Decorating tips from a Disney pro

Christmas lasts nearly 365 days a year for some people.

The crew responsible for holiday decorations throughout the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., begins work on Christmas decorations in January.

So we figured these designers have learned a trick or two about trimming Christmas trees.

David Caranci, manager of resort enhancement (yes, that's his real title), shares some tree-decorating tips:

1Pick a theme and follow it through the tree and the house. Easiest choice is to go with the theme of your house.

The huge tree at Paradise Pier Hotel in the Disneyland Resort is decorated, natch, in an ocean theme, with fish and jellyfish throughout.

2Customize trees for your kids. Take some of your kids' own toys — those McDonald's Happy Meal trinkets are ideal — and hang them with ribbons and bows.

For a teens' tree, take a pack of blank CDs and hang each of them with ribbon or hooks; the silvery discs reflect light beautifully. You can also download photos of their favorite stars and stick them on the CDs.

3Use LED lights. At the store, they'll cost more than the traditional mini-lights, but you'll enjoy huge savings over time in electricity and light-replacement costs. The LEDs use less power and last longer than standard lights.

The 30-foot tree at Disney's California Adventure park is lit with 10,000 LED lights running on just two 20-amp circuits, according to Caranci.

4Don't be skimpy. Use 100 lights per foot of tree. Also, start by wrapping the lights around the pole or center of the tree first, and then go out, up one side of each branch and back.

5Let it glow. Put the lights on the tree before flocking for a glowing snow effect.

6Pack your tree, from the inside out, with ornaments. Hang larger ornaments near the center of the tree, and use smaller ornaments as you come out. This will make your tree look full and dense.