Time to put the trees up...

[Gryphon]

This coming weekend, Ill be hauling the boxes of lights and ornaments out of the attic and putting up all the Christmas finery. For several years, I worked part time at an interiors marketplace, and got some great tips from the very talented florists, designers, and retailers who put up trees. Using some of what I've learned, my own trees have gone from ho-hum to  head turners. So here's a few ideas:

LIGHTS
This is the most important part. You know those "recommendations" on the light boxes that tell you how many lights to put on a tree of such and such height? DOUBLE them. Start at the bottom, on the inside of the tree, and work your way out, twisting lights around the branches as you do so. This is much easier on artificial trees, but even if you are using a live tree, it's of the utmost importance to get lights on the inside as well.

ORNAMENTS
Have a good variety of shapes and sizes. Overscaled ornaments are great for filling in holes or can be used nearer the trunk so that there is color inside and outside. Smaller ornaments give up-close interest. Don't hang all your ornaments on the ends of the branches--like the lights, you should have them layered in and out. I'm not a huge fan of "themed" trees, in part because I have so many interesting ornaments that I've collected in my travels, but I do think it's important to have some consistency. You can get that by having all of your big ornaments match, or by visually tying the whole tree together with coordinating ribbons or beads.

GARLANDS
If you have the furry tinsel....throw it away. Beads and ribbon, or even dried floral roping are a much better choice.

TOPPER
Think beyond the expected angel. I've seen some fantastic toppers that are made of ribbon, dried florals, even feathers. These can be in addition to an angel, but an angel alone often looks lonely.

ADD THE UNEXPECTED
You can add some really cool "punch" to your tree by adding sprigs of dried flowers, interesting feathers, decorative sticks, birds nests, seed balls, etc. Just sticking some bunches of dried florals throughout the tree can give it some real dimension.

[Dexter Morgan]

Great ideas as always Gryphon.  I haven't even bought my outdoor lights yet. I hope to do them tommorrow, and put them up on Friday, the operative word being "hope". I haven't decided what colors I want /or/ how many I need.  This holiday season is really draining me. It's horrible, when you have a lot to do, and not enough time to do it.    I'll be glad when it's over. 

[Locutus]

Do you have artificial trees, live trees, or a combination? 

[Dexter Morgan]

Do you have artificial trees, live trees, or a combination? 

I usually go with artificial. I used to despise artificial trees, but they are much easier to deal with. They're not as flammable as the real ones,and you don't have quite the mess, like with the real ones. Basically, you rip it out of the closet, thrown it together,and after Christmas, the cats rip it down,and we throw it in the closet. LOL!!! I've had many a tree wrecked by overly curious cats.  Do you have a real one or artificial?

[Locutus]

I like real trees but I don't like a dryed out flamable torch in the house come Christmas day either. 

[Dexter Morgan]

I like real trees but I don't like a dryed out flamable torch in the house come Christmas day either. 

That's the biggest reason I have an artificial tree.    Every year, you hear about people's houses burning down, because the Christmas tree was too dry. I feel a lot safer with the artificial tree. I do love the smell, and looks of the real ones though. I guess a person has to stop and ask themselves, which is more important good looks /or/ safety? Safety wins out with me every time. 

[Sandy Eggo]

You can buy the pine scent. I haven't tried it though. Or you can go by a Christmas tree farm and get some branches and decorate w/those. That way, you get the smell w/out as much mess.

We've been buying the plantable trees for the past few years. They don't dry out and you're not killing them. They are about the same in price and if you can't plant them, you can return them and get a portion of your money back.

[Gryphon]

I have artificials. Id love to do a live one, but I end up being gone from home so much during the season, I worry about it drying out.  I could always count on a live one back home at my parents place, but theyve switched to the fake stuff too.

