How to properly decorate a Christmas tree?

Decorating a Christmas tree is an old tradition that brings the whole family together and helps create a festive mood. To make the New Year tree look beautiful and original, toys, garlands and tinsel for it should be selected in advance.

Before you start decorating the tree, you need to prepare it. There are a few simple rules to follow when deciding to install live spruce or pine at home.

1. Do not bring the tree from frost into a warm room. Spruce reacts poorly to a sharp change in temperature. Because of this, the needles of the plant can lose their elasticity and fall off very quickly.
2. If the tree is too tall, its top must be carefully trimmed before installation. The place of the cut can then be easily decorated with a star or a colored bow.
3. Live spruce should be set 1-2 days before the New Year. In this case, the smell of spruce will be felt in the room during the whole holiday.
4. The plant should be located away from heating appliances. This will also prevent the plant from drying out quickly and needles to fall off.
5. As a rule, the tree is installed in a corner or against a wall. This is done so that the plant does not interfere with anyone.
6. Live spruce can be placed in a bucket with suitable filler or on a crosspiece. Having installed the tree, you need to make sure that it is stable.

There are far fewer rules associated with installing artificial spruce. All that is needed is to get the tree out of the storage area and slightly spread its branches.

To make the tree look harmonious and attractive, it is worth adhering to a certain order in the process of decorating it.

First of all, a garland is hung on the tree. Initially, it is recommended to spread it out on the floor and check the operation of the bulbs. Only then can the garland be attached to the spruce branches. Usually 2-3 garlands are used to decorate one tree. They can be placed vertically or horizontally. Using garlands of different sizes, decorations with bulky bulbs should be hung at the bottom of the tree, with small ones - closer to the top of the spruce.

The more lights, the more beautiful the New Year tree will look. You can use both colored and solid garlands. The choice depends on the personal preferences of the person, as well as on the style in which the tree will be decorated.

After attaching the garlands, you can start decorating the fir tree with New Year's balls. First, large toys are hung on a tree, then small ones. They can be both multi-colored and monochromatic. You can create original toys with your own hands. Most often, plain balls are painted with acrylics, decorated with sparkles or voluminous bows.

Glass toys are considered to be of higher quality. But for families with small children, plastic balls that cannot be broken are more suitable.

Large toys are usually hung on the lower branches.... In this case, the New Year tree will look beautiful and neat.

Having hung volumetric balls on the tree, you can start decorating the spruce with small figures made of glass and plastic. For this, different products are used.

• Fairy tale characters. Figures depicting characters from various fairy tales and cartoons are ideal for decorating a Christmas tree. Both young children and adults like them.

• Symbols of the New Year. Figures of a snowman, Santa Claus, Snow Maiden will also look beautiful on the tree. They are usually hung in the most conspicuous place.

• Forest animals. You can "settle" on your tree and various animals, as well as birds. There are many themed figurines for every taste.

• Multi-colored cones. These simple toys will look great on any Christmas tree. Brown, white, silver or green cones are perfect for decorating a tree.

• Salt dough crafts... Figures made from this pliable material are beautiful but short-lived. From salted dough, you can make both voluminous crafts and flat ones. After drying, they are painted in suitable colors. You need to make such decorations in advance. Otherwise, they simply will not have time to fully dry out. Simple satin ribbon loops are usually attached to finished toys.

• Edible toys... Kids especially like toys that you can eat. To decorate the Christmas tree, you can use gingerbread figurines, dried fruit wedges, nuts, or candy. The step-by-step process of creating and decorating such toys will captivate both schoolchildren and small children.

• Paper snowflakes. Even small children can make such simple decorative elements. All you need to create snowflakes is white paper and sharp scissors. Many people even make voluminous garlands from beautiful paper figures.

Tree with fluffy branches do not decorate with too small toys... They will be lost against the background of green needles.

The latter is decorated with the top of the spruce. To do this, use different decor options.

• Bow... A voluminous bright bow, fixed on the top of the spruce, looks beautiful and impressive. You can buy it in a store or make it yourself. As a rule, white, silver or scarlet ribbons are used in the work. Burlap products are suitable for decorating a Christmas tree in country or eco style.

• Angel... To decorate a tree in a European style, you can use an angel figurine. You can buy it in a store or do it yourself. The graceful figures with transparent or white wings look the most beautiful.

• Bright Star. This classic decoration also looks good on the top of a spruce. The Christmas star, also called the Star of Bethlehem, has five rays. As a rule, a red figurine is used to decorate a spruce. Silver or gold tops look no less beautiful.

• Snowflake... Having decided to decorate your tree with homemade toys, you can replace the classic top with an ordinary snowflake. It can be made from paper or any other materials at hand.

• Symbol of the year... You can also attach a glass figurine or soft toy depicting an animal symbolizing the coming year on the top of the tree. The main thing is that the figure is not too heavy.

Bright tinsel and colored beads are not used as often as they used to be. They are used to fill the free space on the branches and make the New Year tree brighter and more beautiful.

You should not abuse tinsel. You need to choose it so that it matches the rest of the decorations on the tree.

The Christmas tree can be decorated in a classic style or supplemented with some original details.

