For us, festive decorations start creeping in around the middle of November, as local stores start displaying their must-have accessories for the year
and we simply can’t resist. However, it all begins in earnest at the start of December when we get the tree up – after the annual debate about where it should go.
It’s always a joy to take out the decorations, set up the twinkling lights, and add to our collection of baubles, following old traditions and creating new as we decorate the house to our festive playlist and celebrate its completion with the obligatory mince pie, or two.
However, with the modern pressures of social media telling us all how to have the perfectly decorated home for Christmas, showcasing this year’s must-have trend (Elf on the Shelf – worst festive trend ever, we’d argue) and proclaiming how jolly you will feel while suspending home-made bunting
from the kitchen ceiling, it can feel quite overwhelming.
But while so much pressure to put on an amazing show and cater for everyone comes from outside, it also comes from within.
This year, you should decide just how much perfection really matters and take some pressure off yourself. It is entirely possible to keep the traditions alive and create a festive atmosphere without too much stress and without spending too much money.
Here are our top tips for finding the fun in your festive decorating:
1. Don’t worry too much about the latest trends
New trends are great, don’t get us wrong. They inspire us and we love adding to our decorations each year, but it is also just fine to pay them absolutely no attention at all. Most of us have boxes of baubles, bells and tinsel, and there is a special joy in unwrapping certain baubles each year and remembering when you bought them.
One tradition we have instigated is to take our children out each year to choose their own brand new bauble for the tree. Whether you hit the local garden centre or go mad in Selfridges, bringing out their choices as each year passes, and adding a new memory, is really lovely.
If you, like us, have a need to control the colour scheme on your Christmas tree, you can either lay down the law and guide them towards your preference, or you can take the easier option and simply set up another tree in the playroom or less public space, such as the landing, and let your
children go wild with that. This second tree is also the perfect place to hang those precious handmade decorations they insist on bringing
home from school each year…
So, our advice is: Keep the trends for the kids’ rooms or add accents to your already burgeoning basket of baubles.
2. Go natural
We love a good family walk in the winter months, donning our woolly coats and hats and going for a forage in the Cheshire countryside – Delamere and Bickerton Hills are our favourites – or just have a look at what is in your garden.
Don’t feel you have to hunt and gather for yourself, though, as there are
some great options around these days. Etsy has a fab range and so do the local garden centres.
Getting outside is great for you and for the children too, so treat it as a fun expedition, and if you don’t find any fine greenery, that’s just fine.
3. The tree
The Christmas tree is always the focal point. Real or faux? It’s a tricky one. For us, nothing compares to the aroma of a real tree in your home, but we do completely understand that it isn’t for everyone.
When you come to decorate the tree, think about balance. And we don’t just mean where you hang your baubles. Ask for help. Maybe not with the all-important fun bit of spacing those baubles just right, but definitely with getting it either down from the loft or into the house and all set up ready to make beautiful.
A naked tree and a seeming thousand baubles can feel like a huge job, so we recommend breaking it into bite-sized pieces, starting with organising your decorations into groups beforehand. Bigger baubles at the bottom and smaller as you rise – and the most delicate or precious of baubles far from the reach of little fingers or wagging tails.
4. Set the scene with scent
It’s all very well decorating your home for Christmas, but it should smell like Christmas too. At this time of year you can find candles and diffusers designed to imbue the Christmas spirit into every room and make them work for you too.
Find candles with essential oils that calm and soothe, so when you do finally find time to have a sit down, you can inhale calm, too.
