If you are considering buying a new tree this year, your first step is to choose either a natural or artificial tree. Thanks to ever advancing manufacturing technologies, artificial Christmas trees now have many advantages over their live counterparts. They have come a long ways since the tacky aluminum Christmas trees of the 1960's and are now sold in practically every color of the rainbow.

The very first artificial Christmas tree was nothing like the fabulous recreations of woodland beauty we see today. Today an artificial tree not only looks great, but it will continue to look its best throughout the holiday season and can be reused every Christmas, making it an economical choice. In addition to being quick and easy to set up, artificial Christmas trees have a compact design for easy storage.

Once you have your Christmas tree in place, be it real or artificial, you need to decorate it. Whether you are decorating a natural evergreen or an artificial tree here are some tips for making the entire experience a little less disorganized. If you have little ones that are prone to pulling ornaments off of trees, it may be a good idea to invest in one of the already decorated trees that have ornaments that can't be removed.

Ornaments

Last year if you packed everything in an organized way, you won't waste time sorting through damaged ornaments and piles of old tinsel. When decorating, place ornaments openly on tables so that family can move about freely and add their special touch to the tree at will. This may also help to keep your precious glass ornaments away from the prying fingers of children. Whatever ornaments you decide to go with, you will want to space your ornaments and have large and small ones spread evenly amongst the tree branches.

Lights

Did you know In 1882, Thomas Edison's assistant decided to use his boss's invention to add a more "twinkly" effect to the Christmas tree - lights that ran on electricity. What an invention! If you wish to wrap lights or tinsel around your tree, do it before you hang the ornaments. This will help protect the ornaments from falling off while you work. I like to bury the lights just a bit inside the branches, so I add them as I put up the branches a couple of rounds per layer. This creates some depth to the tree, a few glowing lights hidden inside the branches. Be generous with your lights as they give the tree an opulent effect and give it impact when viewed at night.

Garlands

Any type of Christmas tree including the real, artificial or wall mounted Christmas tree looks great decorated in garlands of popcorn or tinsel. You could also make garlands with white and green licorice snaps. Use your imagination, think outside the box.

Whether you've decided to have a real tree or an artificial one, everyone can enjoy the ritual of hanging the lights, draping the garlands and swags and trimming the tree with your favorite Christmas ornaments. This is family time at its best.