Choosing the right Christmas tree ornaments is not that easy. The moment you finally manage to haul in that perfect 7 foot Christmas tree that you kept seeing at that store window on the way to work and found the ideal spot for it at home; the only thing left, is choosing the right tree ornaments to drape it with.

Sure, the Christmas star is already picked out, but what about for the rest of the tree? Should you have a theme? Should you drape Christmas lights or the traditional Christmas balls? There are definitely countless of ideas that you can choose from. Here are some general tips on how to find the right tree ornaments for your beautiful tree.

Look for ideas from trees that you see in malls or public places. Check out the ornaments that they have and decide whether this is something you want for you tree as well.

Create a mood. One way to do this is to create the perfect lighting. If you buy a prelit tree, then you’re pretty much set. On the other hand, if you do the lighting yourself, you can place the lights inside the tree for that twinkling effect.

Another ornament that you can use is the garland. Adding a beaded or traditional garland will create a great effect. Alternatively, you can swag it from the top to the bottom of your tree.

A great piece of idea is to choose ornaments that showcase your hobby or personality. You can get as creative as you want. Use old light bulbs, or get whimsical by using old or mini recording discs. This will not only showcase your personality, but also become a great way to start a conversation with your guests.

Christmas Yard Ornaments For A Beautiful Home

One of the great joys of the holiday season is being able to decorate your home. Nothing too earth shaking about that, people have been decorating the insides of their home forever. But the decorating trend that has really taken off in the last few years is that of using Christmas yard ornaments to decorate the outside of your home.

Lots of people string lights up on their eaves or decorate the trees and bushes and even cactus in front of their homes. But more and more these days, folks are finding out how much fun it is to put up some beautiful large sized ornaments on the ground in front to their houses.

The internet has made it really easy to find lots of places where you can buy Christmas yard decorations for great discount prices. In fact some of the best bargains of the year come in the form of shipping discounts and package deals on the internet Christmas websites. That is if you find a group of Xmas yard decorations you can often bundle them up into a multi unit package that you can strike a good bargain with when its time to check out online.

There are lots of different styles of ornaments you can get in sizes big enough to show up in your yard. As a matter of fact, most of the decorations you can get for your tree can be found in a form that allows you to do part of your decorating outside.

The favorite ornaments, usually are the ones that are round and have stripes painted on them in bright colors. And Christmas colors of red and green are among the absolute favorites. Of course, there are a lot more colors that are considered to be appropriate for decorating for Christmas and you can find these represented in the outdoor decorations as well.

Some of the colors show up well outside in the yard and some don’t show up so well. Yellow, even though it is often used as an accent color for Christmas decorations does not show up so well outside in the daytime in the sunlight when it is used as the main color for a large outdoor Christmas ornament.

But a royal purple shows up really well during the day, and if you your house arranged with some spotlights shining on your ornament display at night, the purple looks great then too.

The holidays are wonderful time to show off your decorating skills outside your home and Christmas yard ornaments are a fabulous way to make your home seem the Christmas house.

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It is that time of year again to pull out the old outdoor Christmas decorations and decide what to do this year. You may want to toss several lights and lawn ornaments that have become outdated or pretty run down looking. Now what do you do? Here are some things to consider as you decide how your front lawn will look this holiday season.

1) Choose a Theme

It is better to have a few related outdoor Christmas decorations than many unrelated items. Decide if you want to go modern or traditional. Bright Christmas colors with Santa or a more subdued look with a nativity scene. It is important that you do not mix themes. Santa and a nativity scene together on your front lawn is not a good choice.

Keep in mind what your closest neighbors are doing. If neighbors seem interested in having their Christmas lights visible from outer space, perhaps you should take the high road and create a subtle, but extraordinary display. Consider using all one color so as not to clash with the holiday kaleidoscope surrounding you.

2) Determine the Lights you want to use.

Mini lights are lower voltage, sparkle, and come in many colors. Mini lights come in a variety of prices. Beware of cheap sets because they will not last as long and could have the whole string go out if one bulb goes out. These lights also come in LED.

C7 or C9 lights are the traditional lights. Their large size makes them easily visible and bright. When a bulb goes out the string will always stay lit. C7 bulbs are just over 2 inches, while C9 bulbs are just over 3 inches long. These lights also come in LED.

Icicle lights are a very popular light set to hang from your roof. They are usually available in both multi and clear.

Net lights are great for bushes and trees. These are a mini light that usually come in multi or clear lights and green or white wire.

Rope lights are a great alternative if you are tired of untangling strings of lights. Most rope lights are about 18 feet long and come equipped with mounting clips and cable ties for easy hanging. Rope come in all colors imaginable.

Moravian lights, Starlight Sphere and various other design lights can also be a nice addition to your Christmas outdoor decorations

3) Determine what Outdoor Christmas Lawn Ornaments you will use

Inflatable lawn ornaments are increasingly popular and much easier to store than more traditional large yard decorations. Due to their large size you will want to use these sparingly, even a large lawn is better off with only one.

Holographic Christmas decoration are nice because during the day the holographic design add Christmas cheer to your outdoor decorations. At night lights will bring these decorations to life. Very often there are in Disney or Peanuts animated characters, in additional to the traditional Designs.

Sculptured Illuminated Decorations are designs made out of rope lights. These can be found in a multiple of classic designs including reindeer, Santa, and nativity scenes

Outdoor Topiary is a great subtle addition to a traditional theme or design that focuses less on color and more on a natural setting.

4) Put a Plan together

When planning keep in mind that less is better than more. You want to convey the spirit of the Holidays with out having your lawn looking like a miniature theme park.

Sit down and plan out your design. Draw a rough sketch of your home and yard and draw in where you would like to place your lawn decorations. Planning will allow you to put up your Christmas Outdoor Decorations up more quickly when the time comes and also create a better overall design.

5) Determine the Number of Lights you need.

Check the lights you already have to be sure all your strings are working. Plug in the strings and check for bulbs that no longer light. You can easily replace bulbs. Aside from checking bulbs, you should also check the wires. Finding frayed or exposed wires means that it is time to for you to buy new lights.

Decide how many feet you will need to light up all the areas you would like to decorate, such as your doorways, windows and roof line. Do not forget to include measurements for width and length.

6) Make sure you have Everything you Need for putting up your Decorations

Extra light bulbs for lights that may have burned out or will during the next month or so. It is always good to have a supply on hand

Gutter hooks are needed and sometimes you will need more that what is provided with the sets or some may have disappeared from last year

Wireless Remote control power switch or outdoor timers are excellent tools. They enable your lights to go on or off with out having to go out side. A very worth while purchase

Several extension cords are usually needed to connect all your lights and decorations together. Make sure that the ones you use are sturdy and safe for outdoor use

Connectors are sometimes unavoidable if one outdoor Christmas lighting string is not enough for a specific area. You should make sure though that your connectors are not too exposed and are kept away from wet areas. You can put electrical tape around the connecting line for extra precaution.

Some Final tips to Consider before you go Shopping

Do not deviate from your plan and theme when you go shopping. It is very easy for you to get carried away when shopping for outdoor decorations so decide what you are doing, stick to your plan and do not deviate! When you see something you like that is not related to your theme or plan-DO NOT BUY IT!

Whatever you buy for your outdoor Christmas decorations, remember that you have to find a place to store them for the next eleven months.

Price does matter. Fire incidents have happened due to cheap but faulty Christmas lights. You can avoid getting these sub standard products by choosing local government standard approved products. Standard outdoor Christmas lighting may be a little more expensive but avoids the potential fire hazard

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