Funny Christmas tree stories:
The year I turned 16, dad left me his station wagon one day and told me to get the tree while they were at work. I'd always wanted a HUGE tree that would get pretty close to the top of their cathedral ceiling in the living room. I seized the opportunity. Dad had given me fifty bucks cash, but I found a beautiful 12 foot tree and after some negotiations, ponied up 25 more bucks from my own pocket and got free delivery included. (The beast had to be hauled to the house on a flat bed) Well we got the tree up...the weekend before Christmas the cat climbed in it....sending it off balance and crashing into the living room. Broke half the ornaments, the water soaked the gifts. I was never again allowed to get a big tree.

When I was a kid, mom would put the tree up after we went to bed. We picked the tree up after dinner, in the dark, and then-stepfather dragged it into the yard to trim it up. The next morning, the tree was all decorated. But the house started to take on a peculiar odor. Sure enough, in dragging it through the lawn, it had picked up some dog mess. Had to be UNdecorated, taken out again and hosed off.

[Bo D]

I'll never forget this and I retell this story every year to my daughters (as they roll their eyes, and think .... Dad's telling his story again...)

When I was growing up in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia, we always had a real tree. And every year, after we took down the tree my Dad would drag it out into the field behind the house. He would always take all of us boys with him and he made a great ceremony of throwing a match on the dried out tree.

Man, that thing would go up in a flash like napalm or something! It was a spectacle I will never forget.

I have never had a real tree in my own home.

[Palehorse]

I love the real ones too much to cut them down. I use the fake one. Safer and better for the environment.

[Dexter Morgan]

You can buy the pine scent. I haven't tried it though. Or you can go by a Christmas tree farm and get some branches and decorate w/those. That way, you get the smell w/out as much mess.

We've been buying the plantable trees for the past few years. They don't dry out and you're not killing them. They are about the same in price and if you can't plant them, you can return them and get a portion of your money back.

Now that's a cool idea PIYA. 

[Dexter Morgan]

I have artificials. Id love to do a live one, but I end up being gone from home so much during the season, I worry about it drying out.  I could always count on a live one back home at my parents place, but theyve switched to the fake stuff too.

Funny Christmas tree stories:
The year I turned 16, dad left me his station wagon one day and told me to get the tree while they were at work. I'd always wanted a HUGE tree that would get pretty close to the top of their cathedral ceiling in the living room. I seized the opportunity. Dad had given me fifty bucks cash, but I found a beautiful 12 foot tree and after some negotiations, ponied up 25 more bucks from my own pocket and got free delivery included. (The beast had to be hauled to the house on a flat bed) Well we got the tree up...the weekend before Christmas the cat climbed in it....sending it off balance and crashing into the living room. Broke half the ornaments, the water soaked the gifts. I was never again allowed to get a big tree.

When I was a kid, mom would put the tree up after we went to bed. We picked the tree up after dinner, in the dark, and then-stepfather dragged it into the yard to trim it up. The next morning, the tree was all decorated. But the house started to take on a peculiar odor. Sure enough, in dragging it through the lawn, it had picked up some dog mess. Had to be UNdecorated, taken out again and hosed off.

OMG!!! too funny!!! 

[Mr442]

After years of various levels of quality in overpriced artificial trees, we started buying cut trees from the Optimists club.  We buy at the last possible moment, leave the tree outside for a few days, then bring it in and decorate pretty close to Christmas.  During the time it is up, I water it twice a day.  We can get a few weeks out of it before it starts getting dry.

Sometimes I will pull out my vintage aluminum tree and color wheel, and set it up in the dining room.  We will put plain red balls on it and top it with a red metalic ribbon.  It looks pretty cool

[tallulahdahling]

Gotta get a live tree--hubby insists.  He puts it up and then adorns it with lights.  The rest is my job.
Love the smell and the lingering of the pine scent after we take the tree down and I vacuum the remnants of the needles--like Christmas til March!
Yeah, that's how often I vacuum--SHADDUP!   

[pariann]

I'm with your husband.  REAL TREE!!  I'm just annoyed as hell over here at my daughters.  Her artificial tree has been up since BEFORE Thanksgiving. It's got lights and garland.  I wonder when she's going to finish decorating her fake tree.

She doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to go buy some of those cinnamon scented pine cones and stick them in between the artificial branches.  Her tree completely lacks any kind of character.  I didn't bring her up that way.