Many people find Christmas tree decorating is best when it’s simple and elegant, not over-the-top. Simple, easy-to-do decorating brings an effortlessly chic aesthetic to your home. Save yourself tons of hours sorting through your Christmas decorations with these holiday decorating tips.

Planning a Christmas tree theme

Having plenty of choices is a good thing, but not when you’re trying to decorate a Christmas tree. Oftentimes, having too many options is confusing. A theme narrows your choices down, which makes decorating a lot easier. Pick a theme that reflects your personality and tastes, but also something that the whole family agrees with. Put a twist on your holiday decorating with these ideas:

Coastal

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Seafoam greens, blues and whites echo the color of the sea. Bring the serene beauty of coastal scenes into your home and onto your Christmas tree by keeping your color combinations within the same shade family. Place thin white star ornaments, crystal tassels, glittered fronds and other such ornaments to recreate underwater scenes. To provide an interesting contrast, use a combination of matte textures and shiny knick-knacks. White lights draped over or strung onto your Christmas tree offer subtle radiance.

Asian

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Asian-inspired trees make for interesting holiday centerpieces. Put a little bit of Zen into your Christmas tree décor by embellishing your tree with tiny paper parasols, origami birds, faux cherry blossoms, and paper fans. You can also use butterfly kites to send wishes of hope to family members and guests.

Winter Wonderland

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When we think of Christmas, an image of snow-covered trees often comes to mind. Transform your home into a winter wonderland by using spray flocking, which can be purchased in any hardware store. Before you flock your tree, make sure that all lights and ornaments are removed. Cover your tree with a thin coat of snow, and then add more to suit your tastes. A cheaper but equally realistic alternative would be moistening your tree with water and covering it with flour.

>Make your tree come alive with colors.

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Christmas trees don’t always need to be all reds and greens. Add the colors of the rainbow to your tree by hanging ornaments of various colors. Arrange the knick-knacks by single-colored sections to create a visually stunning arrangement on your tree. For added depth, intersperse matte and iridescent ornaments. A tree skirt in an assortment of colors dresses up the base of your tree while complementing the hues of your ornaments.

Exchange traditional ornaments for unexpected Christmas tree décor.

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This year, decorate your tree with unexpected elements like colorful socks (clean, of course!), candy canes, miniature paper flags and children’s artwork. Doing this not only showcases your creativity, but it also saves you hundreds of dollars from purchasing ornaments. If you are going to hang paper ornaments on your tree, make sure your Christmas tree lights do not touch your decorations. Better yet, forego the Christmas lights and focus on the colors of your other embellishments instead.

Author’s Bio:
Renee Bedford is a mom and wife from Beaverton, Oregon. She works as a part-time Marketing Executive for Christmas Tree Market, where she plans their ongoing Christmas Tree sale.