My Story

When I was growing up, the Christmas tree was the center of the holiday decorating. My sister, parents and I would take the truck to the farmers market and get a giant Frasier fir and bring it home. I loved walking through the trees and smelling that unique fragrance that is a Christmas tree. My mom would look for the right tree. Of course, my sister and I would offer up potential winners. Mom would always give it a good look and then give advice on how to pick a better one (it has too many bare spots, not tall enough, etc.).


Decorating the tree was always an event. Dad would bring the decorations out of storage, and then us girls would pull out each box and find it a spot to sit. He would string the c7 lights amidst grumbles and curses when one hot bulb or particularly prickly branch would fight back. We would go from box to box, picking our favorites and adding them to the tree very randomly. As we all worked, we snacked on popcorn and enjoyed the creation of our beautiful tree. It would be covered in ornaments that were made or collected over time. There was no single style or theme, just years of memories.

Once I had a family of my own, decorating the tree was much the same. Each year I would get a new ornament just for each child. As they got older, they chose their ornament. It was a fun tradition of finding that critical new ornament and then placing it on the tree. When the kids start a family of their own, they will take all of their decorations to start their own family traditions. A tree of memories really opens your heart to the magical spirit that is Christmas.

Then it happened. One year we went tree shopping, and I just wasn't satisfied. I kept wandering around this sunny, warm (68 degrees F) afternoon looking for something. Finally, when my husband was ready to go, I found this odd looking noble fir with too many holes in it. I asked, "is it crazy that I like this weird tree?" Anyway, we ended up with the noble fir.

Once home, the dilemma started. What was I supposed to do with this thing? My ornaments won't work with this structure. I'm an idiot. Thus I had my first themed Christmas tree. I also bought my first LED string lights. I put cool white lights, silver/white fluffy garland (it looked like snow), snowflake and owl ornaments, and topped it with a snowflake tree topper. There was very little on the tree, but I loved it. Since then, I have collected a few other themes and added a little more to the snowflake theme. There is something very satisfying about a tree that has a singular thought. It is comforting and relaxing to the senses.

What I Think About This Topic

So there is the argument - mixed up decorations or themed decorations - which is the better decorating idea? Until a few years ago, I thought themed trees were pretty, but a tree collected over the years was the only way to go. But now I like a themed tree too. Because of the meaning of a mixed tree, this will always be the best tree for me. But I have themed trees also, and I like them just as much. So here is my take on this argument.

The old adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder applies to this situation. We will never be able to get everyone to agree to a single idea (we can't even get people to agree to disagree, LOL). This is a good thing, seriously. Think about it. If we all agreed on the same thing, then every home in the world would have the exact same tree, same lights, same topper, and all put together the same way. How would that be fun? And at that point, why even bother? Plus, that would put me out of business! I mean, really, you know once you bought your stuff, you would never have to do it again. That's no good for me, so I am against this silly idea of agreeing about Christmas trees. Who even suggested something so dumb?

Choose your kind of decorating just like you choose your style of clothes: you like it, it makes you look good, it makes you feel great, and it works for your budget. Consider how much time you have for decorating and the amount of space you want to decorate. I have the time to spend a whole weekend on decorating and plenty of places to decorate or not. So for me, I can just go with what makes me happy. You never know if I will decorate everything, or just the tree and mantle. One year I used themes. The next, it's just whatever comes out of the box first. Two years ago, my daughter took charge and did what she wanted. That was fun to see how she approached the process. Plus, I didn't have to unpack all the stuff and clean up the mess afterward. I sat and watched TV. It was great for me.

Suggestions By Dilemma 

Here are my suggestions to help you find out what is best for you:

Small Spaces - Make the Christmas tree the focal point and spend most of your budget on it. Choose a tree that fits into your main living area and fill it with exciting decorations. Do simple things around the rest of the room, like add a tray to the coffee table with a silk twig of pine and holly to a small vase. These little things should be made from stuff you already own and inexpensive bits of holiday decor. Choosing a theme or mixed decorations should be decided by what you like.

Short on Time or Large Spaces - A theme can reduce the amount of time you spend on decorating. Someone else like me has done the basics for you. Choose a theme you like and pick items from the concept that speaks to you. Also, purchase wreaths and garlands that are already decorated in a matching style. Add a few ornaments from the collection you chose to tie all the pieces together. Find a few items like wall art, cardholders, or figurines that can easily be stored as they are to finish your decorating. If you use an artificial tree and you have the storage space, leave your tree decorated and cover it with plastic after Christmas is over. Next year it will take you no time to get the tree put back out.

A Small Budget - I would start with an excellent artificial tree because it will last for years. Decorate with the mixed tree concept. This will allow you to buy ornaments based on your budget and not worry about all the extras that go into themed trees like ribbon and floral stems. Each proceeding year, you can add more ornaments and extras until you have a tree that makes you happy. Now having said that, it doesn't mean that you can't have a themed tree on a budget. If that is your goal, start with a multi-colored set of shatterproof ball ornaments in a color set that matches the theme you want. This will set up the idea of a theme. You may find that you can't get as many ornaments the first year, but you will still have a beautiful tree. Color is a great way to help create a theme.

Family Heirlooms Galore - If you have decades of family heirloom ornaments that you must use and want to try a themed tree, try having multiple trees. Divide up your heirlooms into groups that make sense like all the red ones, or all of Grandma's things, or all the reflector ornaments. Buy a smaller tree and place it in a different room and decorate it with one of the groups of heirloom ornaments. Add matching ribbons, floral stems, and new ornaments that compliment your heirlooms. Voila, themed tree.

No Confidence  - If you think you can't decorate and it's too confusing, you can hire an interior decorator to help you out. There are also professional Christmas tree decorators. They will look at your home style and suggest things that will work with what you already have. But, if you want to do this yourself, then start with a theme. I have confidence in you! You can do it. By choosing from a collection that someone else has created, you can feel assured that everything will go together. When you decorate, if you like what it is and where you put it, you did it right. Remember, there are no wrong ways to decorate. Over time, you can continue with things that match your theme or branch out and move towards a mixed tree. Last year my husband designed the Christmas tree from a themed collection, and it got lots of compliments. He just knew he couldn't do it, but he did it well. (I might have nudged him just a bit on occasion though) 

Existing Home Decor - You do not have to match the style of your everyday decor, but you can if you want to. Again a decorator is an excellent place to turn for help. This decorating idea is a little more complicated. If you're going to tackle this yourself, then use color as your theme. My home has grey, greenish-blue, and white. So I would start with solid-color ball ornaments in grey, aqua, and white.

After you establish color, you can pick a theme like winter or birds, or farmhouse, just keep the majority of ornaments in your color choice. Add an additional color that matches the theme and your colors both. For example, I could do a farmhouse theme with the colors above and add a galvanized metal. It makes sense for the farm theme and matches grey, aqua, and white.

The second option is to add random ornament styles but stay in your color's family. So for grey, I could choose any ornament that has a color from light grey to charcoal. Aqua would be pale aquamarine to deep teal. White could be any shade of the pigment, including ivory. The variation in color will give your tree depth. A wide variety of ornaments will provide interest. 

And Now for My Apology

I know this article is long, and I apologize. It is challenging to impart that decorating your home for Christmas is all about the feelings it evokes for you. I can't reasonably tell you what to do in a few words, but I can give you some thoughts on how to form an approach that will be successful. Good luck, and remember to enjoy the process! Have you found an answer to this debate, or do you at least understand the other side a little better? Let me know. 

Until next time ---

Catherine