John Lewis St. Petersburg Unlit Christmas Tree, Green, 7ft
£259.00
5 steps to decorating your best Christmas tree yet
Ready to deck the halls and decorate your tree? Then buckle up, because here’s how to make it your greatest ever
Decorating the tree has to be one of the most exciting parts of the festive season – picking out new baubles, dusting off old ones. All of it is exciting, especially if you’ve been left in charge. Find the prospect rather daunting? Fear not, because we’re here to help – all you have to do is follow a few simple steps. Ho, ho, ho!
Step 1: The tree
Whether you’re going for a real or artificial Christmas tree, make sure you’re paying attention to the size, shape and look that you want. It sounds simple, but taking measurements before you make a rash 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.
Step 2: Cover all bases (literally)
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 your tree – a great tip is to slip a piece of cardboard under the stand to prevent indents on your carpet or scratches on wooden floorboards. Win, win.
Step 3: Let it shine
Picking the right 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 multi-coloured 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. No judgement here.
Step 4: Add the fancy bits
We’ll come onto baubles in a minute, but if you’re going for an all-out tree, you’re going to need a lot of decorations to fill it, 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 decorating is done.
Step 5: Go big on baubles
Oh baubles, oh baubles, how we love thee. We’ve seen so many hilarious novelty offerings over the years that it pays to really up the ante here by adding some fun ones into the mix of your traditional favourites. If that’s not the look you’re going for, there are plenty of classics to go for – every type of bauble looks fabulous. And there’s no such thing (we think) as too many, so go wild.
