I tried a creative tree this year and it did not work out. DH thought the idea was great - it just didn't translate well on the tree. I wanted to do a woodland scene tree. I used all different shades of blue Christmas balls that I had on the top half of the tree w/ bird clip on ornaments, stars and a moon.
The bottom half we did in all shades of green and brown balls that I had and used my Old World Christmas mice ornaments. DH bought me a baby fawn ornament and a Santa holding a deer ornament.
Sounded good but didn't show well on the tree. At least this year. I probably just need to build up a collection of woodland creature ornaments to be able to execute it better.

In the end I tore it all down and put on my glass ball ornaments in all shades of red, pink and some green. Red garland and some whimsical red ornaments that we get the kids each year.

Always decorate it ourselves but I try to change it a bit each year w/ what we already have and a few new additions.

We used an artificial tree that we had packed away this year as money was just a bit too tight for a live tree. I'm not wild about the fake one - looks nice - just to 'perfect' looking.

I think that one of my favorite trees this year was the poster who had a red and white library tree. There was a picture of Roosevelt in the room.

Mine is basically the same every year -- an assortment of random ornaments! It is never artsy or creative... maybe it will be when my kids are grown! I buy each of my 3 kids one of those Hallmark ornaments each year. It always relates to something they were interested in or "into" that year. This year DD got a Hannah Montana one, DS1 got a Batman one, and DS2 got a Grinch one (we went to see the Grinch play this winter). They get pretty excited about the ornaments. The deal is when they move out, they will get to take all their ornaments with them. So we'll be left with an almost-bare tree! My kids are now 16, 13, and 7, so as you can imagine, most of the tree is covered with these Hallmark ornaments and while they tell a story about our family in a way, they are not my idea of creativity! In maybe 15-20 years I'll be able to do an arty tree. Check with me then. ;)

Years ago when I was a teen & my Mom worked evenings at a dept store, we would strip the tree & redecorate it a new way almost every night to surprise her when she returned home. We did the mix of family ornaments, the "bank" tree (all red satin balls-white lights-thick gold garland: looked just like the boring one in the bank lobby where my Dad worked) and whatever new arrangement we could think up working with the stuff on hand.

Since I'm a Grinch fan, my in-laws always buy me a Grinch ornament. I have a tabletop sized white feather tree that I decorate with only the Grinch ornaments along with some small glass balls in red, grinchy green, white and a few gold. If my collection of Grinch stuff continues to grow I may have to buy a much bigger white tree to display them. And then larger glass balls since the ones I have are tiny for the tabletop tree. And then lights. And then I'll be bored with the whole project and not bother doing it anymore.

Mine is alot different this year. Usually I have white lights but we ordered wide & full Frontgate garland for the staircase & all they had left (DEc. 1st) was multi-colored lights so we had to go with them. So mantle changed & tree. Nothing too dramatic but different for us. Here is a link if you wanna peek.....nothing as dramatic as the link you posted but different than our usual. We are loving the change & I wouldn't have believed it!!!!! LOL! Bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful:

Ours is very bland this year. I didn't put up near the decorations I usually do, and just felt lucky to even get the tree up. It is a real tree, and we let the kids pick it out which was fun. Maybe next year I'll get more into it!

Very creative, my husband and gardener did it and not having a clue about what to do, I have all kinds of ornaments from all the trees, through the years, that go in different rooms, all on one tree (until they ran out of branches). Of course we still have 16 boxes in the corner without a tree to decorate, but.. yes. Very creative indeed.

We have the birds from one year, gingham boxes from one year, knitting balls and crochet from one year, glass ornaments from the formal DR tree, needlepoint squares, grape clusters from the kitchen tree of another year all on one tree. Oh, to have to go through another Christmas with a broken arm and depend on a man to do the decorating. My decor this year should be in some kind of magazine.

Oh and the best was the combination of a shower wreath (for an expectant mother of a boy) blue bow with a Thanksgiving wreath of berries and feathers from one year for the front door while all the window wreaths were evergreen but having gotten the outdoor wreaths mixed up with the indoor, some had short bows and some had long bows (long bows outside and short bows inside) but "we" just mixed them all up. Yes, my home should be in a magazine, maybe Ripleys' Believe it or Not, that he is still alive after this mess he has made. Moreover, he knew better and thought it was funny. What is sad is that the divorce papers are not quite completed, yet.

And yes, I paid the housekeeper to take it all down and put much of it in the trash or in the storage house.

Oh Patricia, I would have left that tree right like it was!

Our big tree is artificial, due to allergies and the fact that we put it up right after Thanksgiving. It is a mish-mash of well loved, sentimental ornaments and ornaments I collect such as scrap and tinsel ornaments. There are pearl bells that my great aunt made me years ago. And the crystal ornament from our first married Christmas.

Not crafty at all, but full of love and meaning for us.

tina

We don't have a tree this year. :( They're remodeling and it's too messy and hectic to put one up. We're not having dinner here so that's okay.

