Shopping for the Perfect Artificial Christmas Tree

So you are in the market for an artificial permanent Christmas Tree. There are several factors you will want to keep in mind, since this is an investment purchase you will want to use from year to year. One important thing to consider is how tall do you want your Christmas tree?

They range in many sizes you can get a small 3ft, 4ft or 5ft Christmas tree if you have a small space to decorate and want to set it on a table top by a window to let the lights show through to outside.

Keep in mind the height of your ceilings in your
house or apartment, most standard ceilings are 8ft so the perfect fit if you want your Christmas Tree to fill the space from floor to ceiling is a 7 1/2 Ft Christmas Tree, by time you set this size up and put your topper on it, it will be perfect.

If you have 10ft ceilings then you can handle a 9ft Christmas Tree or even a 10ft Christmas Tree, if you should happen to get one that touches your ceiling you can always bend that tip top branch down and in half to adjust the tree top and to make it the height you need.

Another option is if you have a short table like a 2ft tall table you can set your Christmas Tree on top of that and allow space below and around the small table for lots of Christmas packages and gifts, and you can buy a tree that is 2 feet shorter than your ceiling and still get a really great full look. So for example if you have 8ft ceilings you can buy a 6ft tree and put on the small table to decorate and display.

When thinking about a Christmas Tree purchase you will also want to remember to figure out how much floor space you want to cover, maybe clear out the spot you are thinking of putting your Christmas tree and do some measuring.

Also a warning, when you view Christmas trees in the stores keep
in mind that they may appear smaller in the store than they will appear in your home as most stores have unlimited ceiling space so it will give the illusion that the tree is smaller than it really will look in your home.

There are different varieties of trees, the ones that look more realistic to a natural tree are going to be a little more pricey but you will get a lot more life out of them. The branches will be sturdier and the tips of greenery will be stabilized on the branches better and you won't find yourself shopping for another tree next year because of the tree unraveling and falling apart.

A really good quality Christmas Tree can probably last as long as 5 to 10 years if you take good care and store it properly.
Some Trees have almost a bottle brush type branch. These are usually very inexpensive and they don't look very realistic and are hard to put very many ornaments on.

I suggest choosing one that has many of the little fluffy shape out tufts to really have a nice looking tree. Some are more skimpy than others so just choose the style that you desire the most.

You can get a slim line tree, these are more slender cut and take up less space so if you are short on space these are a wonderful alternative to the really bushy Christmas Trees they take less ornaments to decorate and look very elegant and will not overpower your room.

If you have a large area you are placing your tree in, by all means you can go for a full realistic gorgeous Christmas Tree,
Some are really full and wide and really elegant and may be really wide around. Be sure to really load it up with lights for the best effect and to really add the wow to your decor.

Some Trees come pre-lit and that is really a handy feature for quick easy set up and non tangle but I have to wonder how convenient they are when you have problems with the
lights.

A really important thing to look for also if you want ease of setting up a Christmas tree is the style of the branches. Some trees come with individual branches to be put on that are color
or letter coded and you have to sit down and sort out piece by piece each year and hope you put them in the right order or none were lost etc.

The ones I most prefer are called a hinged tree. They normally come in 2 or 3 sections and the branches fold in and out somewhat like umbrella style and normally offer very compact storage throughout the year as well.

When you set the hinged Christmas tree up you just set up your stand, and just place the two or 3 big sections together and the branches hinge right out for super easy setup, and then you shape them out, and voila!

One thing about Christmas tree buying is that there is really no right or wrong on getting a tree, but to be sure that what you select appeals to you and you will be so much happier with your choice and enjoy it for years to come.

The most important things are Style, Size, Height, width and the look you desire.

Happy Tree Hunting!

Decorate that tree!

On to the next step.

What to put on your tree? That always seems to be the tough question.
I have an idea though. Put what you LIKE on YOUR tree.

