How to Decorate a Christmas Tree Step by Step!

You guys have been asking for a post with tips on how to decorate a Christmas tree for years now and I’ve finally put one together sharing the step by step of how I decorate mine! I put up 2-3 trees every year including a family tree with all of our treasured ornaments plus one or two “pretty trees” that I have fun decorating with pretty ribbons and ornaments. I’m going to share the step by step of decorating the first “pretty tree” I put up this year but you can also use the same steps to give a new look to your family tree this year! I’ve included lots of details so settle on it and let’s get to it… (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}) 

Step 1: Choose Your Tree

Some of you might use fresh Christmas trees while others, like me, go with faux. There are a ton of options for faux Christmas trees and I’ve had some disappointing ones in the past but also several winners. One must-have when I shop for a tree is to get one that’s pre-lit – it saves SO much time and your lights are perfectly spaced out.

My favorite trees if you have the budget are from Balsam Hill – pricey but beautiful! I have {this 6.5′ Noble Fir tree} that I put up in our family room and think is absolutely gorgeous:

It’s nice and full, super easy to set up, and even up close the branches look quite realistic:

Also check out {this Balsam Hill tree on Amazon} that’s very similar but for a little bit less. 

The tree I put upstairs that I’m going to be decorating for this post is also from Balsam Hill – it’s {this 7.5′ frosted fraser fir} – it’s a bit more narrow than the other tree (which is what I need in this space) and is flocked (covered in faux snow). Here’s a pic of it all decorated up last year:

For a more budget-friendly tree, I used {this 7.5′ flocked tree} from Walmart in my girls’ room last year – it’s not quite as full but is a great tree for the price:

Another budget-friendly flocked tree that gets awesome reviews is {this flocked tree} on Amazon. I bought it to use as our family tree (the one with all of my girls’ childhood ornaments) in our NC home this year and will share what I think once I get it set up!

Step 2: Put Your Tree Collar in Place

Do you use a tree collar or a tree skirt? If you have a live tree I think either works well (although I have had some people tell me it’s harder to water your tree with a collar which makes sense). But if you have a faux tree, I personally think a tree collar is the way to go because it covers the trunk of the tree which is the part of faux trees that I think looks the most faux! The tree collars I’ve used include {this white rope tree collar} (it only looks yellow because of the lights),

a hammered silver tree collar that I found at HomeGoods four years ago ({this tree collar} is very similar), 

and {this natural woven collar} that I’m using on the tree in this post:

I also love the look of {this gorgeous basketweave tree collar}. When shopping for a tree collar just make sure it has a big enough diameter to accommodate your tree stand. You absolutely want to put your tree stand in your tree collar at the beginning of the decorating process before you do anything else! It will be near to impossible to get it over your tree stand once you have your tree in it!

Step 3: Assemble Your Tree & Fluff

If you’re using a faux Christmas tree, the next step is to assemble your tree and fluff the branches! Fluffing is a huge part of making an artificial tree look real and most people don’t take the time to do it. Starting at the back of each branch simply fan the tips of the branches out, moving them straight up or to the side so that they all go in different directions instead of laying flat like they do when you take them out of the box. Separate the different layers of the branches a bit too. Take your time and work your way around your whole tree – it will be worth it! 

My tree is one that actually looks pretty good right out of the box but you can still see what a difference a little fluffing made to make it look more full and fill in some of the gaps: 

Once your tree is fully fluffed, add your strings of lights to it if you don’t have a pre-lit tree.

Step 4: Add Loops of Ribbon

Adding ribbon to your tree is what will really make it a stand-out and it’s easier than you might think! First off, let’s talk about the type of ribbon to add – you want it to be wire-edged ribbon. This is important because it’s what allows you to shape the ribbons into loops that will maintain their shape. For ribbon width, I recommend ribbon between 2″ and 4″ wide – I use mostly 2.5″ ribbon. The wider the ribbon, the harder it is to work with so if you’re new to doing this you might want to stick with just 2.5″ ribbon the first time around. I also recommend a mix of opaque and sheer ribbon.

