Every year here at Meadows & Byrne we know it’s Christmas when Mary Ring comes to visit. Mary pops by every year to decorate our Christmas trees in-store and the results are spectacular! Brimming from top to bottom with beautiful garlands, ribbons and decorations, Mary brings together the most wonderful festive looks that Santa himself would love to have in his home!

From snowy winter wonderland inspired themes to glittering golds, Mary weaves together her vision to make something really special, giving our shops that touch of Christmas magic and inspire us all with the best ideas, advice and tips.

With over thirty years experience, Mary is truly the queen of Christmas here at Meadows & Byrne so we just had to pick her brain for some great tips before decorating our trees at home this weekend!

Mary’s Guide to Christmas Tree Decorating

The Tree

If you are opting for an artificial tree it’s important to create a natural look. If the trunk is on show people will know it’s not a real tree straight away!

To avoid this make sure the trunk is well hidden. Pull each branch outwards but make sure they are not flat. Lift the branches up and down, alternating the direction of every second branch as you go to create a “full look”.

Getting the Lights Right

Once the tree is looking good, it’s time to add the lights. I always recommend warm, white LED lights to create the perfect base for decorating. When adding your lights always start at the bottom. To ensure depth and warmth wrap the lead of the lights around the trunk of the tree and weave your lights in and out of each branch working your way upwards.

If you are wondering how many sets of lights you will need, the average 7ft Christmas tree will need 2 sets of 360 lights. Once you have your base ready it’s time to decorate!

Look Around

Before you start adding your decorations, consider the colour of the room where the tree will be on show. You will hopefully be spending lots of time relaxing around the tree so the last thing you want is a colour clash that will look out of place and disrupt your relaxing ambience. That doesn’t mean you need to play it safe, experiment with colour, for example, if you have a grey wall a burnt orange and teal theme could work beautifully.

This year the classic festive red colour palette is in vogue and is absolutely stunning. Choose bright festive reds for that warm, rich, traditional Christmas style.

Another beautiful and more contemporary style is the Nordic lodge. This style combines rich maroons, creams and golds. Accent this look with rust or copper colours.

If you want to make a big impact go for gold top bottom!

Layers

To create a balanced and lovely tree, layers are essential. Once the lights are on you are ready to start with the baubles, evenly distributing them from top to bottom. This creates a good base for the next layer.

Think Outside the Box

Usually, our go-to decorations are baubles, tinsel and lights but if you want to create the perfect tree, think outside the box and add jewel trimmings and seasonal foliage like rose or poinsettia to really make an impact. A fresh sprig of holly is also great to give the tree volume and fill any large spaces between the branches. Take a look at any of the trees in stores and you will see garlands, large ribbons and more!

Key tricks to make these years tree the best yet:

1. To give your tree a sense of volume get a roll of wire from your local florists, tie three different colour baubles together and combine into one.

2. Once everything is in place take a second look at the bottom of the tree. I always focus on making the bottom on the tree very full. Place baubles all the way along the bottom branches from the inside out to give depth, texture and to finish your tree beautifully.