For the past few decades, Christmas trees, for the most part, have been decorated using a hodgepodge of decorations: child-made ornaments, family heirlooms, and new additons. Recently, however, many people have begun to decorate their trees to be more in sync with the room that houses the Christmas tree.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Beachy theme

If the room the tree is in is decorated with a beach, seaside, or nautical theme, there are lots of ways for this to reflect in the ornaments. Get some seashells and spray paint them gold, or use a gold paint pen to outline just the edges in gold. Bleached white sand dollars look great on the tree, too. Just attach a matching ribbon for a hanger. Small boats can also serve as interesting ornaments.

Victorian theme

If your room houses Victorian furniture, use the same type of ornaments on the Christmas tree. These might include ribbons, bows, and crocheted ornaments like angels and bells. You might want to add a few small nosegays of dried flowers, also, or ornaments made of lace. If you can find Victorian Christmas cards, they make a nice addition to your themed tree.

Rugged, outdoorsy theme

If your house is a log cabin, or if your tree room has a hunting lodge look, decorate the tree in the same manner. Use twigs to create rustic reindeer, use cinnamon sticks to make "log bundles," and use small natural pinecones with attached ribbons. You can also find deer ornaments at most retail stores, which would also be in keeping with the theme.

Country home

If your room has a cozy country theme, you have many choices of ornaments. Choose ones made of calico, flannel, or plaids. Patchwork teddy bears and other quilted ornaments are available at many craft fairs, or you can make your own. Use tiny tin buckets to hold flowers or candy. Find miniatures like washboards, pails, sleds, or rocking chairs and turn them into ornaments. Country-style doll house furniture would work great for a country theme, and it's easy to find.

Floral theme

If your living room has a floral motif, use flowers on your Christmas tree. Both dried flowers and silk flowers make lovely additions. Make garlands by gluing flowers to soft rope, using either a hot glue gun or E6000 glue. Place bunches of lacy baby's breath among the branches, too.

Sleek, modern theme

To creat a modern Christmas tree with a sleek look, choose a monochromatic theme. Choose a color that accentuates or accents the colors used in the room. Then choose ornaments in different shades of the same color.

Special colors

You can even find Christmas trees in unusual colors. If you want to be bold and break with the traditional gree tree, what about a purple Christmas tree? A pink Christmas tree? For the ultra-mod look of black and white, how about a black Christmas tree? If you cam't find one of these unusual trees in a local store, search online.