Decorating trees for Christmas has been going on for over two hundred years and is a well established tradition. Opting to go for a more traditional look this Christmas does not mean a tree that is devoid of decorations.
Handmade
No, the tree doesn't have to be handmade, but getting some handmade decorations up on the tree is an important aspect of getting the traditional look. This also does not automatically mean tacky things up on your tree, it's quite the opposite in fact.
There are plenty of craft kits available that offer the opportunity for yourself or the rest of your family to create Christmas decorations. Normally the best ornament for the traditional tree to have as handmade will be the fairy that goes on the top of the tree.
Simplicity
Another thing to remember when aiming for a tree with a traditional appearance is to choose decorations that aren't too fussy. I don't mean bland decorations, I mean that they're simple and yet elegant, because there's not a horde of colours vying for your festive attention when your gaze happens to fall on the tree.
A traditional tree can also have tinsel, but you'll want to go after tinsel that resembles what the first tinsel was once made of, which was tiny amounts of metal. Tinsel today is almost always made from plastic, but tinsel that harks back to times past will be far narrower than the majority of examples on sale at this time of year.
Lighting
Alright, so a traditional Christmas tree would have had candles upon it, but in this day and age there is no need to put your home at risk of setting it on fire. The key to lighting your Christmas tree when you want it to remain uncluttered is to pick lights that aren't fussy in appearance. What this will mean is that you avoid lights that had fully decked out Father Christmases on or a multitude of completely coloured reindeer.
