Oh Christmas Tree...

What is the main pet peeve of holiday decorating?

Wire Ornament Hangers. (Cue Joan Crawford...."NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!!!")
And tho they are nasty little buggers, we've all been using them for generations, with the same complaints:

They stick in your tree, your carpeting, your furniture, your hair, and your pet's hair.
They render themselves invisible - except on the tree where they SHOULD!
They poke your fingers, your toesies, and can really mess up the inner workings of your vaccuum. (Yes, even a Dyson.)

I get pretty frustrated with 'em, since I decorate from October through December. So a few years ago, Karen and I started using chenille stems as ornament hangers. (Um, we used to calls these little items 'pipe cleaners'....not really sure why the name changed in craft stores) Buy them in white for a flocked tree, green for the rest, snip 'em in half, and bend it like...Beckham? Hmmmn. No. Bend it like a loop or a hook or however you want - hook the ornament on and then twist it onto a branch of the tree, garland, wreath, etc. It's virtually invisible, and it won't fall off even if kitty (or the kiddies) decide to play soccer with it. They work SO well for clustering ornaments, it isn't even funny...on top of the branch, under the branch, along the mantel...easy as pie.
Plus, when it comes time to un-decorate, you can easily remove them without punctures or hazards on your floors - if they drop, you can SEE them! This application isn't limited to the holidays - for fall decor, use brown ones to attach leaves & flowers to vine wreaths. In spring, use white or pale green, depending on your decor items.

Another fabulous solution is a new product invented here in the Northwest. Two savvy women came up with a very modern approach to 'ornament suspension' - check out Kleer-Eze Ornament Hangers and get a look at their invention. I discovered them at the Seattle Gift Show, and think they are simply Brilliant!

Always good to render a pet peeve a thing of the past, isn't it?
Okay, well, at least one of the TWO main pet peeves...
but I'm still not sure how to keep 100% of the needles on the tree and not on the floor. Sorry...