by Tierney O'Hara

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: November 06, 2011

A Christmas tree is usually decorated in the style, and with the ornaments, that reflects one's favorite holiday themes. The Christmas tree theme you choose can change each year or stay the same as a welcomed part of your family's traditions. Most people choose themes that have been popular for a while, that offer numerous opportunities to find ornaments, lights and garlands, yet still reflect the personality of the family members.

A timeless tree theme is Santa himself, and without even trying hard you can collect everything from Santa string lights to Santa garlands to Santa fashioned from every material you can think of: cloth, wire, wood, china, cork, paper mache, Styrofoam, pottery, and even bread dough.

If you want to keep the traditional Santa theme but desire to make your tree unique at the same time, you can choose Santas from around the world as a theme for example, and collect Santas in kilts with bag pipes; making pizza with a white chef's hat instead of his red and white fur hat or Santa in swim trunks under a palm tree.

Christmas trees have been traditionally decorated in the colors red, green, white, silver and gold. Sticking with these colors in your ornaments and lights will keep your tree glowing in the colors that your grandparents used when they decorated their own trees. This time-honored combination of colors is always successful when used in Christmas decorations but if you want something different, choose nontraditional Christmas items but in the traditional colors.

For example, if you are collector of antique silver spoons, why not hang them from your tree on fishing line and let them shine and sparkle on your tree as they shimmer in the lights? You can create a signature look by decorating your whole tree in red polka-dot hearts and red and white striped ribbon which will be a beautiful complement to the dark green tree- uncommon decorations but in common holiday colors.

Another timeless Christmas-tree theme is the use of angels and cherubs. Silver or gold, beautiful angels with gossamer wings have decorated trees for years and years. You might want to use an angel theme but choose a more modern approach to decorating your tree. If you are a pet owner it's easy to find a slew of angel ornaments with dog or cat faces and bodies. This is a theme that can start at the top of the tree with a cat or dog-angel tree topper, and go all the way to the bottom of the tree with a velvety tree skirt filled with embroidered cat or dog faces with halos and angel wings.

Other favorite themes are decorations fashioned from tartan plaids; winter sports or sport equipment like skates and skis; snowflakes and icicles; birds and bird nests; old-fashioned children's toys; sugar cookies, popcorn balls and cranberry garlands; Americana such as flags and wooden hearts, gingham and tiny red wool mittens.

Other less traditional ideas are teddy bear trees; wrapped present trees; della robbia trees filled with ornamental figs, oranges, apples, pears, pomegranates and berries; chef's trees displaying red handled kitchen tools and even a sewer's tree filled with dangling spools of threads, rickrack and ribbons.

Your Christmas tree can be a mixture of old and new, traditional and nontraditional items and colors and themes of your choice. Everyone has their own idea on how they want their tree to look and it's great fun choosing the ornaments and decorations that reflect your personal style.

Learn more about this author, Tierney O'Hara.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.