Balsam Hill Christmas trees come in sections of branches, each of which is compressed for ease of shipping. We recommend gathering family and friends and making an event out of shaping your tree to make it appear lush and full in your space. Shaping a typical 7.5-ft tree can take a couple of hours the first time, but the results are well worth the care and effort.
The following video demonstrates the proper way to shape most upswept trees, but you can select the Christmas tree type that applies to you to get a better understanding and better results.
Shaping Tips
Throw a party and have family and friends help.
Wear the included shaping gloves to protect your hands.
Use a photo of your tree from the package, a Balsam Hill catalog, or on balsamhill.com. Some trees are intended to have upswept or downswept branches. Angling the tips upward or downward to achieve the appropriate look.
If you purchased a pre-lit tree, plug in the lights so that you can replace non-working bulbs with the extra bulbs that came with the tree.
The tree always takes the longest to shape the first time, but it should be much quicker next time.
How to Shape Each Tree Branch
Shape the tree section by section, starting at the bottom. So, if your tree comes in 3 sections, shape the lowest section before putting the second section on top. You might also consider tying up the higher levels of branches in the sections to keep them out of your way. You can use the ribbon that came on your tree.
Step 1
Working branch by branch, separate individual branch tips and pull them away from the center of the tree.
Step 2
Separate and spread outward-facing branch tips. Your branches should resemble a peacock’s fanned tail.
Step 3
Gently bend the branch tips upward to create the lush fullness of a real tree. Repeat separating and shaping to fill in gaps.
Tree Shaping Video Tutorials
Watch how to shape your Balsam Hill tree from these videos:
BH Balsam Fir®
BH Fraser Fir®
Vermont White Spruce®
Classic Blue Spruce®
Read More Christmas Tree Guides
Visit the links below for more tree setup guides and holiday decorating ideas.