There's nothing wrong with a traditional tree - that discordant mix of children's craft projects, candy canes and multicolored lights never goes out of style. But at some point in your life - when you get married? when you throw your first Christmas party and invite the boss? - you might want to try for understated elegance instead. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Go through your ornaments and see what you've got and what you need. The key to a classy tree is coherence - so choose a few categories of ornaments and stick with those.
2. Make sure you've got enough strands of tiny white lights - for class, nothing else will do.
3. Buy or borrow whatever you don't already own - and resist distractions as you shop. (Elegance takes discipline and dedication: Coco and Jackie knew this, and you can learn.)
4. Buy a tree and set it up. Try to find something that reflects the mood you're trying to set. A fir or spruce (rather than a rowdy pine) is perfect.
5. Start with the white lights, then add the background ornaments one at a time and by category. Stop in between each category to check for symmetry; rearrange if necessary.
6. Position your highlight ornaments for best effect.
Tags: white lights