Buying-Guide

A full artificial tree wants a base around four feet across. A slim one wants about 28 to 30 inches. Measure the gap you actually have, from the wall to the path you walk, and buy the tree that fits inside it. Under about 20 inches, skip the floor. A 2-foot tabletop tree (on Amazon) sits on a sideboard or the top of a bookcase. With 28 to 30 inches and an ordinary ceiling, shop a 6 or 6.5 foot pencil. Go to 7.5 feet only when a topper will not touch the ceiling. November is when the narrow sizes go first, so measure before you browse. ...

Garland does a lot for the money. One good strand changes a mantel, a staircase or a doorway more than almost anything else you can buy. The two common mistakes are buying too little of it and buying faux garland so cheap it looks like plastic. Fresh or faux Fresh garland smells like Christmas, and nothing else really does. A cedar or fir garland on the mantel scents the room for two or three weeks. ...