Just say no to fake (or at least do it right)! Version 2: Christmas

We travel over the holidays and we have a cat that likes to eat greenery, so combined this means... fake tree.  Yes, some of you may be gasping right now, but it's true!  And honestly, I don't really mind.  I've learned some tricks to help make a sparse fake tree look lush- here are my secrets.

The fake tree.  Notice the holes.  Not cute!

1.  We hang three strands of lights, winding them in and out of the branches.

2.  I fill the holes with holly.  Here is my stash.  

3.  I then hang silver mirrored ball ornaments as far toward the trunk of the tree as I can.  The mirrored balls help to reflect the lights and create an illusion of depth.  Before I am ready to even decorate I have put 62 ornaments on the tree.

4.  Here is how it looks at this point (with the beautiful glass icicles I just bought- look for a future posting on my fav holiday decor).  Now that I have fixed the "architecture" of the tree I am finally ready to hang the decorative ornaments.

5.  I personally keep the color palette simple white, red and silver.  Finished!