The most fun I can remember having as a child was decorating the Christmas tree. So it was only natural once I "grew up", to have carried over the tradition to my own home. The whole event can be an incredibly exciting and romantic time for you and your partner. From finding the "perfect" tree, scratching your rooftop trying to fit into your car, to playfully arguing about the best way to string the lights or where to place a decoration. In the spirit of this wonderfully romantic holiday, I decided to write this article so other couples could take enjoyment from all the delights of decorating the tree easily and romantically!
The first thing to do is set a day for when you're going to go get your tree, and make it a big affair! Have a count down to "Tree Day"! A great way to avoid going to too many places to find your "perfect" tree at a reasonable price is to call ahead. Or, take sometime on your way home from work to stop by a few local tree vendors and see what their price ranges are. While you're there take a quick peek at the quality of the trees as well! If you plan on going to a local tree farm to either cut a tree yourself or buy a live one, find out ahead of time what hours they are open.
Before the big "Tree Day" make sure to do the following:
- Decide on how tall of a tree you want and if it will fit! Keep in mind the radius of the tree as well as the height.
- Decide where you are going to place the tree. Try to avoid locations that are close to window openings or heat sources like a fireplace or heater that might dry the tree out too early.Â
- Get all your ornaments unpacked and ready. If you don't have any, or plan on buying new ones, purchase those. (More on this below.)Â
- Test all the lights you have to make sure they work. If you need to, replace broken light sets.5. Try to decide on which type of tree you want to buy. There are many varieties. The most popular tends to be a Douglas fir. Personally, I find those extremely messy as their needles fall out very easily. Our favorite has always been the noble fir as it lasts a bit longer and the branches are stronger for heavier decorations.
- Â Get a hand saw to saw off branches. Find an old pair of gloves, gardening gloves work well, to wear when sawing off branches. This way you avoid getting tree sap on your hands. (not a pleasant experience) You'll also need something to tie to tree to down to your automobile. Twine and/or rope work well.
On the day you'll be getting your tree:
- Vacuum the room you're going to put the tree in. Keep the vacuum out because you'll probably need it quite often to pick up loose pine needles!
- Have a snack food tray of cheeses, crackers, cookies, vegetables and/or fruit, etc. ready to munch on while you're decorating. Often times it can take a few hours to decorate your tree and it's definitely more enjoyable with a few "munchies" around!
- Have plenty of beverages ready as well. Make a pot of coffee or hot chocolate and have a few cool beverages ready too.
- Wear something comfortable as you'll probably be moving around quite a bit, but keep it festive. A tradition in our home is wearing Santa hats and having plenty of mistletoe around! *wink*
Decorating The Tree:
The first thing to do when decorating is to decide on a theme. Anything that has one main current idea running through it will work. For example, you could choose to make your theme around a particular color or colors, or maybe an animal like cows, dogs, kittens, etc. Try to find ornaments and decorations that fit into that theme. The more unusual, the more fun it usually is trying to find decorations. You could create a contest between the two of you to see who can find the most decorations in your theme. Below are some theme ideas you can use to spark your imagination!
1. Nature Theme
Decorations can consist of pine cones, wild flowers, dried flowers, etc. You can spray paint your pine cones green, red and gold for a colorful touch. For this theme I'd tend to use dried flowers as opposed to real so you don't have to worry about them dying. An arts & crafts store will have plenty. You'll also find little bird ornaments at many craft stores. You can use some twine and tie bows on a few branches. I recommend Christmas lights for this theme. For the tree top try a huge bow made out of twine or a cute wood cut-out star.
2. Child's Christmas
This theme can be lots of fun and very beautiful as well. Decorations can consist of popcorn garland, red ribbon bows, candy canes, different colored lights, colored balls. A romantic idea for this tree theme would be for each of you to make a set of around 6 ornaments for each other.
3. Simple But Elegant
One of my favorite themes! It involves only a few decorations and for anyone on a budget this is perfect. Decorations consist of: white candy canes, gold or plaid ribbon to create bows, white lights and gold ornament balls. For the top of the tree place anything meaningful or sentimental to the both of you.
4. Iridescent Christmas This theme is beautiful and very elegant. Use white lights, any type or iridescent ornament you want, and silver ribbon with some iridescence to it. For the tree top a beautiful angel works perfectly!
5. A Country Christmas This is my personal favorite and usually the theme I use. Lights can be red, green or white. If you have the patience, play around with how the different colors look on the tree. You'd be surprised at the results! Find ornaments that are made of wood and have a country feel. Plaid is a very good design to use. You can find pre-made plaid bows at most discount stores as well as plaid ribbon. Be creative with this theme. Some of the decorations I've used for this theme are very unique, ranging from miniature wood furniture to little ceramic cows.
The most important part of decorating your tree is making sure you both agree on a style. What might have been tradition for you could quite possibly be the opposite for your partner. The art of being a couple is blending the two to make your own new traditions... together. That is the beauty and romance of Christmas!
