Plaid fabrics, also called tartan fabrics, are very popular in traditional homes, especially around Christmas.
Many people already use plaid tablecloths, plaid decorative pillows, and plaid stockings to decorate during the Christmas season.
If you want to have a fabulous plaid or tartan Christmas tree this year, here here are the step by step directions.
Prepare Your Christmas Tree
Whether you opt for a living Christmas tree or an artificial Christmas tree, you must prepare the tree first.
Live Christmas trees need to be positioned with the best side facing the most visible direction.
Artificial trees need to be fluffed to look full and eliminate any holes.
Both types of trees need to be positioned near an electrical outlet so lights can be easily plugged in. You might want to invest in a Christmas light remote control #ad so you don't have to crawl on the floor to plug in your Christmas lights.
Add the Lights
Even if you have a pre-lit Christmas tree, you might want to add additional Christmas lights.
The standard rule of thumb for the amount of Christmas lights needed on a Christmas tree is 1 strand of 100 mini lights per foot height of tree (If you have a 6 foot tall tree, then use 6 strands of lights).
Many people consider that the minimum amount of lights, so feel free to add more.
White or clear lights tend to be most popular, however you can add colored lights if that is your preference (sometimes colored lights can look a bit juvenile).
You can even add a few strands of oversized lights for interest, and/or a few strands of gently flashing lights around the trunk of the Christmas tree.
Try to distribute the lights as evenly as possible on the tree.
Garland
You can choose to add plaid to your Christmas tree by using plaid garland, or you can use plaid ornaments, but using both might be too much.
Consider using a wide plaid ribbon or wide strips of fabric as garland for your Christmas tree.
Select which method of applying garland you prefer - see Different Ways to Add Fabric Garland to a Christmas Tree and Different Ways to Add Ribbon Garland to a Christmas Tree.
Feel free to use several different types of coordinating plaid garland for a truly unique look.
Floral Picks
Your Christmas tree, whether living or artificial, may have a few holes or bare spots that need to be filled in.
Use floral picks #ad to fill in the holes. The more floral picks you use, the more full your tree will appear.
You can use poinsettia flowers, berries, evergreens, or whatever appeals to you.
The floral picks will not only fill in the holes, but they will add extra texture and interest to your Christmas tree.
Other Fillers
Feel free to add other filler items, such as pine cones and other non-ornaments, to add dimension and texture.
You can use several different types of fillers, but make sure to use the same filler multiple times, such as 10 pine cones and 10 grapevine spheres.
Ornaments
Now is the time to add the ornaments.
If you decided to use plaid ornaments, make sure they are large and take center stage.
Add the paid ornaments first, making sure that they are evenly spaced.
If you decided to use plaid garland and not use plaid ornaments, then add your largest ornaments first, making sure that they are evenly spaced.
Keep adding ornaments that are represented in the colors of your plaid, starting from largest to smallest.
Consider using ornaments of the same color, but have a different texture (such as shiny, dull, glittered, vintage patina, rustic, etc) or a different shade (such as dark blue, medium blue, and light blue).
Tree Topper and Tree Skirt
Add a tree topper and tree skirt that compliments your plaid decorations.
The tree topper can be a bow made out of the same plaid fabric or a solid color represented in the plaid.
You can also use something completely different, such as a star, angel, or Santa.
The tree skirt can be made out of the same plaid fabric or it can be a color, or colors, represented in the plaid.
Christmas Gifts
Don't forget that your Christmas gifts are part of your Christmas decorations, so make sure that they look as good as your Christmas tree.
Many people like to select 3 different complementary wrapping papers and 3 different complementary ribbons to create different combinations of paper and ribbon to wrap their gifts.
You might want to use a stripe, textural solid, and metallic wrapping paper with a similar plaid, solid colored, and striped ribbon.
Also consider adding embellishments, such as small Christmas ornaments, floral picks, or decorative gift tags to your Christmas gifts.
For more information on how to decorate a plaid Christmas tree, see the video below.
