This is a Start on Answering Your Questions About My Holiday Decorating Business

I am going to begin to answer some of your Christmas questions.
This will probably be in several parts, so hang with me and I will try and answer every question.....

1. Do I decorate real trees or "artificial " trees?
Out of the 70 plus trees I (we) did last year, we did 3 real trees. Those were at houses that are just meant for "REAL trees"...old restored homes that have perfect spots for HUGE trees.. That was the not the case when I started doing trees 17 years ago. Now they make artificial tress that look so real, that are pre-lit and can be left up so much longer than a real tree. Pre-lit trees have been upgraded 100% in the last five years.
I have always loved a real tree for the smell, but the ones we did last year, absolutely did not smell. I think they must use so many preservatives in the trees that you no longer get that strong Christmas tree smell. Besides I make up a special concoction to spray on my trees, so I can make any of them smell "fresh"!

2. What is my favorite theme for a tree?
Umm, that is a tough one as I have done them all. I could tell you the ones I like least but I won't as that might be your theme.
Two of my favorites trees are old fashioned trees filled with ornaments collected over the years and then new ribbons and balls that add a classy look...
Another one is an iced fruit filled tree (straight out of Southern Living) filled with sticks, heavy ornaments and tons of iced fruit.
During the season I will be showing you some of these. That leads me to another plus for artificial trees.. the sturdiness of the limbs.
You can get that perfect look and I am really partial to the perfect look. I really like the showroom look tree...one planned out and one that has the more different kinds of things on it, the better.
THAT leads me to a great TIP!...write these down as I may forget to say some of these again. THE MORE DIFFERENT TEXTURES and SHAPES on the tree, the fuller the look you will get. One of my pet peeves is a skimpy tree. This is a remark I hear often from my clients, "Do you think you could get one more thing on that tree?" and the answer is always yes...
OK before I go any further, I better warn you, I like a LOADED TREE. Let me see if I can give you a little example of a limb....off one of my trees

I have collected exquisite ornaments from sample sales and I have a small fortune invested in one of my trees. BUT, you do not have to....you can pick up balls and ornaments from places like Hobby Lobby, Michael's, T.J.Maxx, Big Lots, and many other places and get the same look...throughout the season I will try to show you things that I have found. The key is knowing what to buy and what to mix. ANOTHER HINT...I use NO hooks, and have no drop on any ornament, I wire everything to the limb. I will show you this later, but you will be amazed at the difference it makes. I also do several whimsical trees for kids and for the top of staircases and they are so much fun...especially in the new green and red.

3. What is in this year?

Glitz and more Glitz...But I always say do what you love.

4. How did I grow my business?

I started with 3 houses about 17 years ago and they were friends. They had seen my trees...that was back in the day when I did a tree in every room (those days are over)
Then it was just word of mouth and as of today my schedule is 80% full for this year with everyone having a date. That is all I have worked on the past few weeks. The scheduling is one of the hardiest parts of my jobs... So many things go into that, as many houses have 2 and 3 large trees, several mantles, staircases, and on and on. So some homes require me along with 5 elves to work 2 days to finish one house...and some days it seems like we will NEVER finish. We do the first house the first day in November and we do not take a day off until the middle of December. We work Thanksgiving Day, 7 days a week...and it is grueling. There is no way I can get sick, or at least too sick to work, plus there are always those days we have light problems. (this is when there is a great temptation to cuss and many times we give in to that temptation) JUST FOR THE RECORD!
If we miss one day, it messes the entire schedule up.

5. How do I stay on top of things?

I study trees at market, I tear pictures out of magazines. I am always on the look for something different.
One person wrote that she loved Christmas but wanted to scream when she walked in a Hobby Lobby and saw Christmas in May. I not only want to scream, I want to lay down in the middle of the store and cry. It always seems like I just got my stuff all put up.
6. What do I use for tree toppers?

I am not a fan of toppers. We try to work the tree all the way to the top and then I use fabulous netting and ribbons to blend the entire tree. If someone has to have a star or an angel, maybe an heirloom, we work it into the front near the top. I will try to show you an example of that in days to come.

As you can see this could go on and on...I got through 6 questions and I had 60 plus questions. I promise at least 6 more tomorrow. I may think of a better way to answer them. Tonight I am just typing as I think of things. If you have an specific questions about anything I answered here, leave it in the comments and I will try and explain it better.

TERESA