2011 has been as stressful as 2010, but I decided to once again have a tree for the holidays. Usually I wait until the week before Christmas to 'deck the halls', but this year I started much earlier. Yesterday I bought the tree! And I'm so glad I did. For the first time in my married life, there is no pressure to get the tree done. I have over three weeks to finish. Love it!
Decorating the Tree - Step One
Those of you who have an artificial tree, can skip this post. And for the sheer ease of decorating and storage, I highly recommend an artificial tree. I really considered going 'fake' this year. But the tree I liked was just too expensive.
I don't have a preference for live trees over artificial trees. Both are lovely and also have pros and cons. But let me know what you think.
Getting back to decorating the tree. For a live tree, the first step is pruning and shaping the branches to make room for lighting and ornaments. Many people skip this step, but it only takes a few minutes and is worth the effort.
Shaping a Live Christmas
- Clip the tips of branches that 'stick out too far' from the desired triangle shape.
- Create room for ornaments by pruning branches near the trunk that overlap.
- Trim the tip of the tree crown to a height that will fit your 'tree topper'. For trees that have two or more tips at the crown, prune until only one tip remains.
Shaping the tree.
Checking my work.
Making adjustments.
Branches pruned from the tree.
The final shape.
Next post, Decorating the Tree - Step Two, lighting.
Before I go, look at the gorgeous table my sister set for Thanksgiving!
And the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, gravy, homemade rolls and homemade pies were delicious!