The winter holiday season is my favorite time of year. No other time allows us to be as creative as possible and throw practicality to the wind. I’ve always dressed my home with two trees, one themed (that changes annually), and one “family” tree that is adorned with all of our mismatched ornaments acquired over the years, my children’s home-made ornaments (that the dog hasn’t eaten), and little keepsakes from our travels. It’s anything but “professional” but is the more sentimental tree of the two that are erected every year.

With all that said, I have spent plenty of time in “twinkle-light purgatory” trying to coax strings of lights to work. Decorating for the holidays can be a double edged sword. Here are some tips I’ve developed to help me keep my sanity and reserve my energies for more creative outlets.

Christmas tree with oversized ornaments via Better Homes and Gardens

1. Say farewell to Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree and embrace the artificial tree! I know traditionalists long for the scent of a real tree (I use real evergreen boughs and garlands to get the scent), and don’t mind the dropped pine needles clogging up their vacuum bags, and dismiss the fire hazard of stringing lights on kindling. A good quality artificial tree allows us to create professionally decorated trees (they can take the weight real trees can’t), and make the best use of whatever space we’re trying to fill (thin trees, exact height.) Frontgate.com offers a nice selection of artificial trees, and they also offer storage bags for the trees to keep them safe until the next year. I’ve found Costco also carries a nice, though limited, selection .

I’ve come to appreciate the unlit tree choosing to string my own lights. While 1,000 bulbs on a tree is truly a sight to behold, incandescent strings are only made to accommodate a certain number of burnt out bulbs before the entire string fails. You can maintain your own bulbs, or string over burnt out lights (thereby saving our landfill). The new LED pre-lit trees are fabulous, but you will pay a bit more upfront. It’s well worth the investment over the long run and will save you hours of aggravation over dysfunctional lights.

2. Take the time to “fluff” your artificial tree prior to loading on the ornaments. No one likes an obviously “fake” tree, and nothing screams fake like a tree that looks like it just came out of a box.

3. Don’t buy a tree too big for the room.
The top of the tree should sit at least 12” below the ceiling. Nothing is more awkward than a tree that’s hugging the ceiling or is overflowing from its assigned corner.

Glittery picks from West Elm

4. Pick a theme! I find craft stores the most inspirational place to come up with a “theme.” This year, my theme is “Partridge in a Pear Tree” which was inspired by some pheasant feather picks, and pear cornucopia swags. I paired them with a bird (which I hide daily and has become my children’s mission to find).

5. Get crafty I LOVE picks!! It’s such an easy and affordable way to fill a tree. Always buy more than you think you’ll need. Stores like Michaels offer a wonderful selection of picks, artificial flowers, and sprays to adorn your tree with.

Amaryllis holiday bulb from Calyx Flowers and White Narcissus photo by Jonathan Buckley

6. Consider amaryllis and white narcissus to the more commonplace poinsettias. They’re both very easy to grow, will last through the entire holiday season, and will fill your home with a perfumey scent.