John Lewis Solar Powered 100 Line Lights, Black
£16.00£11.20
5 steps to decorating your best Christmas tree yet
Desperate to deck the halls and cover things in tinsel? Read our expert guide to tree-decorating success first
Decorating the tree has to be one of the most exciting parts of the festive season – picking out new baubles, dusting off old ones. Find the prospect rather daunting? Fear not, because we’re here to help – all you have to do is follow five simple steps. Happy tree-kend to all who celebrate.
1. The tree
Whether you’re going for a real or artificial Christmas tree, pay attention to the size, shape and look that you want. Taking measurements before you make your tree purchase is a good idea. Think about how much space you have for the diameter of the tree at its base, and bear in mind that you’ll need a skirt on the bottom of the tree, too.
2. Cover all bases
Tree skirts are a quick, easy way to hide metal stands and add some final polish. Place your tree skirt over the stand before you start to assemble the rest of your tree – and a great tip is to slip a piece of cardboard under the stand to prevent indents on your carpet or scratches on wooden floorboards.
3. Let it shine
Picking the right Christmas lights might seem like a simple enough job, but it’s an important one to get right. We have a whole host of styles and colours, from classic whites to multicoloured options – depending on the look and feel you’re going for – and we recommend 100 lights per foot of tree. And, of course, you can always cheat with a pre-lit tree.
4. Add the fancy bits
We’ll come on to the best baubles in a minute, but you’re going to need a lot of decorations to fill your Christmas tree, which is where sprays, tinsel and larger items come into play. Garlands add texture, fullness and rhythm to your tree, and don’t forget the topper, too. Buy the right one and it could become a lovely family tradition to pop it on top of the tree once the rest of the decorating is done.
5. Go big on baubles
Oh baubles, how we love thee. We’ve seen so many hilarious novelty offerings and it pays to really up the ante here by adding some fun ones into the mix of your old favourites. If that’s not the look you’re going for, there are plenty of traditional baubles to choose from – they all looks fabulous. And there’s no such thing (we think) as too many, so go wild.
