We're knee deep in all things glitter and glitz this time of year! We start early though and decorate our store for Christmas in October. Otherwise it probably wouldn't get done! The second week of November we start decorating our commercial business accounts and toward the end of November and into December we start on our customers' homes. It's so fun visiting with them and decorating their trees, mantels, and more!

This week I thought it would be fun to share some tips we use to make our trees full and fabulous!

1. Not all trees are created equal. People have artificial Christmas trees for years and years so investing in a quality tree might be a good idea. Trees can get quite expensive the larger you go so you definitely want to shop around to find a tree you like and one that will last. That being said though, you don't always have to buy an expensive tree to make it look good. Find one that fits your budget and treat it well, it will last you a long time.

2. Pre-it vs. Unlit. When pre-lit trees hit the market a few years back I was in heaven! No more stringing lights, I thought. Christmas decorating will be a cinch! Until a few years later when the pre-lit tree lights stopped working. Ugh! If you haven't experienced that yet, you're lucky! At that point you have two options. Toss the tree and buy another or painstakingly cut off each and every strand of lights. I have to tell you I've cut off more than I'd like to remember. It's a total pain in the rear but a little time and effort will save you some dough. My tip though is to buy an unlit tree to save some money upfront and a lot of headache later!

3. Branches are your friend. This might be my biggest tip to everyone so listen up! We call them branches, others may call them picks or artificial stems/leaves, but whatever you call them, branches can transform your tree into a magical sight to behold! In my mind, branches can make the tree! You can add red berry branch, glitter branch, snow tipped pine branch, pinecone branches, and the list goes on. Branches can fill gaps in your tree and give it an entirely different look. Here's an example of a tree I decorated this year. The picture on the left only has artificial lambs ear stems and the picture on the right has 9 flocked pine branches added into it. There are only 9 extra branches on the tree but they really gave the tree a different and more complete look.

4. Bury large ornaments. There's nothing I dislike more than being able to see through a Christmas tree. To remedy that buy larger ornaments and bury them in the center of the tree. They don't have to be super expensive ornaments, save those to hang on the tips. The ornaments you bury in the center will fill gaps and also bring more color into the center tree which adds a lot of depth. In the image below, you can see we buried red ornaments and partially buried sugar pine cones to create more depth and draw your eye into the tree.

5. Mix things up. Don't be afraid to add unconventional items to your tree. We've added natural tree limbs and twigs, driftwood, lanterns, garlands, birds, elves, gnomes, you name it we've probably put it on a tree at one time or the other! This year we were in love with metal and added galvanized pails and giant metal ornaments. My thoughts are if you love something, why not put it on your tree? It will add interest and have your guests talking!

No matter what your style this holiday season, if you like a natural/woodsy look, traditional red and green, cute snowmen or love hot pink glitter and glam, when you let your style shine, you can never go wrong!

Author: Amy Ferguson, CFD

Amy Ferguson is a Certified Floral Designer and has been working at Allen's Flowers for over 15 years. She grew up helping her mom, Sandra in the store and started full time with Allen's Flowers after graduating from the University of Missouri. She has a passion for wedding design and home decor. You can follow her personal blog at www.artandolivias.com.