Tinsel

How much tinsel

A spiral from the top of a tree to the bottom uses about 1.5m of tinsel per foot of tree height when it is draped loosely: 9m for a 6ft tree, which is four or five 2m lengths, and 11m for a 7ft tree. Overlap the ends inside the branches. For a mantelpiece or a doorway, one 2m length; for a banister, three.

Chunky cut

The strands on these lengths are wider and denser than supermarket tinsel, so the garland looks full in one pass and does not show the wire core. Luxury cut is the thickest. Colours are the four that go with everything: gold for red and gold schemes, silver for white and blue, red for a traditional tree, green to blend into the branches and lift a tree that looks thin.

Using tinsel well

Put the tinsel on after the lights and before the baubles, so it sits in the branches rather than over the decorations. Drape it in loose swags rather than wrapping it tight. One colour per tree looks deliberate; two at most. On a flocked or white tree most people leave it off and use ribbon instead.