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Christmas Tree Accessories Tips
Keeping Your Live Tree Hydrated
If you have a live tree at Christmas you will want to make sure that your Christmas tree is kept well watered. If you don't want to worry about checking the water level of your tree daily and watering it daily using a watering can, you may wish to invest in a cool little accessory known as a Christmas tree waterer.
For less than $30, you can buy a waterer that resembles Santa Claus' boots and attach it to your tree stand by placing the probe or tubing into the Christmas tree stand and setting the cute little pair of boots next to the tree, fill the boots with water and squeeze an item on the tubing that starts the water flow. Once this is done, you will not have to worry about keeping your tree watered for ten days.
You can also purchase a Christmas tree waterer that resembles a Christmas present. Guests to your home will never know the cute little boots or package is actually the item that is keeping your fresh Christmas tree well watered. You can find waterers such as these online at select Christmas merchants.
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Top That Tree with a Tree Topper
Bronners.com Tip: So you have your Christmas tree covered in decorations, lights and garland. You have a gorgeous Christmas tree skirt to dress the bottom of your tree. It seems your Christmas tree is complete, or is it? Have you glanced at the top of your tree? Is it looking kind of bare? That's because every Christmas tree needs a tree topper to make the look complete.
Christmas tree toppers are usually an angel or a star that slips onto the very top branch of your Christmas tree. Many times, these toppers light up or rotate around the top of your tree for an added something special.
You can select Christmas tree toppers that exude old world charm, such as one that shows a Nativity with the Star of Bethlehem hovering over. While some families prefer stars, others prefer angels. You can select a lovely gold angel with feathers as wings that will add charm to your tree. If you want something different for your tree topper, you can spend more than the usual $15 to $20 for a topper and purchase a Father Christmas tree topper that runs about $50.
Purchasing a tree topper comes down to personal choice. Like all other Christmas tree accessories, you will find a large amount of choices when it comes to what is available in tree toppers. The important thing is to not forget to finish your tree decorating by adding a tree topper; no tree is complete without it!
And if you plan to use a lighted tree topper, don't forget you'll need to save room to plug it in.
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Scents of Your Tree
If you have an artificial Christmas tree and you are longing for something that will remind you of that fresh evergreen smell you get with a live Christmas tree, you can actually purchase a scent that will liven up that artificial Christmas tree. You may even fool your friends into thinking that artificial tree is actually a real one.
One way to add a fresh evergreen scent to your Christmas tree is to purchase a special Christmas ornament that actually has a pomander that continuously releases a fresh evergreen scent into the air. For about $13, this little ornament can be yours at participating online retailers.
You can also purchase an artificial tree and room spray. You can spray this scent onto your artificial tree and throughout your home to get that great Christmas tree smell in every room. Sprays such as these cost about $10 and are a really good idea for anyone who wants the smell of a fresh tree without the mess that can potentially come with one! Scents for your home and tree are found at retail stores and online.
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Christmas Tree Stands
Bronners.com Tip: As you prepare to put up your Christmas tree, you will need to have one very important accessory or your tree will surely fall! You must have that ever-important Christmas tree stand. Of all the Christmas tree accessories, this might be the most important! You can't simply prop your tree up in a corner and expect it to stay put, you must have a stand in which the trunk of the tree is inserted into a hole in the base of the stand while screws are tightened around it to keep it upright. If you don't have one, make sure to get one before you're ready to put your tree up!
A Christmas tree stand most often comes in red or green and has four large bolts that screw into a tight fit up against the base of the Christmas tree once the tree trunk is placed into the stand. It may take some maneuvering to get the tree to a straight stance, so expect to have to adjust the screws after you have already tightened them.
If you purchase an artificial Christmas tree, often times the stand is included with the tree so it may not be necessary to purchase one if you have recently purchased an artificial tree. Just check the box with the tree to see if the stand is included. If you purchase a fresh Christmas tree, you will need a stand for it. Another cool Christmas tree stand is one that actually doesn't require any screws and it doesn't require you to do any cutting to the trunk of your fresh Christmas tree. For about $50 or more, you can purchase a tree stand that you set the trunk of the tree in, and then push a pedal with your foot to tighten the claws around the trunk of the tree. This is an ideal stand for those of you who want to avoid the pain of cutting and screwing in your tree.
You may want to do some research on the Internet about what Christmas tree stand is best for the type of Christmas tree you are going to get. Christmas tree stands can be found at major retailers and online merchants.
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Make Your Own Christmas Tree Garland
If you are frugal or even if you are looking for a fun craft you can do with your children to add to your Christmas tree, why not try making your own garland to spruce up that tree and get the family involved at the same time?
One fun family activity you can do to make your own garland is to make popcorn garland. It really doesn't get much easier than popcorn garland. You can pop a large batch of popcorn, find a needle and a strong thread cut to the length you want your garland to be. Thread your needle into the thread and then poke individual popcorn pieces with the needle and thread to the end of the thread. Continue doing this until you have strung your entire thread with popcorn. This is a great activity to do with children, just make sure they are old enough to work with a needle or you may have a lot of poked little fingers.
