Christmas tree

While our Christmas tree&#39;s been up for a few weeks already in the front window of my Brooklyn brownstone, I consider the decorations themselves a work in progress all the way up to Dec. 25, when my shopping is totally done and any ornaments I may have picked up (or been given!) along the way have been hung on the branches with care. I&#39;m looking everywhere for inspiration, and loved some of the ideas from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.countryliving.com/homes/how-to-get-the-look/trim-christmas-trees-1208?link=emb&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=clg">Country Living&#39;s &quot;31 Ways to Trim Your Christmas Tree&quot;</a> (which we&#39;ve stolen some pictures from here) -- especially the tree t<span style="" id="fb_captionbox">rimmed with vintage letters found from old signs and printers&#39; type</span>, since I collect old typewriters. <br><br>I&#39;m still trying to figure out my &quot;tree strategy,&quot; if you will. In my house growing up, we had a &quot;country&quot; tree and a &quot;fancy&quot; tree -- the country tree was a freshly cut Frasier fir with colored lights, handmade or kitschy ornaments and all the presents underneath. The (fake) fancy tree sat in our formal living room near the piano and had white lights, gold and silver ornaments and no presents. As I start my own family traditions, I feel as though I&#39;m leaning toward a mixture of the fancy and the country tree -- so far I&#39;ve gone with white lights, but all types of ornaments in every color scheme. <br>&nbsp;<br><strong>Do you decorate your tree according to a theme or color scheme, or do you just throw everything you&#39;ve got up on those branches? </strong><br><br>Related links: <br><ul> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.countryliving.com/homes/how-to-get-the-look/trim-christmas-trees-1208?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=clg"><span>31 Ways to Trim Your Christmas Tree</span></a></li> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.countryliving.com/homes/how-to-get-the-look/holiday-ornaments-1208?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=clg"><span>Creative Ways to Display Ornaments</span></a></li> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/colors-of-christmas?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">A New Take on Red &amp; Green</a></li> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/photowars-holiday-decorations?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">Vote on Your Favorite Decorations</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/gift-guide-08-design-diva?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">Gifts for the Design Diva</a></li> </ul> Read More »

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com?link=emb&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">House Beautiful</a> -- arbiter of all things gorgeous and sparkly -- did a <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/holiday-ornaments-1207?link=emb&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">drool-worthy piece on 50 of its favorite holiday ornaments</a>. Our favorite 15 are here; <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/holiday-ornaments-1207?link=emb&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">click through to their story for buying information</a> and a whole treeful of affordable little luxuries. <br><br>Related links: <br><ul> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/holiday-ornaments-1207?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">The Best Holiday Ornaments</a></li> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/gift-guide-08-design-diva?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">Gifts for the Design Diva</a></li> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/best/the-best-0109?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">Gifts for the Home</a></li> <li style="font-family:inherit;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/books/our-favorite-design-books?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu"><span>Decorating Books</span></a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/101/101-stocking-stuffers?link=rel&dom=yah_life&src=syn&con=blog_holidayguru&mag=hbu">101 Stocking Stuffers</a></li> </ul> Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc. Read More »

The smell of a fresh-cut evergreen is irreplaceable -- but so is being able to pull your Christmas tree out of a box, prop it up, flip on the built-in lights and have your decorating done.

If you're still on the fence about faking it, here are a few things to consider:

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