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I gave up my job to trim Christmas trees — these are my top decorating tips
An Arkansas woman has decided to switch from her teaching job to a career decorating Christmas trees. Five years later, she says she charges an average of $1,000 to set up fir trees for her clients.
“I may not be teaching a classroom — I’m still teaching people how to elevate their living spaces to invite others with confidence,” Amanda Ware, 43, told Newsweek. “This is a huge part of our brand. I want everyone to feel confident building community in their living spaces.
Bentonville’s mom runs Hello Holidays, a tree-pruning service that provides all the repairs for a hefty price. Ware said she and her team begin arranging trees as early as October and decorate at least 100 a season. November is her busiest month.
He told Newsweek that he spends two to five hours per tree, depending on its size.
“The service cost to decorate a tree could be anywhere from $300 to $1,500 per tree, depending on its size and who is decorating it. If you hire me, you’ll pay a premium,” Ware boasted to the outlet.
“I previously decorated a tree with $10,000 worth of decorations, and the tree only cost $200.”
Ware also shares his trees of experience on Instagram and on TikTok, where his brand has more than 85,000 engaged followers.
Here are her decorating dos and don’ts.
- Buy a colorful tree to be daring.
- Place a small tree on a box or container and make it appear taller by covering it with fabric.
- Stick to a color theme, like pink decorations on a pink tree.
- Don’t forget to fluff the tree and fill in any holes using artificial glitter twigs and berries.
- Don’t use tinsel because it’s messy.
- Not Top the tree with a star because it’s dated – use a ribbon or flowers instead.
- Don’t put netting on a tree or wrap the tape around a tree horizontally because it looks cheap.
- Don’t buy all the decorations at once in case you get bored.
“Most people put their favorite baubles and ornaments on display, but if you add baubles, I suggest buying them in a pack of three or five,” Ware told Newsweek.
“Forgetting to fluff the tree and leave holes is a common mistake, but it’s an easy fix,” Ware confided.
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“My favorite decoration is ribbon, it’s one of the reasons I got into this business,” Ware said.
“I cut [ribbon] in strips and never wrap it horizontally around the tree, as I think that makes it look cheap,” advised Ware.
“I usually put the ribbon vertically around the tree and tie bows with it,” Ware revealed.
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“I previously decorated a tree with $10,000 worth of decorations, and the tree only cost $200,” Ware boasted.
“I say put at least 100 lights per foot of the tree. If there aren’t enough lights, then it doesn’t look good,” recommended Ware.
“My company sells everything you put on a tree. We have designer ribbons, twigs and ornaments that give a refined and elevated look to a Christmas tree,” boasted Ware.
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“You can buy any of our trees and that’s what our clients and customers love about your unique business. They can buy anything on one of our trees or mix and match,” Ware confirmed.
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Ware is a fan of lights, especially a warm white light, and recommends stringing at least 100 lights per tree foot.
“The lights give off a glow and make every night more romantic,” she told Newsweek. “They also enhance all the decorations. Sometimes you can’t see the decorations because of the lack of lights.”
Ware said he pines for the tape, calling it “one of the reasons I got into this business.” She mentioned that she places patterned or velvet ribbon vertically on the tree and makes bows with it, so it looks high-end.
For a dance tree, Ware suggests buying packs of three or five balls and arranging them in triangles — one at eye level, one to the lower right, and one to the lower left — or create a diamond shape using four.
“We specialize in over-the-top, more-is-more, so we like extra,” Ware confessed. “That’s a general estimate, but for a 9-foot tree decorated all the way around, we like to use three to five rolls of tape; 40 to 60 sprigs and flowers; and 30 to 50 ornaments.”
Looking beyond the holidays, Ware has expressed interest in expanding her business to everyday occasions like birthdays, showers and dinner parties.