Here’s what I used on my tree this year (you need more than you might expect but can reuse it from year to year!):

4″ silver basketweave ribbon (from Balsam Hill but no longer available) – about 15 yards
2.5″ blue & gray plaid ribbon found {here} – about 28 yards (I bought three 10 yard rolls)
2.5″ denim polka dot ribbon found {here} – about 28 yards (I bought three 10 yard rolls)
2.5″ gold mini dots sheer ribbon found {here} – 25 yards (I bought one 25 yard roll)
2.5″ sheer ivory ribbon found {here} – about 30 yards (I bought one 50 yard roll)

The order that I put my ribbons on the tree is from widest to narrowest. For ribbons of the same size, I add the opaque ribbon first, followed by the sheer. So for this tree, I added the 4″ basketweave ribbon evenly around the entire tree followed by the blue & gray plaid and denim dots and finally the two sheer ribbons:

The ribbon might look like a continuous chain woven throughout the tree but it’s actually pieces of ribbon cut in strands. While you can definitely do it in one continuous strand, about four years ago my smart friend Kelley Nan gave me the tip to try smaller pieces and once I did, I never looked back! I typically create 2-4 ribbon loops with each strand and generally do them at an angle instead of horizontally or vertically. Ribbon is great for covering any spots that are more sparse so I look for those when planning where to put it.

While putting my ribbon on our tree this year, I took pics to share the simple step by step of what I do. My first step is to plan where I’m placing my ribbon – in this case I planned to make two loops to help cover up these two gaps:

Leaving the ribbon on the spool, I attach the free end of ribbon to the underside of the branch above the space where I’m going to make my first loop. If you just wrap the ribbon around the branch and squeeze it together, the wire should make it stay put:

Then bring the ribbon out to form your first loop while tucking the remaining ribbon back into the tree:

Often I’ll move a branch to the side to scooch the ribbon behind it:

Now pull the ribbon back out above the space where you’re going to make your next loop and repeat:

Continue with as many loops as you’d like (I’m just doing two with this demo since I started fairly low down on the tree but if you start closer to the top you can do several with one ribbon strand). Once you’re on your last loop, cut off the strip of ribbon from the spool, making sure you have enough to make a full loop with a tail that goes back into the tree: 

Often the ribbon end can just lie on top of the branch below the loop without being secured but you can also wrap it around a branch to keep it in place if needed: 

And… you’re done!

Simply repeat that process around the entire tree (remember to space out your ribbon quite a bit if you’re using multiple different ribbons so you have room for all of them). Do NOT worry about perfection! When you start trying it, some of your loops might not look quite right but once your tree has the other ribbons on it plus the ornaments and any embellishments those imperfections simply disappear.

Step 5: Add Ornaments

Now it’s time to add all of your ornaments! Start with your biggest ornaments to fill any gaps that are left and work your way down to the smaller ones. I store some of mine in tissue paper and have found that instead of unwrapping them from the paper one by one and hanging them from the tree, it’s more efficient to unwrap them all and then start hanging them. My 7.5′ tree has about 120 ornaments on it which includes some fairly large ones – if you’re using smaller ornaments you’ll need to use a few more.

Here’s what my tree looked like once I added the ornaments:

Step 6: Add Any Extras!

I love adding little extras to my trees even if it’s as simple as a few berry sprigs! You can use picks where they are mounted on a long wire or piece of plastic such as {these cute pinecones} or you can use typical faux floral or berry branches and cut them apart into individual flowers or sprigs of berries. I added white poinsettias and berries to mine including cascading some of the smaller poinsettias down from the top of the tree: 

My poinsettias came in a bundle (I found them at Michael’s a few years back) and I simply cut them apart:

and then distributed them evenly around the tree:

I also added some sprigs of white berries similar to {these} that I cut apart into smaller pieces and added throughout the tree:

Step 7: Add a Tree Topper

Finish off your tree by adding a tree topper – this year I used {this capiz star tree topper} that lights up – so pretty:

Step 8: Add a Plug-In Timer or Smart Dimmer

As a last step, save yourself the hassle of having to reach behind your tree every night to turn your tree lights on and off by plugging your lights into a timer like {this one} or a smart dimmer. I have the Caséta smart lighting system in our home (which I LOVE by the way) so I plug mine into {this plug-in dimmer switch} that I can turn on and off  with my phone or program to go on and off at the same time every day.

And with that… you’re done!

Room Sources: Herringbone wallpaper  |  Daybed  |  White leather pouf  |  Blue & white quilt  |  Pom pom throw  |  Ribbon trimmed window shades  |  Brass floor lamp  |  Sputnik ceiling light fixture  |  White with blue Euro shams  | Lumbar striped pillow

I hope you guys found this helpful and picked up a new tip or two to try when dressing up your tree this year! If you’d love more new Christmas decorating ideas, I just finished putting together a free 5-day email series with my five favorite simple and budget-friendly Christmas decorating tips! You can sign up below to be sent one totally do-able (and budget-friendly) Christmas decorating tip a day for the next five days – the perfect way to get a jump start on the holidays!:

Thanks as always for stopping by the blog!