5 Things To Avoid When Decorating Your Christmas Tree

The silly season is upon us and the tree trimming and decorating has begun.

I hand out my advice on what not to do hesitantly when it comes to Christmas decorating, as the festive season is a license to be fun and fearless.

But with the standards of all things home decorating indisputably on the up and up, I have a few simple tips on what to avoid to make the most impact with your Christmas tree.

1. Overdosing on Tinsel

I’m an ’80s kid, so I know a thing or two about a tinsel-adorned tree. The problem with tinsel is that it tends to be attention-seeking and makes the process of carefully curating your ornaments almost futile. My advice is to either sprinkle it sparingly or go completely tinsel-free to give your lovingly-sourced ornaments a chance to shine.

2. Too Many Colours

I say this cautiously because I love colour, but when it comes to decorating try and stick to a maximum of three different colours so you don’t overwhelm the tree and your home. I also recommend keeping those colours within the same family which might mean a neat curation of primary colours like your traditional red and green or a selection of your favourite pastel hues for a modern take on an old tradition.

3. Cheap Hooks

I don’t know about you, but when I place my decorations on or around 1st December, I only want to do it once. That means either sourcing decorations with effective hooks or replacing the fabric hooks with wire so that you can mould them to the tree branch. You’ll be glad you did when curious little hands notice they have a whole new bunch of ‘toys’ to play with and start grabbing any decoration in reach.

4. Garish Lights

Like I said, I’m an ’80s kid and our old family Christmas lights flashed all of the primary colours in a way that now makes me cringe. There’s nothing prettier or more effective than the simplicity of a soft, white twinkly light. Thankfully in the last 30 years those wretched cords that took hours to unravel have made some progress. And if you have a tree with the built-in lights, you’re really winning.

5. Plastic Baubles

Cheap plastic baubles tend to get knocked to the ground at a hint of breeze and inevitably break, or at the least, create chips in the painted surface. Instead, opt for the fabric baubles which provide texture, interest, and softness and will ultimately stand the test of time. Tree decorations can now be found well beyond the supermarket variety with homewares retailers supplying a wide range of ornaments to their house-proud clientele, so your only problem will be that you have too much to choose from.

Source; Carlene Duffy https://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/5-things-to-avoid-when-decorating-your-christmas-tree/