The festive season is here, light up your Christmas tree

With Christmas just around the corner, many people want to decorate homes in line with the festive mood.

The centre of attraction is, of course, the Christmas tree. You can get a natural tree or bring out the artificial one you store away and bring out every year to decorate your house.

Decorating the tree is fun and is the climax of the decorations. Mr James Ochieng’, who cherishes the festive season, says a Christmas tree is the trademark of the celebration.

“A natural tree livens up the Christmas celebrations; I usually decorate my house with Christmas trees,” he says.

PLAY WITH COLOURS
Mr Evans Ndede, an interior designer, says there are no rules dictating how one should decorate a Christmas tree, so it is up to your personal taste.

He adds that it is a great time to play with colours, noting that a tree decorated with bright lights such as bright pink and lime green add a cheerful mood to a room.

“Tree lights and colours typically come on green or white wire strands; choosing the strand colour that matches your tree so that the wire will be hidden is critical because illuminating a Christmas tree from the inside out will give it the most dynamic and natural look,” he says.

When installing lights on a Christmas tree, it’s important to begin at the base of the trunk and work your way up, wrapping lights around every major branch, moving from the trunk to the tip and back. 

You can then hang your favourite ornaments in strategic positions to showcase them; leave generous spacing between the larger ones.

PLACE IN A CORNER

Whether you are using a natural or an artificial tree, place it in a corner close to an electric socket to avoid having wires running across the living room floor.

Sometimes this might mean moving furniture around, but it is well worth it. This can be done by re-arranging furniture, if necessary to avoid unnecessary movements from children and other house pets from getting in the way of the festive creation.

For natural trees, Mr Ndede advises that you choose a cool location that is also far from radiators, fires or any other source of heat to prevent it from drying up fast.

In addition, it helps to measure the ceiling height and width of the area where you want to place the tree so that its branches can hang freely without getting into the way.

Mr Ndede says you can also hang other decorations such as paintings and hangings on the walls. However, he suggests that you keep the decorations simple to avoid making it too busy.