As part of our DIY Christmas-themed, Halloween Costume series, we’re sharing how to decorate a Christmas tree … dress with tips from Bronner’s decorating professional, Jennifer Mays! It may be noted that while the concepts are rooted in the same principles, “decorating a tree costume is not [actually] comparable to decorating an artificial Christmas tree at all!”
“Decorating a tree costume is not comparable to decorating a tree … At all!”
– Jen Mays.
Once you have your dress made, it’s time to decorate! To begin, we are sharing how to decorate a Christmas tree dress more traditionally* Most importantly, choose items that are …
lightweight and shatterproof.
Challenges Of Working On A Fluid Canvas
“After gathering the decorations and deciding which ones we would use on the costume; I was pretty excited,” says Jen, who always loves a challenge.
“Let’s do this!”
Consequently, “when I first added the unit decorations to the tree costume on the mannequin form, I thought it would be like decorating a regular artificial Christmas tree, with just a few obvious differences.” explains Jen. “I can deal with that … I got this!”
But the first challenge came “when the costume was moved to a live mannequin. It changed the ‘canvas’ or shape of the tree from the initial body form.” acknowledges Jen. As a result, “I quickly learned that decorating a tree costume is not comparable to decorating an artificial Christmas tree … at all! Especially one that spins and strikes a pose! But we marched on!” … And had fun doing it!
Creative Process On How To Decorate A Tree … Dress
Nevertheless, when decorating, there is a creative process. “I have a certain way I decorate trees, meaning, a certain order I decorate.” Jen informs. First things first …
units
[ yoo-nitz ]
noun
A unit is comprised of the layering of floral pics, ribbons and the like, tied together with chenille stems (pipe cleaner) to make a large focal-point and accent for the tree.
First, “I start with the units.” They make a spectacular addition to both Christmas trees and your DIY Christmas tree dress because they make a BIG impact and focal point!
However, it’s important to keep the weight in mind when selecting picks for a Christmas tree costume vs. an artificial Christmas tree. With this in mind, Jen walks you through how to recreate the pics featured on Bronner’s Christmas Tree Dress in this video tutorial:
How To Make A “Unit” To Decorate Your Christmas Tree Dress
Decorating Is Ornamental
“After the units, I put on the largest ornaments and work my way to the smallest.” suggests Jen. This decorator’s pro-tip echoes excellent advice shared by Patrick Heonig in our “Luxe Christmas Ornaments” post!
Similarly, Patrick shares of his own “maximalist” decorating, “I start with the largest ornaments first by randomly hanging them on the tree, since many of the largest ornaments have the greatest amount of detail, and will stand out. Follow this by the next size down, and keep working until you have the smallest ornaments left, which you can use to fill in any small gaps.”
Additionally, “each ornament has a place and pattern when going on the tree,” Jen continues. Which is yet another familiar cue celebrated in the memories of Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of Hollywood’s Silent Film Star, Harold Lloyd; who celebrated Christmases in a larger-than-life kind of way just like our originator, Wally Bronner!
One additional observation after decorating our tree dress, it would be helpful to glue the ornament toppers on the ornaments to be sure they do not dislocate. We don’t want anyone losing balls!
Decorating A Christmas Tree Dress Costume On A Live Mannequin
“This experience was really throwing me for a loop! Instead of me moving around the tree to plan out the next spot to place the ornament, the tree was spinning, and branches were swishing in different directions, and that made it difficult to place in a pattern (for me). We were having fun though!”
“After all the decorating was complete, we noticed the placement was off with quite a few of the ornaments because of the movement. Additionally, a lot of the ornaments had turned toward the inside of the frond, so we hung the decorated Christmas tree dress back up on the form with plans to optimize another day.” informs Jen.
If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again!
Jen recalls, “I actually removed all of the decorations from the tree costume. I looked at the fronds and wondered how I could get the ornaments to stay on better without turning to the inside of the tree.”
Upon observation, Jen noted “with the construction of the fronds, I think it might be easier if the bottom of each frond was connected to the dress as well as the top to give more stability on each branch for hanging ornaments.” But as a workaround, and to keep the fronds more fluid, Jen “opted to make sure and tie each ornament to 2 fronds to help keep the decorations stable” instead.
A Final Reflection In Decorating A Christmas Tree Dress Costume
“I think the tree costume turned out really cute, and it’s something anyone can do themselves… an attention grabber for sure!” shares Jen.
Celebrate Christmas In July With Two Great Bronner’s Events!
You are cordially invited to celebrate Christmas in July at Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland with two great events!
Santa On Vacation
Catch Santa on vacation at Bronner’s this Friday through Sunday, July 12-14, 2024 from noon to 4 p.m. daily.
Bronner’s is one of Santa’s favorite vacation spots! We invite the young and young-at-heart to stop by Bronner’s, say hello to Santa and take a photo with him. You will find Santa relaxing and shopping in section 3, near Bronner’s south entrance.
In addition, we invite you to GIVE BACK by bringing in a gently-used, like-new children’s book, toy or stuffie to share with Santa as part of the BIG RED GIVING BAG event. Bronner’s will then donate those items to an organization that works with children in need. This charitable event is a great way to begin a new holiday tradition within your own family that’s all about giving!
Bronner’s Christmas Costume Parade
This year, we’re hosting a Christmas Costume Parade on July 25, 2024, we’re sure you won’t want to miss! Parade kicks off at 2 p.m. from Bronner’s West Entrance. (All outfits and costumes must be family-friendly and Christmas-themed.)
Christmas-Themed Costumes & Cheer Gear Ideas
Looking for other costume ideas to celebrate your love for Christmas in Bronner’s Christmas parade?! We think you will enjoy these:
- Christmas Countdown Advent Box Halloween Costume
- Christmas Cheer Gear inspired by the friends dubbed the “Frankenbunch”
- Ugly Christmas Sweater & Tie Tutorial
Rock On With Love For Our Christmas Tree Dress!
For tips on how to decorate your Christmas tree at home, we recommend revisiting these two popular posts:
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