How do you decorate your tree?

Some people really spend hours on their tree and some are truely amazing! I probaly spend like two hours on my tree. As long as it gives a great sphere I'm good!

When I was a child we rarely had a tree at home because we were always out of state at Christmas. So when I got to be an adult, I liked to splurge for Christmas. But I've never been very good at decorating like it looks like the magazine pictures. I'm a lot happy with simple decorations, lot of color and sparkle, and small get togethers with really close friends and a very few family. My childhood Christmases were spent with family that were not very kindly toward me (nor I thought any of my immediate family), were very boring and seemed to think they would be a lot happier if I were not there. I never wanted to spend another Christmas like this. I love Christmas, in college my friends and I used to have not just at Christmas, but also in February so we could celebrate Christmas with those friends who went home for the holidays. It kept down the pressure of trying to cram all those celebrations in while final exams were happening and we could still celebrate with everyone after everyone returned for the spring semester and classes had gotten under way. We gathered at my house. I left my poor pathetic tree up, (it was a 3 or 4 foot artificial tree) and I'd cook up a regular Christmas dinner and we'd get togeter for a weekend of feasting and fun. My trees still hold some of my decorations from those days. Some I made and some I was given as gifts, and there are some decorations that I made in grade school or Sunday school a child. I still continue to make decorations and collect new ones, but I'll never give up the old ones. They mean a lot to me.

Our tree is never really anything fancy. The last few years it has been a pre-lit tree with white lights. The ornaments have been blue and silver balls. I might get some new ornaments this year though I am kind of getting tired of the blue and silver.

I like white lights and wide ribbon to start off my tree. Then we use all the decorations I had while growing up (my aunt always gave me a really nice ornament every year). Then all the other ones we have that were gifts, ones I made, the ones I give my kids every year. It can get pretty full. But I love it and its full of color with a mix of traditional and whimsy. It's definitely no entry into a fancy mansion.

We have a festival of trees here in our area and I think they are beautiful. I only wish I had that kind of time and talent LOL I have gone with themes before but nothing to extravagant. My big project this year is ...I found all kinds of extra multi-colored lights at a yard sale this summer so I am wrapping eah branch individually with lights. If I don't blow a breaker it might look good! LOL

I do not have one of those fancy trees. My kids and I decorate the tree with old decorations from when I was a kid, some from friends, some from family, some with my kids names on them and some that the kids have made. I think that it makes for a really nice tree.