Take a Bough for the Trim on the Tree

There are certain experiences in life, like one’s first kiss, that are meant to be glorious, uplifting and exalted but that sometimes don’t quite turn out that way. My first kiss, for instance, was pleasant enough, but I still reproach myself for making contact off-center. I got more of her nose than her lips.

Caviar holds an honored place on this list, as does brandy. People look absolutely great eating caviar and drinking brandy, but if we’re honest with ourselves we’ll admit that they both taste like hell. And they’re grotesquely expensive.

And who can deny the appeal of driving really fast? But have you ever been alone out in the desert, say, and pushed the needle past 100? Disquieting visual and tactile things begin to happen, and suddenly boring old 55 starts to look a lot more attractive.

Even cherished traditions can come under this shadow. Take that Christmas tree of yours: You have loads of fun trimming it, right? And it’s cozy and bright and the ornaments are pretty and comfortingly familiar, and the lights cast a nice glow around the room in the evening. But still, it’s not quite . . . right.

Sally Hoblit of Newport Beach knows the feeling. A designer for Maison Decor, a flower shop in Redondo Beach, Hoblit has been hiring herself out as a designer Christmas tree consultant for years and has seen her share of Yuletide botanical boo-boos. People call her when they want a tree to look not just pleasing, but symmetrical, arresting, coordinated and unique.

Naturally, Hoblit stays on top of design trends and applies them to her trees. This year, she says, we’ll be seeing a more formal Victorian look in the trees we see in institutional settings, such as offices and businesses.

“The big look this year,” she said, “is more Baroque, with burgundys and pinks and golds. Victoriana and gold is the ticket. If you want to update your tree for this year, add gold, whether the tree’s traditional or contemporary.”

Fringed cording used as a garland wound around the tree will enhance the theme, Hoblit said, but it need not be bought ready-made. A local fabric store carries cording, which can be knotted at the end and frayed to form fringe.

Likewise, ribbon is one of the easiest-to-use decorating tools in the pro’s bag of tricks, Hoblit said. It can be used as both garland or individual bows, and a single color can provide a professional-looking sense of unity.

It is that feeling of continuity, or theme, that can elevate your family Christmas tree above the level of a mere rack for ornaments. You need not chuck out all the keepsakes you’ve collected--or the kids have made--over the years. The idea is to make them appear mutually harmonious.

Let’s get back to that garland. It encircles the entire tree, from top to bottom, and should be the first ornament to go on the tree, Hoblit said. Start at the top and wind it, following the tree’s contour, to the bottom. Materials, Hoblit said, vary widely, and even the lowly popcorn string can be dressed up by alternating popped kernels and cranberries.

And, she said, if one garland is good, three may be better, providing a fuller, more filled-in look.

Next, lights, and these can be tricky, Hoblit said. Many people, she said, drape the light strings around the tree in much the same way the did the garland. Camouflaging the cord, however, is what you’re after.

“The trick,” said Hoblit, “is to start in the middle of the tree and come out along the branches and then back to the middle again, in and out. You won’t see the cording along the branches. It takes time, but it’s worth the effort.”

Now the ornaments. You’ll have favorites, and these deserve prominent display at eye height, Hoblit said. Lesser ornaments can be used as filler farther back in the tree.

“People need to remember to put ornaments inside the branches and not just on the edges,” she said. “If the ornaments are only on the outside, it makes the tree look flat.”

Also, she said, if your tree is eclectic, and you’re looking for something different and inexpensive to use for decoration, try making a few ornaments. Pine cones, Hoblit said, turned upside down with berries and greenery glued to the bottom and tied up with a ribbon are a good organic alternative, as are small bunches of dried flowers. Regular table nuts, glued on a plastic foam ball with bits of moss stuck into the gaps between the nuts, also carry a more natural look to the tree.

Here’s a natural ornament of my own devising: glue a bunch of dried caviar to a snifter full of brandy and tie a red ribbon around it. It may look a little goofy, sure, but at least it’ll keep you from eating those fish eggs and drinking that amber kerosene.

Keep the mistletoe over the door, though. And try to keep your nose out of the way.