Oh
stellar
topper
A wrappingpaper star is this tree’s
crowning touch.
CHRISTMAS
Tree!
Spruce it up! Create a
personalized tree
with handcrafted decorations,
mix vintage ornaments
with newer pieces, or make
it pretty with ribbons
and bows. Here’s inspiration.
Homemade
Charm
1 With a bright blue button and a
few fast folds, fabric ribbons turn into
colorful Christmas rosettes.
DIY red-and-white
ornaments are set off by
turquoise and teal balls.
2 The eye-catching curlicued crimps
of ribbon candy don’t require any
extra enhancement—simply attaching
a shiny ribbon transforms them into
instant edible ornaments.
1
3
2
4
4 Call it a sugar rush: All you need for
this festive, no-fuss candy garland
are cellophane-wrapped peppermints
and clear tape. Attach candies end-toend and drape from branch to branch—
assembly is so effortless even your
littlest elves can get in on the action.
CRAFT HOW-TOS: For detailed instructions, go
to goodhousekeeping.com/redandwhite.
6
Holiday
From Good Housekeeping
3 Dressed up in a dainty dot print,
favorite holiday cookie cutters can
double as decor. Trace the cutter onto
patterned wrapping paper, snip out
the shape, and attach to the back of the
cutter with clear tape.
Holiday
00
trees
Letter
Perfect
details, details
Light jackets, silver starbursts, and a tinsel garland give
this tree a 1950s feel.
Spell it out. A tree
trimmed in traditional red
and green emphatically
says “Christmas” with
top-to-bottom vintage
letters culled from old
signs, printers’ type,
and alphabet teaching
aids arranged to spell
out words and phrases like
“Ho Ho Ho” and “holly.”
TOOLS FOR
TRIMMING
Keep these and all your other treetrimming essentials in a small toolbox
to make sure the decorating process
goes off without a hitch.
wire cutter
glue
From Country Living
scissors
00
Holiday
nylon fishing line
paper clips
thin ribbon
invisible tape
Holiday
00
SnowmanUp!
trees
Opposite page: From Good Housekeeping. This page, from top: From Good Housekeeping; from Country Living.
Vintage-inspired snowmen
mingle with old-fashioned
ornaments, tinsel, and
red-bead garlands.
00
Holiday
Think Pink
(and Green)
What’s good for Lilly Pulitzer is even
better for a tree. Tie grosgrain
ribbons into bows or loop them into
a chain—or both. Add ornaments in
white and shades of pink, and top it
all off with a pink star. Your holiday
prep is finished!
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
Follow these guidelines to strike a balance between bare branches and ornament
overload. As a rule, use one set of 50 lights per foot of tree.
TREE HEIGHTNUMBER OF BULBSNUMBER OF DECORATIONS
2 feet
100–150
25–35
3 feet
150–250
35–50
4 feet
200–350
50–75
6 feet
300–450
100–150
7 feet
350–550
150–200
Holiday 11