I love Christmas. No, I mean I LOVE Christmas. I don’t think you’re getting it yet… I have tinsel running through my veins and glitter in my soul. So, the Christmas tree is kinda my thing. I plan it out a year in advance and change the theme or look every year. Once it was an ocean theme (one of my favorites), another time it was red and candy pink and another time it was turquoise and brown. This year is all about the snow.

If you’d like a short Kindra Christmas Tree Course, here goes:
Lots of lights, lots of layers.

Too short? Okay.
1) Start a year early. Plan out your theme (yes, I’ve already got mine for 2013) and go to all the day-after-Christmas sales to stock up. Think about what you have now that can carry over and then fill in with what you’ll still need to complete your look.
2) Fast-forward to Christmastime. I use an artificial tree (though I love natural trees!) so the first step is putting in all the branches and then fluffing every single branch. Then fluff. And fluff some more. This is the fifth year for my little $20 tree so it is beginning to look a little scraggly. If you need extra volume like I do, head to the dollar store for some cheap garland. Put it inside the branches near the trunk to fill in any holes. Nobody will ever know. And if you have a shorter tree and want it to look taller, just put it on a box. Seriously, it’s like magic. Nobody notices the booster seat. It’s like high heels for the Christmas tree.
3) Lights! Lights! More lights! Start them near the trunk and work out to the ends of the branches.
4) Next are shiny ball ornaments. They go on the inside, near the trunk. These are mainly for sparkle and to reflect the lights.
5) Now, comes all your prettiest ornaments, about mid-branch to the ends.
6) You need something to tie it all together. I used icicles and berries. Tons of them, all on the very tips of the branches. And I always make another trip to the store for more. Enough is never enough. Get some more. Just do it. Tell your friends to bring them instead of Christmas cookies.
7) Since this year’s theme was snow, I had to add -you guessed it- snow. I threw handfuls of the flakes at the tree after all the ornamentation. Then, I ran the vacuum. Then, I thought I’d add some more snowflakes. Then, I ran the vacuum. Next, I sprayed canned snow. I know, you’re supposed to do the spray stuff first, before all the ornaments, but I didn’t. I’m like that. Then, I ran the vacuum. More snowflakes. Ran the vacuum.

There you have it!