We are talking about elegance, after all. Think I'll skip those this year. Music is key to the mood. I own several jazz Christmas CD's and some classic discs, including the Charlie Brown Christmas CD and 3 Tenors Christmas concert. I love to listen to these when I decorate the tree.
Candles are great.
Many people from various religions celebrate with candles, to represent special days or meaningful events around holidays. I like them for the soft light they produce, as well. Many people talk about ditching the tree. Frankly, the tree is one of the few things I care deeply about with the whole Christmas scene. The base of the tree indicates life, water, which nurtures us, the limbs represent life, which supports us, the decorations are reminders of all of our gifts, each day of the year, and the star is a reminder that we are special and a child of God.