Decorating a Christmas Tree with Ribbon

The most extravagant thing about Christmas decorations, is decorating the Christmas tree. The meaning of Christmas tree differs for every individual and so do the decorative concepts. As always, decorating a Christmas tree is easier said than done. Well in my home, we procrastinate and postpone the work till we receive a scolding from mom, then the task is done in a couple of hours. Christmas tree themes differ as per people and their imaginations (me and my siblings have vivid imaginations which results into an even more vivid tree). Snow, vacation, foods, candy, Santa and cartoons are probably the most common Christmas tree themes. As against this backdrop, one can try some innovative ideas. How about some craft with ribbon? - budget friendly, quick and easy, beautiful, decorative, innovative and creative, the whole package. The best part is, you can still use the conventional tree ornaments after you have decorated your tree with ribbon. But who am I kidding? The Rockefellers probably beat the entire nation's population in having the best decorated Christmas tree. Right?

Steps Decorating a Christmas Tree with Ribbon
Once you get settled by choosing ribbons in your Christmas tree theme, it is time to search for the right kind of ribbons. While decorating a Christmas tree with ribbon, a step by step approach is very important. Here's a summary of the steps:

• To avoid double work, simply, make a list of the different types of ribbons and related accessories which you would need and buy them at one go. Before making the list, take a look at some of the ideas in the following paragraphs.
• When actually decorating, the first step is to apply some wilt resistant spray on the tree so that the tree needles stay fresh for a couple of weeks.
• Next you can do the lighting, small LED lights or some easy and good quality light fixtures for the Christmas tree. Fix the lights properly into the dense branches so that they do not appear too bright nor too dull.
• Now comes the step of putting up the ribbons. For this, you can use common sticky tape or glue, alternatively, you can just place the ribbon properly within the leaves in such a manner, that it bears the weight and does not slip down.
• Finally, when you are done with the placement of the tree, lights and ribbon, proceed to the décor of the Christmas tree by putting in some Christmas ornaments. Tinsel, candy canes, bauble (Christmas ball), blown glass ornaments, the list is never ending and versatile. I remember a Christmas when a family next door had put up chocolates and candy on the tree instead of common ornaments. For me, they suddenly became my favorite neighbors.
• Though there are many types of Christmas ornaments available in the market, you can also go for some easy homemade Christmas ornaments. They are relatively cheap and very beautiful. They can make your Christmas tree unique, with the subtle décor.

Decorating a Christmas tree with a ribbon, needs some small but important notifications that are needed to be considered. The biggest of them being the color scheme and the theme of the Christmas tree. Planning and executing on time will help you to bring about the beauty.

Ideas for Decorating a Christmas Tree with Ribbon
It goes without saying, that the ribbon size and length depends upon the size of the Christmas tree itself. If the tree is small then a shorter ribbon is required, and if the tree is large then you will need a longer one! For instance, if the tree is 4 feet to 5 feet tall, then the size of the ribbon needed is more than 40 feet.

• Start at the back of the tree, near the bottom branches, by swaging up the ribbons. Secure one end of the ribbon at the branch tip. Now, swag the ribbon towards the center of the next branch. One has to continue the same sequence till the bottom. This same spiral can also be done from the top of the tree. In this case if the ribbon is heavy, you may have to attach it to the branches with glue or you may use a simple paper clip. Twisting the ribbon can also add a pretty good effect to the getup.
• Put 4 to 7 strands (levels/turns) of the ribbon if you want to put them in a spiral manner. Make sure you space the spiral strands evenly around the trees. While putting it spirally, work your way from the top to the bottom, rather than bottom to top. One can also make small bows of the ribbons and incorporate them with contrast-colored small light bulbs or other small Christmas ornaments, stars and glitter balls. Looks beautiful. When you stand in front of the tree, each level of the spiral should appear in a parallel and diagonal orientation, this adds a better effect.
• Vertical ribbons is something that adds a great effect to the get up. However, one should not over-use the ribbon, that is, use just 4-5 vertical columns. Attach them at the top of the tree, just at the treetop. After that, loop them down in a vertical manner while giving the ribbons some mild twists. You can use also two ribbons by twisting them and intertwining them into one single column.
• Now this one's a pretty nice one - the Ice Age tree. Here all you need to do is use transparent ribbon and spiral it down the tree. Then you can stick lush white cotton on the ribbon using some glue. You can wrap transparent blue paper on the lighting. Voila! a tree with snow on it and a mystic look. Now here, put up fewer ornaments and avoid putting up ornaments of brighter colors such as red or crimson. Golden or rather silver ones would be just fine.
• The solemn tree is another idea that you can try out. All you need is the LED lights and the ribbon. Now it would look really good if they are of contrasting colors. Put up the lights uniformly all over the tree and then wrap the ribbon in a spiral style. The decoration's simplicity proves to be amazingly eye-catching.

There are different types of ribbon that you can use as per your preference of size, type, material and patterns. There are ribbons with small width, large width, medium width, ribbons with floral and fruits patterns, velvet ribbons, transparent and translucent materials and many more. In fact, ribbons look equally good on artificial trees. When you bring in the tree, just stand in front of it and image how it would look after your decoration, this visualization would help you to get great original decoration ideas.

There are several creative ways in which one can decorate a Christmas tree with ribbon, all you need to do is visualize. If you have some great ideas, don't forget to share them! Happy decorating and Merry Christmas!