Trimming the Tree

One of our favorite holiday traditions is decorating the Christmas tree!  We always get a live tree- typically a frasier fir, because they smell so wonderful and have so many branches to hold all our ornaments!  We have never done a themed tree, but the trees below are so well-thought and pleasing to the eye that we are almost tempted.   

RUSTIC TREES

While we would never typically describe our style as rustic, there is something so elegant about rustic holiday decorations.  Maybe this harkens back to our affinity for organic elements in a room, but we love the simple styles and natural colors of the room below.  And how clever to place the tree in a big woven basket?!

Cottage Living

Rustic ornaments for your tree!

Ornaments from Pottery Barn and Wisteria

A quilted tree skirt with reindeer appliques

Wisteria Tree Skirt

Wouldn't these round baskets be perfect for holding a tree?  We don't see many trees that still have the root-ball in tact (except for the Griswold's tree on Christmas Vacation) but if you can find one to replant later, this basket is perfect for potting your tree.  Such a nice alternative to the traditional tree stand!

Pottery Barn Baskets

You can't get much more rustic than burlap!  We love the texture and color of burlap in a room. 

Ballard Burlap Stockings

Wouldn't this rattan reindeer make such a pretty centerpiece?  Just add some greenery, some red nandina berries, and maybe a couple of candles!

Pier 1 Rattan Reindeer

ASIAN- INSPIRED TREES

If you are going for a more glamorous look with your tree, ornaments that nod to the Far East are just beautiful.  The decorations we found run the gamut price-wise, from L'Objet at Neimans to Pearl River Mart. 

Southern Living

We love the vibrant colors and elegant styles of these ornaments!

Asian-inspired ornaments from Gumps

This red velvet tree skirt with brocade detailing and tassles is not chinoiserie per se, but we think it would blend beautifully with a chinoiserie room.

Neiman Marcus Red Brocade Tree Skirt with Tassles

Aren't these colorful little tassled ornaments so much fun?  And they are super inexpensive, so you can use lots of them!

Pearl River Zong Zi Ornaments

Peacocks are our favorites!  We'd love to see a few of these throughout a tree!

Pearl River Peacocks

RED TREES

Red just goes perfectly with Christmas.  Doing a monochromatic color scheme definitely takes a little planning and a special touch so that it doesn't scream "office lobby tree."  But as long as you vary the size and shapes of the ornaments, it can look absolutely stunning as in the room below (and wow at the turquoise moulding!).

Southern Accents

Red ornaments are almost always our favorites.  They stand out so nicely in contrast to the green tree.

Red ornaments from Wisteria, Anthropologie, Z Gallerie, Pier 1, and Pottery Barn

If you don't want to do a traditional evergreen wreath, how about this modern red ornament wreath?!

Pier 1 Red Ornament Wreath

And for a touch of the traditional, you can't go wrong with a tartan plaid stocking. 

Williams Sonoma Home Red Tartan Stocking

CHILDREN'S TREES

When my sister and I were growing up, we each had our own little tree.  It was so fun to collect ornaments for them and decorate them ourselves- I still remember the ornaments for mine in great detail.  A norfolk island pine like the one pictured below is perfect for a children's tree, because it lasts all year long (although I can admit to killing one or two in my lifetime...), stays small, and doesn't shed.

Southern Living

For children's ornaments, the softer the better.  Children love nothing more than taking an ornament off the tree to play with it, so glass and breakables definitely are not ideal for little fingers!

Children's Ornaments from Land of Nod, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn Kids

There are lots of fun options for stockings!  We have Woof N Poof, but Pottery Barn also makes some cute ones.  The one pictured below is from the Land of Nod, a great children's website.

Land of Nod Stocking

Growing up, we had a wassail set exactly like the one shown below, for serving up "Santa's Punch."  We left it out for him every Christmas Eve, with some gingerbread cookies.  (although we have to admit that wine rather than wassail would probably make assembling all those toys a little easier...:)

Santa's Mug Set

ELEGANT METALLIC TREES

The holidays are the perfect time to decorate in silver and gold.  A tree like the one pictured below is so timeless and elegant.  Typically (when we aren't expecting a baby on Dec 18), we get two trees- a "fun" one for colorful ornaments for the family room, and another one for the "fancy" gold and silver living room ornaments.  We love how the tree below is absolutely covered in lights- the more the better!

Southern Accents

One of the great things about metallic ornaments is that you really can't tell what is expensive and what is not.  The ornaments below reflect quite the range in prices!

Metallic ornaments from Z Gallerie, Wisteria, Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, West Elm

You already know how much we love starburst mirrors- and this one is the perfect tree topper.  Finding a good tree topper can be a challenge, but this one is modern yet classic and would fit with many different styles.

Ballard Designs Venetian Star Tree Topper

From the queen of placemats Kim Seybert, these gold stockings are just adorable!

Kim Seybert at Neiman Marcus

This glittery silver ball wreath is perfect for hanging over a fireplace.

West Elm Glittery Wreath

Which is your favorite tree "look"?  These looks are all beautiful, but we have to admit that our favorite ornaments will always be those that hold some special meaning, whether a school project or a vacation souvenir.