Any ideas about how to make my holiday decorations/tree fun and unique?

I have decided I want to get a tree and decorate this year. I guess I’m feeling a bit nostalgic. We are basically starting from scratch; we only have a few things at this point. We are contemplating getting an old aluminum tree and a color wheel. (My mom’s mom had one and I have fond memories of “retro” holiday decorations.) We are not tied to the idea. There are so many options: traditional, Victorian, blue and white, monochromatic, all white, ethnic, etc.

Like I said, since we have pretty much no decorations so we can go in any direction. Any ideas? What do you do?