The holiday season is almost here, and although there are still a few months to prepare, you can start with the planning process. In doing so, you can start with the sketch or look into online inspirations. If you’re planning to decorate the trees planted outside your house, you should consult with a professional arborist about the dos and don’ts of decorating a live tree.
At the same time, there are also dos and don’ts about decorating the tree you’re going to use inside the house. Since you don’t need to consider the health of the tree after the removal, you can focus more on the decoration part. However, in some cases, decorating a holiday tree can be so exciting that you forget about your plans.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the things you should avoid when decorating trees for the holiday.
1. Overloading the Tree with Ornaments
As mentioned, when you get too excited, you may want to put every ornament you have to achieve the holiday spirit. However, overloading or overdecorating can make your tree look cluttered, and you may end up with a sad tree rather than the festive one.
This is also one of the reasons why you should change your ornaments periodically. If you just put every ornament you bought since day one, it can result in chaos.
2. Ignoring How to Put the Lights
One of the most common mistakes in decorating holiday trees is to ignore the lights. Since lights can make or break your tree aesthetic, it should be one of the things you plan. Whether you’re planning to put the lights before or after the ornaments, they should be able to shine.
At the same time, when adding the string lights to your holiday tree, ensure that they won’t get tangled with the ornaments, so that the decoration can be easily adjusted, and you won’t have to worry about them when it’s time to disassemble the tree.
3. Using the Wrong Size Lights
Another light-related challenge that you may encounter when decorating your holiday tree is the size. If the light bulbs on the string are too big, the tree and other decorations may become unbalanced.
Meanwhile, when choosing the right size of the bulbs for the string lights, you can check the proportion of the tree. For instance, if the tree is too tall, small bulbs may not be noticeable; therefore, try choosing a medium-sized tree.
4. Not Decorating the Tree Skirt
When decorating a holiday tree, don’t forget about the skirt. Besides, it’s not just about the part where there are leaves. In addition, a bare holiday tree skirt might affect the overall theme or aesthetic of the tree.
So, when you’re planning for your tree decoration, don’t forget to buy something for the tree skirt that suits the theme.
5. Placing Heavy Ornaments on Weak Branches
Whether the tree is real or made of plastic, it can still have weak branches. So, when it’s time to decorate, avoid placing heavy ornaments on the weak branches. When you do, and the branch breaks, it can ruin the entire tree decor and damage the tree ornaments.
You can still add some ornaments to the weak branches, but choose the lighter ones. Meanwhile, reserve the heavy ornaments for the sturdy
6. Neglecting Safety Precautions
Although this isn’t related to the decorations, neglecting safety precautions when handling holiday trees is a must. Some of the things you can overlook that can be fire hazards include plugging too many string lights into one outlet, using damaged string lights, and placing the tree too close to the candles and heaters.
7. Forgetting About Balance and Theme
If you continue adding one tree decoration after another without considering the theme or balance in colours and style, you might end up with a chaotic tree. So, once you’ve chosen the right theme, don’t forget to stick to it.
In addition, when you’re laying out the decorations, arrange them based on which one goes to the tree first. For instance, if you prefer adding the string lights first, it should be the first thing you see, followed by the remaining ornaments. This allows you to have a systematic way of arranging your holiday tree.
8. Placing a Lot of Ornaments Too Low
The holiday season is about gathering people together and celebrating with friends and family. So, since you’re unsure about who will be visiting your home, it’s best if you can avoid hanging ornaments too low.
If you do, it can be a hazard for kids and pets, unless you’re going to hang the large, sturdy ornaments. Besides, when you put large ornaments at the bottom part of the tree, it can still maintain the shape of the tree. So, there’s no need to compromise, especially since you can still plan a theme.
9. Skipping the Final Touches
The details matter, even if you’re just decorating a holiday tree. Besides, the tiny details can make a huge difference once the decorating part is over. You don’t need to add more decorations. Just make the necessary adjustments and finishing touches.
As you know, less is more, especially when it comes to holiday decorations. So, after the decorating part, you should take some time to assess whether you’re overdecorating or if there are adjustments needed.
Final Thoughts
Decorating your holiday tree can be overwhelming, but it can also be an exciting activity that you can do as the holiday season approaches. It’s recommended to plan your holiday tree as early as possible, so that you won’t have to cram later on. In addition, once the market starts selling ornaments and other holiday-related decorations, you should start shopping for it.
Do you already have a holiday tree plan? Let us know what the final look of your holiday tree is by commenting below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aliana Baraquio is a web content writer working for Sydney Tree Solutions, a company that provides tree removal and arborist services throughout Sydney. As a writer, she is passionate about providing good-quality articles that help readers make the right choice.