Decorating the Tree

Ah Yes! It is that time of year again to decorate the tree! Every year it seems like a battle, but here are a few handy hints that may make it easier!

1. Set up the tree - Place the tree in the desired location. Now step back and look at it from ALL angles. Do you need to turn it to hide a bad spot? Easier to do it now than when all the decorations are on.

2. Light the show - String the lights on the tree starting from the top and working your way down. I have been slowly replacing my old stock of lights with the new LED lights which use less energy and do not heat up as much as the traditional light bulbs.

Do not tie in too many strands, try to keep it to 2 or 3 strands to prevent overloading a circuit. For ease of operation I will plug into a power strip that I place at the base of the tree. Then I can just flip the switch to turn the lights on or off.

I have also been known to plug them into a timer so that I don't have to worry about turning them on and off when I have the artificial tree up. I will also tend to put the lights on in the evening when I can turn off all the lights in the room so I can see if I have any "dark" spots.

3. Garnish with garland - Next I will place the garland on the tree if I am using it that year. By doing this first it makes it easier to reposition with out knocking off any ornaments.

4. The finishing touches - Lastly I place on the ornaments. I typically will place larger ornaments toward the bottom and smaller ornaments more toward eye level so that they can be seen. If you have kids or animals, it wouldn't hurt to put anything breakable toward the top so that they are not accidentally knocked off when playing or if someone brushes against the tree.