If you have very young children you may to consider cutting colored construction paper into strips and then taking a strip, glue the ends together, then taking another strip, intertwining it with the ring you have already made, glue the ends together and continue this process until you have made garland rings with construction paper. This is a fun activity for parents and kids to do together and a very inexpensive one at that, construction paper can be found at any retail store for less than $3.
Another fun way to make your own garland is to follow the same procedure you would with the popcorn garland, but instead string pretzels, marshmallows, gum drops and Lifesavers candy onto some thread and then decorate your tree with that garland.
Christmas tree accessories, such as garland, don't always have to be purchased. Many families enjoy making their own garland for their trees; why not try it with yours?
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Christmas Tree Garland
Bronners.com Tip: If you have a Christmas tree then most likely you have garland to decorate it. We have all seen garland, the decorative pieces of material that jazz up a tree, a stairwell, a doorway and even a fireplace mantle. It really doesn't matter where you put it, garland can brighten up your home and your Christmas tree during the holidays.
There are so many different types of choices when it comes to garland, you may not even be aware of how many are out there. You can purchase garland on the Internet for reasonable prices, though with so many choices it may take you awhile to decide which is right for you.
You can purchase Christmas tree garland made of beads. Garland like this is sure to make your house more festive. Choose from beaded garland in a wide array of colors from purple, burgundy, silver, blue and many more colors. Choose from a length as short as three feet to as long as nine feet. Beaded garland costs about $7 on average and will add a classy feel to your Christmas.
If beaded garland isn't what you are looking for, you have several more choices. If you want to decorate your house with novelty Christmas items, why not choose garland in the shape of candy canes or flowers. Better yet, why not pick a sugared fruit candy garland and really add a splash to your holiday? Novelty garland is typically about six feet in length and averages about $5 in price. Something so inexpensive can really make for a beautifully decorated home for the holidays.
If you would rather, you can choose a more traditional garland, such as garland that resembles a boa or tinsel garland that comes in a variety of colors. These types of garland can be as long as 15 feet and are usually about $4 for one.
You can also purchase garland that resembles natural greenery or is flocked with artificial snow. Ornament hooks make it easy to drape garland on your tree. Garland such as this makes a wonderful accent on a fireplace mantel or a banister for your stairwell.
Regardless of the garland you choose, you know that there will be something for everyone when it comes time to buy!
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Rotating Christmas Tree Stands
Christmas tree stands are necessary to keeping your tree balanced and standing during the time it is up in your home. What you may not know is that you do not need to purchase a regular old Christmas tree stand that just keeps your Christmas tree in one place. Oh no, you can purchase a Christmas tree stand that rotates your Christmas tree around and around.
Many rotating tree stands will hold trees as large as nine feet and will hold up to 2000 lights and has two outlets for plugging in various items needed to light your Christmas tree or other accessories that may need to be plugged in. You can even turn your tree off from rotating by flipping a switch on the tree stand itself. The stand itself plugs into an outlet but you are able to control the rotation by flipping a switch on or off on the stand.
If you want to be able to see all of your Christmas tree ornaments and you know that you won't be able to see any of those on the back because it is close to the wall, consider getting a rotating tree stand. This way your Christmas tree will rotate in a circle and show off all of those ornaments they way they are supposed to be. Be warned, however, that these rotating tree stands often cost over $100, so be prepared to spend some money on this item. You may need to wait until the actual Christmas season to purchase a rotating stand at retail store, but you can most likely find rotating stands online all year round!
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Christmas Tree Skirts
Bronners.com Tip: Christmas trees look beautiful because of all the decorations, garland and lovely lights placed on it. Christmas trees look even more beautiful when dressed up with Christmas tree skirts. A Christmas tree skirt is a skirt that surrounds the bottom of your Christmas tree at the base. They generally come with a slit and normally tie or fasten around the tree stand so you can add it either before or after the tree is decorated.
People really have a vast amount of choices when it comes to investing in a Christmas tree skirt. You can purchase skirts that are made from velour, brocade, cotton or even something someone has taken the time to knit by hand. Christmas tree skirts can have almost any scene on it, from a Santa Claus with his reindeer, to a nativity scene or even a snowman. Skirts for your Christmas tree come in so many varieties that every household that needs one will most likely find one that suits the needs of the house.
Depending on the type of skirt you are interested in you can expect to pay from $25 to over $50 or more. Tree skirts are generally quite large because they must fit around the bottom of the tree and cover the tree stand, so you can expect to find skirts that are about 50 inches in diameter.
Christmas tree skirts really add to the beauty of the tree and even though by Christmas Day, the skirt will be covered with presents, your Christmas tree will look beautiful as you slowly add presents under it during the holiday season.
