Starting in mid-November, just as families are finalizing plans for their big turkey dinner for the Thanksgiving holiday, the mind starts to wander, thinking about the next holiday to come. For many, this can mean a time of great joy and festivities. For others, the coming holiday season can create a feeling of stress and panic. Even chaos. And that chaos can be even worse when you just don’t know where to put your Christmas tree.

Unfortunately, home builders really didn’t take Christmas trees into consideration when architecting the design of a home. Not only that, but it seems like each year we forget how much space we have to work with. Or, we seem to forget that we still need to be able to use the room for other needs once the tree is in place. So how do you create the right space for your tree, making it the focal point of the room, but without losing functionality? Check out the decorating tips below that center on the concept of Feng Shui to help ease your stress and help you enjoy this special time of year.

Tips to finding the best space for your Christmas tree

The best place to start is to measure the room that you have to work with. Make a note of the dimensions of your furniture too. While many homeowners, especially those who love the holiday season, have visions of tall and regal looking trees, this isn’t always a reality. If your home is smaller, or if you are in an apartment, it may be much harder to move furniture around the accommodate the tree and make sure that you can still use the room. So, no matter how big or small your home is, take some time to make some measurement and jot them down.

After you have your measurements, the next step is to understand where your focal point makes sense. Assuming you plan to have the tree in the living room, consider where it makes the most sense, based on the function needed for the room. Though your living room likely has a beautiful window to sit in front of, the television or seating area may be blocked. And, you want to avoid placing your tree near the fireplace, areas prone to heavy traffic, or any apparent obstructions. Once you have a potential spot in mind, have someone stand in the space with their arms out, and then consider the space from all vantage points. Take into account here also the following Feng Shui elements as an additional consideration point.
If your Christmas tree is in the east portion of the room, it will represent health and family
Placing your Christmas tree in the southeast portion of the room will help with money and abundance
Situating your tree in the southern point of the room will bring fame and reputation
Next, think through what furniture items are the most critical, and if any can be conveniently relocated for the holiday season. For example, do you need the coffee table for the month of December? Or, could you relocate the floor lamp? If you need all of your furniture items or have nowhere else to put them, then you probably want to consider a smaller tree. Potted trees came onto the market just a few years ago and have been very popular for homeowners or renters with small spaces. These potted floor-length trees, as well as tabletop trees, have been a blessing for these tight areas. However, if you have more space to work with, then you can likely move furniture around to accommodate a larger tree without jeopardizing the function of the space.
Empty the living room of any clutter and furniture items that will be relocated or stored for the duration of the holidays. This will provide you with a blank or almost-blank canvas to work with, and provides you an opportunity to truly reimagine the space. Cleaning out the room will also give you some time to clean, literally. Now is the right time to dust away those dust bunnies, and make the room sparkle. This will help the room look all that much better once the tree is in position, and you begin to decorate.
If you will be entertaining during the holidays and you will need seating space, consider moving other furniture pieces to an adjacent room. You will want to ensure your guests can be comfortable. If you are planning a large party or festivities, make sure that your tree doesn’t intrude on your guests. And if absolutely necessary, consider if the tree would work better in a different room to ensure that the tree isn’t damaged by guests passing back and forth.
Now it’s time to haul in the tree and get it set-up. If you have worked through the following steps correctly, this should be relatively easy and painless. And before you start digging through the other decorations, take some time to admire the tree in its place and look at it from all angles to confirm it is what you wanted. Move any furniture back into place, and sit down for a bit. Then walk around the room to ensure you still have the functionality that you need.
And finally, it is time to decorate. Grab that box of décor from the storage room and bring in the troops (your family) to get their help. Dust off any ornaments that need it, and make sure that you are only using clean decorations. Otherwise, you will defeat the purpose of all the work you already put into it.

Complete the living room with Christmas lights

The best way to finish off your Christmas living room is with holiday lights, and that isn’t limited just to your Christmas tree. Christmas lights of any color, but especially the more subdued white lights, can help to create a lovely ambiance in your living room space. For those who prefer to follow Feng Shui methods, be sure to stick to a cooler color scheme, such as light blue, cool silver or gray, and that calming white.

Not only that, but the lighting, especially when placed strategically throughout the room to help backlight various spaces, can make the room feel larger.

Many homeowners prefer to decorate their tree with lights before ornaments, and that is absolutely the best course of action. The point here is to consider those other spaces where lights can help draw attention, and even better, complement the look of that Christmas tree. This approach will make sure that your tree remains the focus of the room, but that everything in the room ties together in some way. So, happy decorating!