With Thanksgiving out of the way, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
If your family is trimming the tree this weekend, take Us Weekly's tips from Cindy Braak — the creative designer for Disney Floral & Gifts — to heart when decking out your home for the holiday.
Once you've picked the perfect tree, Braak tells Us LED lights are the way to go this year. An alternative to incandescent bulbs, LEDs use about 1/10th of the electricity and last for much longer. To add impact, Braak suggests picking up bulb covers to enhance the look of your colored or white lights. Available anywhere Christmas lights are sold, the covers — often available in fun shapes like snowflakes — allow even the most fickle tree trimmer to change up their holiday decor on a whim.
"The new green is apple green. Hunter green is passé," Braak insists of this season's hot holiday hue trends. But our expert warns against too many adornments. "Sometimes less is more," she explains. "An excessive amount of anything confuses the eye. You can't focus on the true beauty of the theme or item when the tree is overcrowded."
To get the kids involved in tree trimming, Braak recommends having them make their own gingerbread ornaments to hang on the tree. "Baking is a great way to decorate on a budget. Make a dough gingerbread ornament, let it harden, then paint and keep for years to come," says Braak, advising parents to maintain a level head when having children help decorate. "When they make a mess — and you know they will! — remember that the holidays are all about creating memories."
WIN IT! To trim your Christmas Tree like a pro, enter Us' Holiday Essentials daily giveaway to score a $100 gift card to Target to pick up ornaments, lights, and more! To enter, email your name, address, daytime phone number and age (must be over 21) to Giveaways@usmagazine.com. You must put 'Holiday Tree Essentials' in the subject line of your email in order to be eligible. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Friday, December 2. Click here for official rules.
