In Ray's living room, a tailored stocking on a swagged garland of greenery brightens a bookcase. Ray's personal holiday decorating philosophy? "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." And it all starts with the tree. Tree-Trimming Tips Transform your tree into a spectacular Christmas centerpiece by piling on lots of lights and shiny bead garlands. "Bead garlands give the tree a little sparkle and create a nice scalloped effect," Ray says. "Even if you don't have ornaments, if you put a bead garland and lights on your tree, it looks great." Weave strands of lights into and around the tree, stringing them in toward the trunk and out to the branch tips to create depth. Use the same strategy when hanging ornaments - put plain glass balls on branches close to the trunk, and showcase your favorite ornaments near the tips. Secure valuable ornaments to your tree by attaching the hook to the tree branch with wire or a sheer red ribbon. If you don't want to use a lot of ornaments, you can create an equally festive look by winding lengths of sheer fabric around the tree and in and out of the branches (just like the lights). Try abaca, an open weave burlap-style fabric, or take apart a grapevine wreath and wind it through the tree for a rustic look. Ray prefers an artificial tree so that he can decorate early and because it will hold more and heavier ornaments. "Even if you use an artificial tree," Ray says, " you should have something fresh elsewhere in the house."

Christmas tree topiaries create an eye-catching arrangement on a mirrored sideboard.		Starting Fresh   Garlands and wreaths - in pine, fir, eucalyptus, cedar, or holly - are and easy way to introduce fresh greenery and fragrance and to accent focal points such as staircases, mantels, mirrors, bookcases, windows, and sideboards.  Use decorative ribbon or shimmery fabric to enhance the greenery.  Wired ribbon is especially easy to work with and can be used year after year.   For a showy presentation, swag garlands and nestle clusters of berries, ribbons and bows, and strings of lights into the branches.  "Little white lights on garlands add a lot of spark to the decorations."
THE TREE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING   When planning your Christmas decorations, don't forget the rest of the house. "I tell people to look at magazines, see what you like, and then do it," Ray says. "Maybe not with such expensive materials, but with what you already have."   In addition to the festive touches pictured here, Ray offers these suggestions for introducing the spirit of the season: wire fresh fruit to a wreath for a window or door hang a bay leaf wreath in the kitchen, or string a garland above the stovetop. He also loves filling the house with blooming plants such as paperwhites, hyacinths, amaryllis and orchids during the holidays.   "A big basket of blooming plants is a great look and will last through the entire season," he says. Ray recommends using plenty of trimmings to achieve the lavish look that distinguishes a well-dressed holiday home from a house that's simply decorated. "Don't do just a bow on a railing or a door-put some greenery behind it. The difference is amazing."		Ray fashions a natural setting for his nativity scene by placing it on a piece of burlap covered with sheet moss and adding greenery. A profusion of long-stemmed glorioso lilies makes an exceptional centerpiece for the holiday table.
		Ray Jordan's pièce de résistance is an abundantly decorated tree adorned with twenty strands of bead garlands, forty strings of lights, and some two thousand ornanments, including an extensive collection of Christopher Radko glass ornaments and souvenirs from Ray's travels.