The tree is up, the shopping list is getting smaller and we’ve put pen to card but there’s still time to add some beautiful finishing touches to your home. Discover our merry and bright picks that we just couldn’t wait to share with you which will add that final flourish to your home this Christmas season.
Festive foliage
Nothing says Christmas quite like a garland or wreath. Adding last-minute foliage, both faux and real, to your seasonal decor is a great way to make your home feel extra-special in the final couple of weeks before Christmas Day. Wreaths aren’t only for your front door either. Use them to decorate internal doors and bare walls for a beautifully lush festive finish. Choose a mix of wreath styles – some with holly and poinsettia, some with baubles for a quirky take on the traditional, and others made of simple foliage – for variety and interest. Try propping up a frosted or metallic wreath on a mantlepiece or sideboard and surround it with glittery pine cones and mini Christmas trees for a pretty winter wonderland display. Wreaths also look wonderful hanging in the centre of a front room window. Choose one that comes with fairy lights for maximum impact. A pretty garland, meanwhile, can make a mundane piece of furniture, such as a bannisters or balustrade, feel bright and cheerful.
Seasonal scents
There’s no better way to amp up the festive atmosphere in your home than by lighting scented candles. They’re an especially good idea in homes with an artificial Christmas tree because they can evoke the scent of fresh pine as convincingly as the real thing, but the bonus is they don’t leave a deluge of dead needles in their wake! Choose candles with scents such as cinnamon or gingerbread for your hallway so that guests immediately feel warmed and welcome on arrival. Choose one scented candle per room so that the aromas around your home are subtle, then create attractive seasonal arrangements by introducing non-scented novelty candles to the mix. Flameless candles are an alternative to traditional pillar candles and they’ll bring the same atmospheric warmth to your home.
Simple swaps
Swapping your usual soft furnishings for seasonal alternatives is a great way to make your living space feel even more festive in those final few days before Santa arrives. This can be as easy as changing one cushion cover for another with a festive motif or slogan. Reindeers, robin redbreasts, fir trees, snowflakes and church bells all have a seasonal significance. Tartan, too, is a pattern we automatically associate with this time of year, so pepper your festive cushions with checkered versions as well as tartan throws for a luxurious and cosy feel. Don’t wait until Christmas Eve to hang Christmas stockings either. Build up the excitement and anticipation by hanging them a few days before December 24th. Similarly, lay festive tablecloths and oilcloths on dining and kitchen tables ahead of the day itself as this will make every meal feel a little more special in the run-up to your Christmas Day feast.
Light up
The final week before the big event can feel frantic with all of the running around involved, so there’s nothing nicer than returning home from an errand and being greeted by a festive outdoor lighting display on your very own doorstep. Try draping fairy lights around a porch for a beautiful arch-like effect, then position a freestanding light-up Christmas figurine, such as a reindeer or Santa Claus, outside the hall door for a fun and inviting addition. A selection of pretty lanterns in different sizes arranged on and around a front porch will add a touch of old-world charm to your display. Decorating trees and bushes with twinkling fairy lights is a simple way to add impact, but if you don’t have foliage in your garden, you can buy light-up pathfinders that look equally festive and appealing.
Dreamy decorations
While many of us will have our Christmas trees up and decorated as soon as December rolls round (guilty as charged), adding some special decorations to the tree in those final days is a lovely way to mark the countdown to Christmas Day. It’s also a great family ritual that children and adults will both look forward to. Ask each member of the family to choose a decoration, which they’ll hang from the tree on that special evening. This is a great way to add personality to your Christmas tree too because each item chosen will represent a specific member of your family. You can have plenty of fun with this, as there’s a multitude of playful, quirky and colourful decorations to choose from, or opt for antique-style pieces to inject your tree with a vintage feel.