BUT...when I was online yesterday at MACY'S, hee hee, they are having a huge sale on gorgeous ornaments, and let's just say my tree next year will be drop dead gorgeous. lol I'm an old fashioned round, colored glass ornament kind of gal. They do have a retro set of ornaments on sale!

Honestly, it's very very creative, but that's why I purchased it :oP My tree is filled with hundreds of stuffed animals (woodland creatures) :oP It has two dozen animal puppets, and all bunches of other assorted animal treats. It's so full of stuffed toys it's hard to see the tree. My 3 year old loves it and the money went to a good cause :)

Next year it will be down in the family room, and my real tree will take it's place. That's a Radko tree, no theme aside from being all Radko (I've collected for years and have hundreds of them). It's a very colorful and glittery Christmas tree and we wouldn't change it for the world.

I have always wanted to do what I call a "theme" tree but it's just never worked out as Christmas ornaments have never been a priority budget item so I've wound up with a mishmash of whatever. Well this year we got a small rosemary tree so I was able to create my theme. It's all red and sparkles and I just love it. My sparkly silver star topper was too heavy for the little tree so I wound up making a red velvet "bow" for the top.

My tree is very minimalistic this year. I was too tired to put one up, so my ADD daughter decided she'd do it - and got bored with the whole thing half ways through...

Here is a link that might be useful: It was much better last year

Mine is the picture of unoriginality, but at least it's up. It's the first time in 3 years we've even had a tree, and the first time in 6 years that it's been a full sized one. Our youngest, who is mentally disabled, is very hard on trees. We have a handy stair railing in our house, so this year, the tree is tied onto the railing to keep it up. I got a package of shatterproof plastic ornaments and put them up. I'll show a picture of how it looked the day I put it up, but right now, three branches are scraping the floor because someone broke the springs holding them up. The front is smooshed because he likes to grab the tree and rub his face in the branches. And, all the balls are now on the top third of the tree because I'm tired of placing them back in place, LOL. But, it's a tree, and it's still upright.. VICTORY!!!

~~Veronica

It's fairly traditional on a live tree. Red, white, and silver ornaments, with a little bit of a bird theme (red cardinal and parrot ornaments and a dozen glass ornaments with flocked redbirds). I used to be more artsy, since creative trees were our family tradition (my mom is amazingly talented at christmas decorations). But I started the red white and bird theme a couple years ago, added some silver ornaments last year, and right now I like it better than the other ornaments in the basement. If I can find some nice ornaments on sale after Christmas, I may switch to a gold and champagne/cream tree, since that would match our living room; I only have enough gold/champagne ornaments for a slim artificial tree, and lately have been buying thicker live trees.

Patricia--that is truly hilarious!

I used to mix things up when the kids were home. I had a mishmash of their 'special' ornaments and whatever color scheme I chose for that year.

The last two years I've put up a 6 foot artificial tree in the family room and decorated it with stuffed santas, snowmen & reindeer. And a lot of primitives decorations. I usually had a tree in the living room in the bay window, but this year I redecorated that room, so on tree can fit in there. Instead I put up a 2 foot lit artificial tree on the sideboard. I found some wired ribbon in the colors of my LR, and also some unbreakable balls in copper color. I happened on some glass icicles in aqua, and some aqua & copper glass onion bulbs, so I decorated the mini tree with all those. I had to flick the cat several times each time he tried to bat one of the balls off the tree, but he finally got the hint.

I also had to wire the stuffed santas to the other tree because the cats knocked them down and the dogs thought they were getting new toys. Honestly, it's worst than when the kids were little!

I think it is semi-creative. It is an artificial black tree decorated in purple and golds. It has some purple velvet poinsettias and some big clusters of gold grapes along with glass purple balls.

Linda

No, not creative at all! There is an unwritten law in our family that the Christmas tree must look EXACTLY the same every year. In fact, that may be the Eleventh Commandment :)

Not creative since I am in the middle of packing and so just put up the pre-lit tree.

Big departure for me this year, because my tree is usually full of birds nests we have found or that the neighbor girl has brought me, with pine-cone ornaments and blown banty eggs with glitter and handmade ornaments.

This year I had a dream. Literally! A tree with copper, burgundy (or maybe cranberry) and muted gold. Maybe this was my mind's solution to the fact that all of the traditional ornaments were buried under stuff from the bedroom remodel, and the fact that I have a mischevious cat who would surely want to investigate the birdsnests.

Thank goodness for plastic ornaments! I found the exact colors I needed the very day after (got the last boxes of the colors I wanted) and the tree looks just like I saw it.

Hey threegrad, that's a lot of lights, where you'd get yoru tree? It's nice!! :)

Thanks. I bought this tree, originally priced at almost $300, at Dillards in January 2008 for $25. It was the last one. Today all the Christmas went to 50% off and by New Year's it goes to 75% off I think. Lower than that soon afterwards. Things will be flying out the door. I work part time at Dillards, but since I am under 20 hours I do not get a discount.

I have some fake tree's, but next year I want a real one.
I thought I would put my living room mantel on here.

{{!gwi}}