Holiday decorating can be a fun challenge. If you have children, one of the most common challenges during the holidays can be decorating your Christmas tree when you have a mix of ornaments from over the years. How do you take children’s character ornaments and blend them seamlessly with your precious elegant ornaments?

To blend your Christmas tree with a mix of elegant and nostalgic classic ornaments, Elena Runge—an interior designer at our sister-brand August Haven—has some practical tips to take on the challenge and end up with a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

choosing white lights vs. colored lights can make a huge difference in the overall ambience of your finished Christmas tree

She first began by filling in all of her elegant ornaments in a zig-zag pattern first down the tree to have an even base. Then she went in with the gold poinsettias and wrapped them around the branches.

She finds it really fun to have multi-color tree lights that can be interchangeable between a warm white to give a more formal appearance and then having it set on colorful lights to give it a more whimsical and fun look.

Afterward, she filled in with all of the classic and keepsake ornaments around the zig-zag pattern she first created. She tried to focus on putting heavier ornaments toward the bottom of the tree for balance in visuals and weight. It’s also important to not over-clutter the tree with ornaments and accessories in order to show that the greenery of the tree has its own beauty.

The finished product! Elena showcases the final look with multi-color lights and white lights.