For most people, decorating the Christmas tree is a time-honored tradition. Whether you have a real tree or an artificial one, the first concern is getting the tree upright in a tree stand. Once it is safe and secure, you will want to address the need for lights. Some artificial trees come with lights already sprinkled in place. As someone who’s spent hours putting lights on real trees, I much prefer the convenience of the pre-lit ones. If you choose to add garland, it should go on next in graceful loops around the tree from top to bottom. Then comes the bulbs and bows and other decorations. Try to keep identical shapes and colors separated so that you don’t have a noticeable clump in any one spot. For some people, the tree colors must coordinate with the room in which the tree is placed, for others the decoration themes change from year. If you have young children, rather than worrying about a perfect-looking tree, just guide the little ones as best you can and make sure to include their personalized decorations. The memories will last a lifetime.