Southwest Style Christmas Tree Decorating Tips

Having grown up in New Mexico, incorporating Southwest décor and traditions to my Christmas experience means home to me. Christmas just wouldn't be the same to me without the luminarias, chile, and tamales. Even the Christmas tree is lit up with touches to reflect the Southwest atmosphere. The two biggest cultures that reflect a Southwestern culture are Hispanic Catholicism and Pueblo Native American. At times these aspects will be distinct, and other times they will blend or mimic one another. Each of these elements can be incorporated into creating a beautiful Southwestern Christmas tree.

What is a tree without its lights? A perfect example of creating a SW tree by using lights is to use red chile lights. They are a string of white bulbs with a rubbery red attachment placed on top of the bulb in the shape of a chile pod. Your guests will love these festive lights and so will you.

When one thinks of New Mexico and Christmas time, they think of luminarias. The purpose of luminarias is not only decorative and cultural, but is a way to show baby Jesus the way to your home. Luminarias are brown paper bags (lunch bags) folded two inches from the top, filled with sand, and placed with a votive candle inside and lit up at night. They tend to be along the sidewalks and the path leading up to the home. However, if you want incorporate this beautiful New Mexican tradition with your Christmas, tree, here's some tips. Materials needed are brown lunch bags, rocks or something with weight, and battery-operated votive candles. Place several of these bags around the tree with weighs inside and the top of the bag folded down, place the candle inside. That's it!

Corn or maize is almost a novelty icon when people think of the Southwest. Look for the tiny and colorful corns sold in grocery stores or health food stores. Be sure to choose ones with the most husks. Around the base of the husk, tie a string around the corn. Hang around the tree and you'll have a colorful site.

You can find beautiful pottery in various Pueblo reservations, all hand made. If you like the look of pottery, you can buy ceramic ornaments in their natural colors of terracotta orange and brown. If they are blank ornaments, you can do research on the net of pueblo symbols you can paint on with black ink.

Some people like to hang cowboy boots instead of stockings to add to the Southwestern feel in their home. Others see this as kind of corny, so depending on how far you want to go, this is an option as well.

One item borrowed from Mexico used mainly during Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is papel picado. This is a string of pieces of tissue paper cut up in detailed designed and hung around the house. You can do this art activity by cutting out items such as cacti, coyotes, and zía symbols instead. Hang around the tree.

Instead of boxes of wrapped gifts under the tree, give your friends and family a taste of the Southwest! Fill baskets with locally made salsa, freshly roasted piñons, and recipe cards on how to make tamales, sopapillas, and biscochitos. If you have access to red and green chile from New Mexico, include some of that, along with a recipe card on how to prepare it. Look to bueno.com for ideas.

Dreamcatchers aren't necessarily Southwestern only, but they can capture the feel of Native American art. Dreamcatchers are created to allow a healthy flow of good dreams and stop the bad ones from entering your slumber. If you can't find these in shops, look online for small ones that can be placed on the branches of your tree. Be sure not to touch the eyes of the dreamcatchers as it is said that nightmares are captured there.

There are several tree toppers that can be used to "top off" the Southwestern Christmas tree look. Several Southwestern artists use tin as their medium. They do several things to the tin pieces, including cutting out designs, embossing images, or shaping it to create a masterpiece. If you look for one such as a tin angel or tin star, this would be the perfect way to finalize your tree. If tin art is not available in your area, you can get crafty by sewing a southwestern or Native American dress for your angel.

I hope this guide helps you create a tree that encompasses the feeling of the Southwest into your home.