Lauren Halvorson Photography » Blog

Oh Christmas Tree

If you know me, you know that I LOVE Christmas.  Like crazy, stupid, giddy with glee LOOOOOOOVE Christmas.  I got married this year, and two days ago I realized (not that I ever had any doubt) that I absolutely chose the right man to be my husband when, on November 8th, he suggested that we put up our Christmas tree.  As newlyweds, everything we do together this year is a first.  We each had our own tree and after a little persuasion, my bearded man agreed that we should get a new tree together that’s uniquely ours and that we can put up every year until we are old and gray while we fondly remember our first Christmas as husband and wife.  I wanted to share it with you all…  Let me know if you have any questions about where we got a certain piece, etc.  I’m happy to share!

I also wanted to share a couple tips on tree decorating as several of you have asked on FB or IG:
1.) Pick a theme.  If you want your tree to look cohesive, pick a theme and collect items that ring true to that.  For us, we chose to go for a woodland theme this year, since we got hitched in the middle of the woods.
2.) Make a day of hunting for a few new theme-worthy ornaments that will really stand out, we picked Mr. and Mrs. lumberjack as well as a few other large felted woodland creature ornaments we love.  
3.) Choose colors that give the mood you want.  Ty suggested we go with browns.  He was spot on.  We chose to use our brown, copper and gold bulbs of different textures to bring out the warm browns paired with the green of the tree from the woods.  
4.) Add unique things that fit your theme that you wouldn’t expect to find on a tree.  We added some branches that I spray painted with a gold glitter spray, as well as pine cones we collected.  These items are free (I had the spray paint from a previous project) and add a little extra texture and authenticity to the theme of the tree.  
5.) If you LOVE Christmas as much as we do, and want to be budget conscious, you may want to think about a fake tree.  They make beautiful ones that look deceivingly real and they won’t die by Christmas time.  Also–we cheated a little more and bought “Scentsicles” scented ornaments to make our faux tree smell real.  Seriously, our whole house smells like fir trees!  Though it’s not quite as romantic as having a real tree, we can extend our Christmas season to last as long as we want, reuse the tree every year all while not sacrificing the romance of a home smelling of yummy fir trees!
 XOXO-Lauren
  • These are such great tips! And I LOVE thinking about it as a couples’ activity… what a great tradition to start!ReplyCancel

    • Thank you so much, Aimee! We truly had so much fun decorating our first home together, and hope everyone else does too 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Hi Lauren! I love this 🙂 I am not a newlywed, but I am always looking for cohesive ways to decorate for christmas-time. I love that your suggestions are classic, I think it really adds value!ReplyCancel

    • Thanks so much, Hannah! I hope it’s something everyone can benefit from, and if nothing else, that it’s just fun just to see each other’s trees!ReplyCancel

  • Wow, your tree is beautiful! My tree has ornaments from over 10 years ago.. maybe it’s time for a refresh, haha.ReplyCancel

    • Thanks, Stephanie! Sentimental ornaments are the best too! Maybe buy a couple new ones to freshen it up, but keep the old ones too as they surely have great memories attached!ReplyCancel

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