The holiday season is always a good time to create meaningful family experiences – and although we are still limited by restrictions and health precautions, we can still create a joyful atmosphere at home starting with meaningful holiday decorations.

Our Chief Jeweler Joana Gube shares some practical tips you can consider to make your Christmas tree decorating a heart-warming family tradition:

Make your kids part of the project.

“My top tip for moms is to seek inspiration from your kids. Ask them what they want to see on your family’s Christmas tree. You’ll often get some creative responses that you can use as your starting point. Also, it gives you the opportunity to make the process a bonding experience."

"For instance, our theme for last Christmas was a pastel color palette with fun ornaments like candies, cupcakes, and lollipops. The idea began by asking my kids what they were interested in at the time.”

Christmas tree theme dedicated to my daughter, Lily with paper decorations from @mabbymakes

Pick your theme and main elements.

“What I’ve learned through the years was that it’s important to apply some restraint to your theme in order to decorate a Christmas tree that looks harmonious and well-put-together. Otherwise, it ends up looking messy and visually cluttered."

"My process is simple: I come up with two or three key ideas that I want to express, and then look online for materials and ornaments that will help me express those ideas. For our 2020 Christmas tree, I was guided by these two design ideas: (1) to use native materials and textures such as capiz and (2) a color palette consisting of hints of gold set on a backdrop of neutral colors."

Rattan tree collar from @the_tree_collar

Our theme for this year is neutral with a touch of gold. 

I started to do themed Christmas trimmings when my first son was born. I wanted it to be unique since it was his first Christmas.

Christmas tree theme for Isaiah

"Every year since then, I’ve done a theme that’s inspired by a family member. I once did a “minimalist” Christmas theme because my husband likes simple aesthetics and monotone color palettes.”

Minimalist theme for my husband

Choose trimmings that tell a story.

“It’s a challenge to buy decors this year because the pandemic doesn’t allow me to go out in malls and markets to look for Christmas decorations. But I’m blessed to have friends who are so helpful and supportive. This year, my friend, Chippy Ledesma, who is a talented stylist and an avid decorator, helped me source our decors. Often, I source decors online and in malls. I also make an effort to try to support local brands and those who create one-of-a-kind decors. Last year, for instance, I asked paper artist, @mabbymakes to make custom decors for us. I love customized decors because it makes the Christmas theme more meaningful. Finally, whenever we travel, I’ll always get some Christmas decors as a souvenir.”

Felt decors from @feltsophfun

Take your time and enjoy every minute.

“I usually don’t have an entire day to dedicate to assembling our Christmas tree, so I’ll often work on it a few minutes a day, until it’s done. It shouldn’t feel like a chore; it should be relaxing and joyful. I try to get everyone in the family involved because it makes the process of putting up a Christmas tree a fun and meaningful experience, rather than just a “to-do” item that needs to be checked off once a year."

"With that said, I have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, and so it can get wild and crazy really quickly! I’ll just let them do their thing and then I’ll just rearrange the ornaments later on if I need to. We also have a small Christmas tree that the kids can decorate any way they want, for when I need to distract them while I put up the more delicate ornamental pieces.”

Our Christmas tree themes from 2016-2020

Enjoy decorating your tree, and Happy Holidays!

Love, Joana