Most people think of red and green when they think of Christmas decorations, however you don't have to use red decor.
Why not come up with your own unique colors for your Christmas tree this year, such as white and green?
Here are the steps for how to decorate a green and white Christmas tree.
photo courtesy of tsayrate flickr.com/photos/35535885@N03/8262826886/
Christmas Tree
Whether you plan on using a freshly cut Christmas tree or an artificial Christmas tree, you should consider the color of the ornaments that you plan on using before selecting your exact Christmas tree.
If you are planning on using primarily medium green or dark green Christmas ornaments, you should use a white flocked Christmas tree or a solid white Christmas tree since medium and dark green Christmas ornaments do not show up well on a green tree.
If you plan on using primarily white and/or light green colored Christmas ornaments, you can use a traditional colored green Christmas tree.
Lights
Before any decorating takes place, you should add lights to your Christmas tree.
Even if you have a pre-lit tree, you might want to add more lights for added drama.
When adding lights to a Christmas tree, the designer rule of thumb is to add 1 strand of 100 mini non-blinking lights per foot height of your tree in either white, green, or clear. Use the same lights throughout your tree to serve as your base layer of lights.
For example, if you have a 10 foot tall tree, you will use 10 strands of lights.
Make sure that the Christmas light wire is the same color as your Christmas tree - a green wire for a green tree and a white wire for a white tree or heavily flocked tree.
Starting at the bottom towards the trunk, run the lights to the outside tip of each branch, then back to the trunk on every branch.
After you have completed putting on the base layer of lights on your tree, you might want to add 1-2 strands of slow twinkle lights #ad spread evenly throughout your tree if you want a slight sparkle effect.
Another option is to add 1 or 2 strands of lights that have a larger bulb to add dimension. Make sure these larger bulb strands are spread equally throughout your Christmas tree.
Ensure that all of your Christmas lights have the same light temperature - warm (yellow) or cool (blue). Most designers prefer warm lights that make a room feel cozy.
Ornaments and Trimmings
Just using all of the same green ornaments can be rather dull, so select ornaments and trimmings with contrasting texture, shape, and size.
Select items that are soft and hard, smooth and bumpy, and small and large.
Use many different colors of green - light, medium, and dark green.
Green ornaments that are not basic green but a unique colored green (such as apple green, chartreuse, emerald green, olive green, seafoam green, mint green, or lime green) give your green and white Christmas tree a designer look.
You can also add in a bit of sparkle by adding a tiny touch of gold, silver, and/or other metallic color or mirrors to complement the green color.
You can decorate with ribbons, floral picks, pine cones, tree branches, or other items that coordinate with your chosen aesthetic.
Consider using 5-7 oversized ornaments that will be the focal point of your Christmas tree. Oversized ornaments on a standard height tree should be no larger than a cantaloupe so as not to look juvenile. The larger the tree, the larger your ornaments can be.
Avoid using ornaments smaller than an orange. If you have smaller ornaments, consider using a twist tie or piece of wire to bunch 3 of them together to create 1 ornament cluster for more drama. Your ornament clusters can be identical ornaments or contrasting ornaments.
Bottom and Top
Finish your white and green Christmas tree by using a color coordinating tree topper and Christmas tree skirt.
You can use a traditional bow, star, or angel as your Christmas tree topper, however feel free to get creative with a unique option. Some people prefer to not put anything on top of their Christmas tree.
For a Christmas tree skirt, you can use something fancy, or just wrap the bottom with a blanket or other large piece of fabric since it will soon be covered with gifts.
Some people like to use a Christmas tree collar #ad with or without a tree skirt.
Speaking of gifts, you can decorate your gifts like a designer by using green gift wrap with a white bow, white gift wrap with a green bow, kraft paper #ad with a green or white bow, metallic paper with a green or white bow, or a combination.
Also consider using different gift wraps in different green colors or different patterns (plaid, stripes, etc), as long as they are green and white.
