How to decorate your Christmas tree!

There's an old saying: "As it begins, so it ends and so it begins again." So how did you pack your decorations last year? Dumped them helter-skelter in a box or put them neatly away so it's now easy to unpack and use? You know now what to do this year.

For holding ornaments, the best types of trees are firs and spruces because their branches are sturdiest. If (environment-consciously) you are decorating an artificial pre-lit tree, then you have no worry.

If your Christmas tree is real, make sure it is fresh. If it's too dry, the limbs might crack or break under the weight of decorations. Place a mat below the tree for easy cleaning and manoeuvring.

While decorating a tree, make sure to unsnarl the lights before you try to drape them around the tree. Also, test if the bulbs are working before you place them on the tree.

Decorating a Christmas tree with electric bulbs is much safer than hanging candles the old-fashioned way. Don't rest a bulb directly against the branches of the tree. Hot Christmas candles can heat up needles and start a fire. Avoid natural trees with pine needles if you have children and pets running around.

Get the proportion right. When hanging decorations, put the largest-sized decorations at the bottom and the smallest one at the top. The effect is more pleasing to the eye.

It is best not to throw clumps of tinsel at the tree as if they were handfuls of spaghetti. The most attractive effect is achieved by hanging clumps of tinsel just at the very edges of each branch. Think a bit about how real icicles look when they are hanging from real trees.

Choose a theme for your tree. It's fashionable. You could choose a colour theme or you can choose a style.

Remember to make the Christmas tree uniquely yours by adding heirlooms that have been passed down from generation to generation. Another nice touch is Christmas cards or cookies you have made in your own kitchen. It gives the tree a personal touch.

Less is always more. Otherwise the tree could look cluttered. This applies to all interior decorating

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