Official Etiquette for Decorating Your Christmas Tree This Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Everyone is getting ready to put up that tree and decorate it with all the lights, garland, glitz and bulbs. But, what is the proper way to do it?

Many people have different opinions, but there really is only one true way to decorate your tree, real or fake.

Step 1: Fluff It!

Your tree will likely be bunched up when you transport it to its ultimate resting place for the holiday. Whether you're taking it out of the box or snipping the string wrapped around it from the Christmas tree farm, you'll need to let it settle. Fluffing it helps.

Get those gloves on and gently adjust the branches so they fall into place. The boxed trees will definitely need this for proper ornament disbursement. Give it time, you don't want to rush the fluffing.

It's meant to be a very fragile process. You will have a thousand needled (if the tree is real) on your floor by the end of the season. Don't rush that either!

Step 2: String the Lights

The very first decorative item you should put around the tree are the lights. The lights are your guide to the rest of the festive items.

You will want to start from the top and wrap them around the tree towards the bottom.

The general rule of thumb is 100 lights per foot of tree. For a six foot tree you will obviously need 600 lights. That will allow for proper spacing.

Step 3: Placing the Garland (Optional)

Not everyone is a fan of garland. In fact, some can be messy and downright tacky or ugly. There are a variety of types of garland and some can be quite nice. We will place this decorating step in the optional category, but if you do decided to use It you should place it on the tree after the lights.

Step 4: Placing the Ornaments

Stick with a theme! That is the encouraged way of decorating.

You can get really creative with colors and bulbs and other additives to the tree. The most important thing to remember about the ornaments on the tree is keeping the smaller ornaments towards the top of the tree and the bigger bulbs on the bottom.

Obviously, the bigger and thicker branches are towards the bottom and that helps with securing those larger items. You don't want a bigger ornament weighing down the top of your tree. It's also important to remember to keep ornaments spaced out appropriately.

Please, use spacial judgment.

Step 5: Filler Ornaments and Bows (Optional)

This is another optional step and one that is reserved for those who are taking a more rogue approach to decorating.

If you don't have a specific "theme" then you can put the more random or personalized ornaments on your tree once the main bulbs are put on. These are known as filler ornaments.

Some people will finish off decorating the tree with festive bows or ribbons. This is the time for these practices.

Step 6: It's Topper Time!

This step may be one of the more controversial ones, but it is the most important aspect of any tree. I say controversial for two reasons.

One reason is some people feel this should go on the tree earlier in the decorating process. For those who believe that, I agree to disagree. This the final step to completing your tree decorating process.

Topper on the tree and on go the lights and all that's left to do is sit and gaze at the beauty and wonder. The tree topper can also be controversial for those who may not support the Christ in Christmas.

Whether you do an angel on your tree or a star. You do you. Don't let anyone rain (or snow) on your Christmas parade.

Just Have Fun With It!

There really is nothing more warming, calming and peaceful than a tree in your home. It's the perfect centerpiece for home holiday decor. Of course, you always have to be mindful of pets and children.

No matter how you decide to decorate your tree or what steps you take to do it, the most important thing to do is have fun with it! Make it a family tradition as so many families before have.

Happy Holidays to all.