MAKE THIS THE WEEK YOU...

PUT UP THE PERFECT TREE

Ready to put up your Christmas tree? Here’s how to make it very 2017 . . .

PUT ON A SKIRT

THIS year’s must-have? A tree skirt. To cover the less-than attractive metal stand and extension cable at the base of the tree, of course. ‘Our most popular version is quite rustic and looks like an upturned wicker basket, but you can also find sleek, copper-coated metal skirts, or sparkly and embroidered fabric ones,’ says Katherine Hudson, founder of venue decorators The Complete Chillout Company.

WRITE IT IN LIGHTS

THE app-enabled Twinkly lights set, from £65 at John Lewis, allows you to create moving patterns and even write words in lights on your tree from your phone. Or opt for a light set with a stand-out copper or silver cable rather than the traditional ‘invisible’ green wire, says the man behind John Lewis’s festive displays, Scott Bartle.

A TIP-TOP TOPPER

OF COURSE, the traditional stars and angels are perennials — but Katherine Hudson says: ‘There are plenty of really unusual alternatives around this year. I like to use a gold or silver crown or feathered bird on top of the tree.’