You’ve been decorating your Christmas tree all wrong! Experts reveal you should start with fairy lights, hang baubles on inner branches and NEVER stick to just one colour

  • Experts told FEMAIL the most common décor mistakes to avoid at Christmas
  • Common mistakes include not measuring your tree space and not checking the lights, or trying to string them through the branches after hanging the baubles
  • Elsewhere cite leaving the tree stand exposed and not using Christmas cards
  • They say best decorations for the edge of branches are the longer ornaments 

Christmas Day is fast approaching but plenty of us have still yet to decorate our trees. 

But before you start, make sure you aren’t guilty of committing one of these common festive décor mistakes. 

The experts at ChristmasTreeWorld.co.uk spoke to FEMAIL about the common festive faux-pas that people usually commit, from hanging the baubles before the lights to leaving your tree stand exposed. 

They explained that to make the most of your fir, you should start with the fairy lights, and added that Christmas cards should not be forgotten but hung on a string around your mantle piece or fireplace.

Here, FEMAIL reveals the 13 mistakes you need to avoid…  

1. Forgetting measurements

Just the right size: When you are debating what size Christmas tree you want, it is absolutely vital that you take the correct measurements, not just from top to bottom, but also you need to see how big of an area you have. Stock image

When you are debating what size Christmas tree you want, it is absolutely vital that you take the correct measurements, not just from top to bottom, but also you need to see how big of an area you have. 

Having a tree that is too big can make your room feel full, whilst a tree that is too small can be underwhelming. Getting a tree that is the right size can be the perfect addition to your home and ramp up the festive feel. 

A thing to note is the back of your tree will rarely be seen so if you’re short on baubles and lights focus the majority at the front.

2. Not checking the fairy lights

Don’t be caught out! It is surprising how many people will put up their lights just to plug them in and realise that they aren’t working or the bulbs are broken. It will save you so much time if you make sure they’re working before you hang them up. Stock image

It is surprising how many people will put up their lights just to plug them in and realise that they aren’t working or the bulbs are broken.

It will save you so much time if you make sure they’re working before you hang them up. 

Pop them in the socket and then replace them should you find that yours are faulty.

3. Lack of symmetry 

A lot of houses will hang ornaments on their Christmas tree haphazardly, causing it to look populated and a little bit claustrophobic. 

You can easily avoid that by having a plan of what you want your Christmas tree to look like. You should spread out your decorations evenly, whilst also considering symmetry.

4. Hanging ornaments first

Whilst it is exciting to hang your baubles and trinkets it will make things harder along the line.

You should hang the lights first so that you can have them exactly as you want without having to work around the baubles. 

5. Choosing only uniform baubles

Whilst it is nice to have that show home look, clean and pristine with a nice finish, your home is your home because of its personality. 

You should look to bring through your personality in the decorations and make it your own. 

You can do this by clashing baubles so they don’t look too uniform or making your own decorations so that you can really bring through your creativity.

6. Forgetting the inner branches

Don’t be tempted: Your decorations shouldn’t just dangle at the edge of branches, make sure you are pushing larger baubles to the inside of the tree where they will look best. Stock image

Your decorations shouldn’t just dangle at the edge of branches, make sure you are pushing larger baubles to the inside of the tree where they will look best. 

The best decorations for the edge of branches are the longer decorations (e.g. icicles, candy canes). When the light reflects off them it gives the tree a warm and dazzling look from the inside out. 

Also be sure to put some decorations on the hidden back branches in case the tree is moved.

7. You leave the tree stand exposed

Whether you want to hide the fact that you have an artificial tree or you just find the legs of the tree stand unattractive, it’s good to keep these covered.

The easiest thing to cover these with are presents and gift bags. 

9. Neglecting your Christmas cards

Sometimes Christmas cards can make counters look cluttered. 

However they are an easy way to inject a festive touch to the rest of your house. If you’re lacking on space, string them up and hang them around your mantlepiece, window or even o your walls. 

10.  Not decorating the garden

Share the festive cheer!A key part of Christmas is community so bring the festive cheer to your street. If you have a tree outside, why not wrap it with lights or line your home with lights. Stock image

The decoration inside your home is obviously the most important part of the festive season, but a key part of Christmas is community so bring the festive cheer to your street. 

If you have a tree outside, why not wrap it with lights or line your home with lights.  

11. You leave it until the last minute

It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas parties and socialising that you keep putting off decorating, but the later you leave it the more stressful it will feel. 

Decorating is a great chance to introduce a new tradition and get the whole home involved, it should be a day of enjoyment, not stress. 

Get it done early and enjoy basking in the festive cheer – and you’ll have time to pop out for any missing additions. 

13. Lack of preparation when taking them down 

No one likes to talk about taking down the decorations before they are even up, but it is so easy to just put everything into one box and shove it where it’ll fit to try and make sure putting it away is as fast as possible. 

However, spending that extra time to prioritise organisation can really help your decoration game for next year and save you the agonising time of untangling wires, so it is important to carefully remove decorations and organise them into categories boxes.

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