How to Decorate Christmas Tree with Ribbons Like a Pro

Inspired by the professional Christmas trees displays at shopping malls beautifully decorated with colored ribbons, but only to be frustrated because it-just-doesn’t-look-right when you try it at home?

I’ve been there. Growing up, I was responsible to decorate my family’s Christmas trees, and my mother would purchase the most beautiful garlands and ribbons throughout the year for the festivities. They were beautiful, until I hung them up on the tree. For some reason, it just never looked right. So I gave up and stuck with the good old ribbons and balls instead.

But this year, I finally figured out how to decorate like this:

And it’s actually really easy! The key is to use multiple short strands of 2-3 ft long ribbons at varying angles throughout the tree, instead of 1 long ribbon. That’s it! Give it a try and you may surprise yourself at how simple it really is. Here are some other tips that might help:

1. Fluff the trees first. This step is really a must to decorate any gorgeous Christmas tree.
2. I like to place the ribbons next to form the base decoration of the tree.
3. Use wire edged ribbons or organza ribbons as they’re easier to tuff out. Regular ribbons wont’ hold the shape as well and will just flop against the tree.
4. I prefer cutting each ribbon long enough to give it 2 loops (as opposed to just 1) and change the angle of the second loop. I would use 1 loop to fill in the gaps where necessary, but I find the 2 loops gives it a more uniformed look.
5. Stick with a base color (i.e. white, metallic like silver or gold) and a highlight color (preferably a brighter color to make it stand out).
6. Feel free to vary the width of the ribbons.
7. Step back frequently to make sure you like the ribbon placement and determine where the next strip should go.
8. Add the next largest sets of ornaments after you’re done with the ribbons.