There’s no right or wrong way to decorate your Christmas tree. What’s important is that it’s decorated the way you want it to be, whether that means having a well-thought-out theme, like all gold or all silver or even wine or western ornaments, or having an eclectic mix of hand-made ornaments, heirlooms, and keepsakes.

There are, however, a few basic rules that you should follow to make sure that your tree design, whatever it may be, looks its best.

First, you’ll want to put your lights on first. This may seem obvious, but it can be an afterthought if you discover that your lights don’t work right or that there aren’t enough, after you’ve put the ornaments on the tree. Be sure to test before you do any more decorating. You’ll also need to have enough lights to create your desired effect. You don’t want too many lights, though, or you’ll have an electrical fire hazard and your tree will look too bright after the ornaments have been hung, since other decorations reflect the light. Lights also need to be evenly distributed for the proper effect.

When you hang your garland, be sure that you start at the top of the tree and work toward the bottom, and space them evenly. Be sure to buy enough garland, too. You’ll need about 9 feet of garland for each foot of height on your Christmas tree.

Ornaments should be the last thing you put on the tree (aside from the topper, of course). It’s probably best to hang fragile ornaments last, so you’re less likely to accidentally knock them off while hanging an ornament on a nearby branch. Try to distribute your ornaments as evenly as possible, even toward the back of the tree, if it faces a wall. Most importantly, have fun and be creative when you decorate your tree, and make it truly your own.