy-to-follow tutorial in this article, but am going to embed the video below for you to watch quickly here:
BUYING/CHOOSING ORNAMENTS
The next thing to consider is the ornaments – colours, patterns and how many to have. It can be overwhelming if you’re starting from scratch. I recommend browsing online for ideas – Pinterest is a good place to start.
If you have nothing to begin with, start with the basics – round baubles. Pick two main colours but be very specific in that the colours have to be exact. This means if you want purple, make sure the purple is the same shade throughout and not a variety of purples. Some colours that go well together are pink & gold, blue and white and rose gold and white.
This year, I managed to find a set of about 80-100 baubles in varying sizes (this adds dimension) and finishes in a deep red and neutral bronze. I added these to my baubles of champagne and white from last year (and skipped the pink and purple ones from before altogether).
Because we have a toddler running around, we avoided glass baubles and stuck with cheaper plastics and styrofoam. These aren’t as likely to hurt her when she throws them around and even if they get damaged, my heart doesn’t feel the pain.
I also managed to score 5 really pretty champagne glitter snowflakes (should have gotten more) and 6 pearl-adorned, long-ish baubles to spice things up a bit. All in all, I’d say we have about 120 ornaments on our 6ft tree.
In short, your ornaments need to be:
- in 2 different main colours
- of varying sizes and finishes
- of the appropriate material (glass vs. plastic)
- in the right amount
HANGING UP THE ORNAMENTS
This is the most exciting part for us! I love that we can do this as a family activity and oh, the satisfaction when we see it all done at the end is so heartwarming.
Once your tree is up, string your lights up first. Turn them on once you’re done to see if they need adjusting. Then, you can add the baubles.
Always start with the largest baubles first (this includes baubles that are in other shapes) and finish with the tiniest baubles. Start with your 2 main colours. Because it’s an activity that involves everyone, leave out your OCD tendencies and let your creativity flow. The colours, shapes and sizes may not be completely evenly spread around the tree (same goes for the tree branches) – but that’s what makes it look natural.
WHERE TO BUY THE STUFF
Last year, we got our tree from Masons Home Decor and our baubles from the Takashimaya Christmas fair.
This year, I discovered the amazing mall that is Kinex, which has several great stores all selling Christmas wares from trees (live and fake) to decorations, even the pretty battery-operated LED reindeer you can put by your door. If you’re looking for a white tree, I recommend the one from Henry Christmas Wholesaler, which is a short walk from Kinex.
If you want to expand your search further and have time to allow for international shipping, have a look at Sea Team on Amazon. They have colour coordinated shatter-proof ornament packs (like this gorgeous 155-pack of rose gold pieces) and their ornaments are absolutely value for money compared to what we can find in physical stores in Singapore.
FOR SUBSEQUENT YEARS
We’re not going to have the exact same tree every Christmas. So each year, there will be a few new baubles or ornaments and some that will stay in the store room. Next year, we will probably have some ribbons up and maybe a proper tree topper too. I’m thinking of finally adding a couple of precious, unique ornaments like a snowman, champagne bottle or a shimmering glass oyster. We’ll see!
I hope this tutorial helps you in decorating your Christmas tree. Most importantly, have fun while doing it and Merry Christmas!
P.S. I also filmed a gold glitter holiday makeup tutorial, in case you’re looking for inspiration!