How to Use Ribbon in Decorating a Christmas Tree

Decorating a Christmas tree is a lot of fun and a family tradition for many people. In this article, I want to share a tip that can make rolls of ribbon look very nice on your tree.

Things You’ll Need:

• 2 or 3 rolls of ribbon that you want to put on your tree. With this project, kinds with wire in them are great. The ribbon can be the same exact type or just match in colors.
• Your Christmas tree.

1) First, begin with your first roll of ribbon. Instead of weaving the entire roll through your tree, start cutting two or three 2 foot strips.
Do the same with your other 2 rolls until you have a total of 6 to 9 strips, according to the side of your tree. Do not continue doing this to the entire rolls however, because you'll need to cut larger strips later on.

2) Beginning at the very top of your tree, tuck one end of a ribbon strip into a branch and then the other on a slightly lower branch.
You want the ribbon to be fairly loose and more vertical than horizontal. Twists are okay, but for this effect it's best that most of the ribbon is facing outward.

Do the same with the other strips until you're all the way around the top portion of the tree. The overall effect we're going for is the ribbon will look like it's cascading down the tree like a waterfall, not traveling horizontally through the tree the way Christmas tree lights are done.

3) For your second level, you want to make the ribbon strips a few inches longer than the first levels.
Somewhere between 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 feet is fine. You're also going to use more strips on the next level--closer to 8-12 according to the size of your tree. Do the same exact process. You should begin to notice the effect by now.

4) Last, continue this pattern until you've reached the bottom of the tree.
With each lower level, you'll need to increase the size and number of ribbon strips you're using. This is an excellent way to create a full-looking tree that looks professionally decorated.

More Tips:

• A very nice effect is using three different ribbons--2 solid and one sheer/transparent. It's very pretty, especially when the Christmas tree is lit.
• While this is possible to do with the tree already decorated, it's a lot easier if you do this after the lights but before ornaments.