6 Ways to Seriously Zhuzh up Your Christmas Tree This Year
Oh, Christmas – a season full of festive family feasts, glorious gift-giving and decked out decorations. There’s no time quite like it, and because it only comes around once a year, we shouldn’t really be skimping on the important stuff (aka the Christmas tree).
It’s all well and good to whack some lights and tinsel on your tree before calling it a day, but where’s the love? Where’s the creativity? Where are the ornaments?
If you have an older sibling in your family, you’ve likely experienced the stress of putting a bauble in the wrong place only to be told off for it. Older siblings tend to take it a touch more seriously from what I’ve seen.
Now that you’re in charge of your own tree, though, you can go wild and do whatever you want. Let’s go through some options that’ll help zshush up any Christmas tree.
1. Inject some sentimentality into it
The whole point of December is to show off all the decorations you’ve accumulated over the years that symbolise a different occasion or time in your life.
Other people do this, yes? Please say yes.
Every household will be different, but there’s something so heartwarming about going over to someone’s house and listening to them explain where they got different decorations from. For that very reason, keep those priceless decorations front and centre.
2. Less can be more but not in this case
Does anyone enjoy looking at a sparse, patchy Christmas tree? No, often those trees just look sad and neglected, so in this situation, more is actually more.
Fetch the beads, round up the nutcrackers, dig around for the dusty tinsel and drape it (elegantly) over the tree. Think of it like this — without all of the baubles and whistles, the tree will just look like it forgot its shimmery coat and now it’s standing in the rain waiting for a taxi.
3. Don’t ignore the back
Not everyone who lays eyes on your Christmas tree will have a sudden urge to check the back but a lot of people will. We’re a nosey bunch during the festive season.
You can still relegate your uglier decorations to the dark side of the tree but if you can, make sure there are at least enough decorations to make it look at least a little loved.
If you’ve got really old, dodgy decorations you made when you were younger and they’re sort of falling apart, those are perfect to act as background stand-ins.
4. Hide treats in the tree for guests
A pretty tree can be outstanding, but a pretty tree with little treats hanging on the branches can take it to the next level.
Whether you want to hang candy canes in spots that are lacking decorations, or you want to go a step further and hang up little envelopes with Instant Scratch-Its tickets inside, there’s always room for a little gift-giving on your tree as well as under it.
Keen on putting everyone else to shame? Carve some time out of your busy schedule to create your own baubles. Head to your nearest Spotlight or craft store, hunt down some simple materials and get cracking. There’s a handy little tutorial just below if you’re more of a visual learner:
Imagine going to a Christmas dinner and leaving with an Instant Scratch-Its ticket and a homemade bauble? You’d be stoked.
5. Choose the location carefully
Location, location, location, people.
Don’t cram your Christmas tree in a spot nobody can see — what’s the point? On the flip side, don’t put it smack-bang in the middle of the hallway so people have to climb over it just to get to the kitchen — that’s hardly practical.
No, a nice cosy spot in the corner of the loungeroom usually does the trick. Bonus points if it’s near a window, so people outside can bask in the lights, too.
6. Occupy the base of the tree immediately
No one likes a bare base. If you don’t have any presents to put under the tree, fetch some cardboard boxes, wrap them in colourful paper and pop a bow on top, then assemble the empty ‘presents’ underneath the tree.
If anything, it’s always a hoot to see kids trying to guess what the fake presents are. Perhaps a bit cruel for Christmas but it is fun nonetheless.
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