This style is time-tested and popular with a lot of people. Decorated with stylish vintage toys, garlands and stars, Christmas trees look beautiful both in large houses and in small apartments. Examples of trees from your favorite movies can be used as inspiration when decorating a New Year tree.

The step-by-step process of decorating such a Christmas tree looks very simple. To begin with, the tree is decorated with a large number of colored lights. After that, colored balls and other toys are hung on its branches. Cones or poinsettia flowers go well with them. There should not be very many tinsel on the tree, otherwise it will hide all the toys.

When preparing for a simple home holiday, you don't have to decorate a large Christmas tree or use expensive toys. A Christmas tree decorated with family photos, children's crafts and cute postcards will look beautiful. Both children and adults can take part in decorating this New Year tree. The free space can be filled with old vintage toys.

The main feature of this style is the pretentiousness and abundance of decor.... Christmas trees are decorated with colorful balls, original toys and lots of tinsel. The most popular colors used to decorate a Christmas tree in this style are red and gold. The balls on the branches are hung not only singly, but also in whole "bunches". You can complement the base of the Christmas tree with lush bows made of bright satin ribbons or translucent golden fabric.

The main difference between this style is that only 2-3 colors are used to decorate the Christmas tree, which are combined with each other.... As a rule, simple balls of the same size are hung on a tree. They are usually arranged in a checkerboard pattern.

This style is characterized by a love of minimalism... To decorate a room for the New Year, Scandinavians usually use small Christmas trees in pots or baskets. They are decorated with white, silver or transparent balls, as well as LED garlands with small bulbs.

Wooden figures or thin beads will also look beautiful against the background of green branches. The top of such a tree can be decorated with a large shining star or left untouched.

In addition to a large Christmas tree in the main room, a smaller Christmas tree can also be placed in the house. To decorate it, they use soft toys, felt crafts, paper snowflakes and bows made of colored ribbons. To please the child, sweets are hung on the spruce branches. When decorating a nursery tree, you should use bright colors. In this case, it will look beautiful and cheerful.

Decorating the New Year's tree is worth it with the children. In this case, they will develop good taste. In addition, by making decisions about where to hang toys, the child becomes more independent faster.

Country style is also popular now. To decorate such trees, simple monochromatic toys and homemade figurines are used. Decorations made of wood will look great on the branches of a New Year's tree. Small bows will complement the finished composition. You can either buy them or make them yourself.

The floral style also has much in common with the previous trend. To decorate a bright New Year's tree, artificial flowers or brightly-made buds are used. You can complement the composition using various twigs, berries and leaves. Bright colored balls will help fill the free space.

To decorate a Christmas tree in a floral style, various shades of pink, yellow and purple are usually used.

Simple tips from experienced designers will help to make the tree beautiful and stylish.

1. Having finished decorating the tree, it is important to pay attention to decorating the tree trunk. To do this, you can buy a special "skirt" decorated with New Year's patterns. The tree trunk is also often decorated with tinsel, garlands, or filled with empty gift boxes under the branches. This simple decor makes the room look more cozy and beautiful.
2. If there are animals or small children in the house, it is better to hang expensive glass toys closer to the top of the tree. In this case, the likelihood that they will break is much lower.
3. It is recommended to decorate a Christmas tree in a small and dark room with transparent balls or toys with a mirror surface. They perfectly reflect light and distribute it around the room.
4. When planning a Christmas tree decoration scheme, you should not mix several contrasting styles at once. This will only spoil the overall impression of guests and households about the New Year's tree. It is also important to match the colors correctly. To decorate a Christmas tree, either related or contrasting colors are usually used. A tree decorated with toys and tinsel of the same color will also look stylish.

In the process of decorating a Christmas tree, you can be inspired by traditions that have come to us from other countries.

• France... Earlier in France, as in other countries, fresh apples were often used to decorate fir trees. They were considered a symbol of pleasure. Over time, the fruit was replaced by glass toys. Now, to decorate a Christmas tree in the French style, you can use both real ripe apples and bright glass figurines.

• Germany... The main attribute of the New Year in this country is most often decorated in green and red colors. Candles are also very popular in Germany. However, modern Germans often replace them with ordinary garlands with bright bulbs. The most popular toy seen on local Christmas trees is the Nutcracker.

• Sweden... To decorate Christmas trees, the Swedes use a large number of ornaments made in patriotic colors. These can be both large balls and garlands consisting of colored flags. Such details go well with solid figures and thin beads.

• Poland... The locals are famous for their optimism and belief in miracles. Therefore, toys made in the shape of cute angels are very popular in Poland. They are a symbol of Christmas miracles.

• America... Instead of tinsel, Christmas trees in the USA are decorated with bright red bows and golden beads. Children are happy to make popcorn garlands with their own hands. They also look very nice on green branches. Complement the composition with white artificial snow. With such a simple decor, even a simple artificial spruce looks like a living tree.

• Japan... Instead of Christmas trees, many people in Japan dress up with bonsai or cute dwarf pines. Decorations for decorating New Year's trees are usually used as simple as possible. Graceful paper birds, lanterns or fans look beautiful on their branches.

When decorating a Christmas tree, do not be afraid to do something wrong. Any unusual details will make the Christmas tree more beautiful and unique.

See the next video for a master class on decorating a Christmas tree.