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A really good artificial tree will probably run you at least $200 depending on size, but if you're balking at that price and either you don't want to spend that on a tree, or you can't, you'll probably end up with the $25 dollar tree which can come out of the box looking like the above; rather disappointing. But not to worry, here are my tips on how to make your crap tree look worthy of a post card.
1. Make it bigger.
Before you officially set it your tree in place, find something you can use to elevate your tree so you can add a few inches or feet to it. Suddenly your 5 footer can easily become 6 or 7 feet. Box crate, old barrel, bricks, whatever you have that is stable enough to hold the weight of the tree. Make sure to weight the tree down a bit if the height makes it more wobbly. Also make sure to spend a good amount of time fluffing your tree.
Newbies to fake trees freak out when they see the artificial straight out of the box because it looks really scrappy, but you have to sit there and really spend time pulling apart all the the branches and shaping and re-shaping it until it looks it's fluffiest.
A second tip is that if your stand or riser is something you don't want seen, cover it up. Tree skirts tend to be more expensive, so instead use a festive throw, fabrics, sheets, rugs, vases, boxes, empty wrapped boxes, you name it. Think outside of the box.
2. Fill it
If you can see right through your tree, a great tip I got, was to actually use plain Christmas wreathes or "pine" garlands in a similar color to your branches of course, when assembling your tree. Set up the first level on your artificial tree after the base, and then set a wreath on top of that, connect the next level of branches, then put on another wreath and then your final one or two pieces of the tree. Instantly, that more sparse looking middle is filled in.
Not to worry about the top, because you can use all manner of Christmas tree stems and picks to fill in the gaps. Don't fret if that sounds expensive because they can be picked up for cheap at your local dollar store, and you'll only need a few as trees are naturally slimmer towards the tops anyway.
3. Light it
Nothing makes a tree look more sparse than not giving it the full on light treatment. For a standard 6 footer, you are going to need about 300 lights to wrap the tree adequately depending on how lit you want it to be or how wide your artificial tree is, but for maximum fullness, go for 400-500 lights.
4. Stuff it
If you've done the wreath, light, pick, and stem trick, and your tree still doesn't look as full, begin stuffing it immediately. A great filler is ribbon. If you use 2 inch plus ribbon, you can easily fill in gaps all around the tree using it as garland either vertically or horizontally across your tree. Another great filler, is faux snow. You can find this in the Christmas section of any store, but take the cotton, similar to the ones used to stuff your pillows, and put it in the more bare spaces and generally across and around the tree to give your tree a "just snowed on" look. If you don't want "snow" stick to the ribbon trick and then fill in additional holes with decorative tree picks or later on larger ornaments.
5. Add Ornaments
If you are on a budget, go for Christmas bulb ornaments above buying individual ornaments. The bulbs quickly fill a tree and tend to be brighter, and more eye popping than random ornaments. You can find bulk packs for under $15 at most big box stores or again, go to your local dollar store.
Secondly, GO BIG or go home. Instead of buying small ornaments, fill your tree with larger 5-8 inch ornaments (again a cheap find a dollar store) that make a real eye catching statement. They fill the tree faster as they take up more room and consequently, you'll only need a few to fill a tree vs. that of smaller 1-3 inch ornaments and bulbs.
6. Make It
If you don't have a lot of money, put on your DIY hat and make some of your ornaments. Many stores have DIY ornament kits you can make, or you can make them out of wood or paper or if you have children, make it a family project to create some new ornaments from scratch. Hit up the internet if you have no clue how to DIY, there are tons of fun projects there on Pintrest or Youtube.
7. Thrift It
Don't be afraid of your local thrift store. In fact, if you go early enough, many of them actually do sell artificial trees that people have tossed. One year, I saw a 12 foot tree there for about $50, and it wasn't any kind of crappy kind either...we're talking a corporate lobby toss away. They also have ornaments and plenty of other Christmas dishes, Christmas China, and decor there as well.
8. Plan Ahead
Every die hard Christmas fan knows that the best time to ever buy anything Christmas related is AFTER Christmas. Places like Walmart mark everything down 75% before the end of January and unlike Hobby Lobby, they keep all the good stuff out and you can make a mad sweep on what you really wanted and be ready to go for next year at a mere fraction of the cost.
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