Seems simple huh. Do you like Birds, or roses or horses or Victorian lace?
It will all work. Honestly as long as things coordinate and blend with the room you are putting the tree in, it will look great!

Now HOW to put those favorite bobbles and other decorations on your tree. Again just as with the lights, Start more towards the trunk and work your way out to the tips. Fill the holes in between the branches.

Blend bigger ornaments with some small ones for a different look. If the ornaments are all the same size it looks a little boring, so change it up a bit. Quick Hint: put the bigger ones to the interior of the tree (closer to the trunk), as it fills space, and reflects the lights also. As a plus you need less ornaments with bigger ornaments.

Try something besides the tinsel garland that you see so much of.
Try some strands of ribbon running up and down the tree, or just ribbon bows set slightly back on the branches with some tails cascading down the branches.

Raffia can also be used if you are doing a western tree. Glittering branches can be added to the tips of the branches to create a fountain flowing look.
It is really up to you, but try to look at gilded leaves a little different and think, hey that looks neat and glittery and goes with my ornaments just great!

Heck, you can even grab some twigs and branches from shrubs in your yard to add a bit of flair to your masterpiece.

What about the lights you ask? Wow! There is a plethora of of choices there. Twinkling, flashing, running , chasing, blinking, musical, bubbling, and so many more to choose from. Whew getting to be tough now choosing from all that!

There are also pre-lit trees available and it really simplifies the decorating process. There is nothing wrong with going that route either. I might add the only drawbacks are if the lights go bad you are gonna have to chase the problem down, or add more lights to the tree. Secondly, the color and style choices are more limited to what you can choose from.

How about the colors? The miniature white ones are always in style and are the easiest to find. If you are doing an antiquated tree, try some larger bulbs with texture on them. Don't limit yourself, but try to keep the same theme throughout the tree.

What about hanging ornaments? Well you can always use those little metal hooks, or go for something a bit classier if you wish. Small ribbons or strings work great, but take a bit more time to use, however the look is worth it.

If there are going to be a lot of kids, you can also choose plastic
ornaments as the tend to not shatter and cause a safety problem like the glass counter parts do.

You can even choose to not put any ball type ornaments at all. Wow!
How about berries , Santa hats, bits of rope frayed out, glass from old chandeliers, just about anything you want!

The main thing is to have fun and invite some friends and family over and enjoy the evening with each other.

Lights, Action, Decorate

Wow!
It is that time of year to drag out the trees, boxes of ornaments, untangle the lights, and start the annual sojourn of the mystical tree decorating festivities.

Where should we start? I suggest with the tree itself. After getting the tree safely out of wherever you stored it and unpacking it out of the box and putting it together (hopefully you purchased a hinged tree at this point) then you need to fluff the thousands of little branches out.

I know this is time consuming and a bit rough on the hands, but it is well worth the effort to do it right. Taking special care to unfurl all the needles and unfolding the branches one by one, you should be able to see the beautiful start of a grand looking tree taking shape in about 30 minutes or so.
After all we really are not going for the Charlie Brown look are we?

Next hopefully you already placed the tree where you wish to display it or are shortly after moving furniture and cleaning the cobwebs you just realized were there. Yikes!

Now comes the very fun part, installing your lights.
It is really hard to decide how many lights are too many, but we usually go with the standard of 100 per foot of tree. This can be adjusted according to the size of the tree itself, Because some are more robust than others.

Starting at the base and the trunk of the tree we like to put an extension cord to be able to plug the lights into as if you get too many plugged in to each other you will learn the aggrivation of blowing fuses in the light strands. and wind it on the trunk so that it is easier to get the other lights plugged in. Brown or green colored ones also look better and are easier to hide too.

It is a wise thing to check your lights BEFORE putting them on the tree itself.

Ok, so starting at the base of the tree again start weaving the lights from the trunk to the tips of the branches and back again, occassionally wrapping one of the needles around the wires to hold them in place. Continue this all the way to the top and you are gonna have the beginning of a gorgeous tree.