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One of the fun parts of Christmas – besides the delectable food and gifts – is decorating, whether it is your Christmas tree, the table, the lounge area or even the yard.
Christmas is about the celebration of family and good memories of loved ones, so display any special decorations. This year why not refresh the look by purchasing new decorations.
Trends do go out of fashion but it will certainly provide a different ambience and the wow factor.
Most decorations are inexpensive so you can decide on a theme and certain colours. Traditionally Christmas had red, green and gold colours.
It's the season to enjoy Mother Nature's gifts to us with curious creatures, sparkling icicles and bright berry bursts to remember natural wonders.
Just a few of gold and silver pieces can set an elegant table while classic red and green, poinsettias and wreaths won’t be out of fashion anytime soon.
Add glass baubles and stars to catch the light from your Christmas tree lights. Berries in pale silver-grey tones tone down the gaudiness of other ornaments.
When decorating a Christmas tree, it is recommended to start with the lights followed by the baubles and other ornaments.
Less is more sometimes otherwise a tree can look over-crowded. If you have an excess of decorations, you can hang them in other places such as the dining room or place them on a festive table. Whatever your style, enjoy your Christmas decorations.
Forethought makes unwrapping fun
A much anticipated Christmas tradition that often turns ugly is the opening of gifts.
In larger groups, it can quickly transpire into a paper ripping frenzy, a garbage bag overflowing with haphazard bits of festive paper left in its wake.
To avoid this waste, why not create something that demands attention and uses bits and bobs found in your home. After all, sometimes it’s what’s on the outside that counts.
Investing in a roll of brown paper, or cutting up paper bags from the grocery store allows you to personalise each gift in a myriad of ways. Effectively leaving you with a blank (brown) canvas, you could try decorating the package with any of the following.
Use red and green tape to wrap alternate horizontal and vertical strips around the gift, mimicking ribbon.
Use coloured wool instead of ribbon, wrapping horizontally and vertically numerous times for best effect.
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Tear out a page from an old Golden Book and glue it to the paper - if you can find one with Christmas stories, all the better.
Kids’ books aren’t to everyone’s taste, so consider sticking unwanted postcards or the front of last year’s Christmas cards to the front of the wrapped parcel.
Attach a small Christmas tree ornament to some string that’s tied around the paper. This not only looks pretty and festive, but doubles as something to hang on their tree for years to come.
Tie a small object to the paper that is seemingly random, but actually unique to that person - for example, a playing card for the poker champ, bookmark for the bookworm, or a feather for the nature enthusiast.
If adorning brown paper doesn’t inspire, why not give your gifts in one of these wrapping paper alternatives.
Use the pages from an old map or atlas that is no longer current, or (thanks to the digital age) you’re no longer using.
Find some old sheet music, ideally for Christmas carols, with the name of the carol in full view on the gift.
Using your children’s artwork is a very personal and smart way of recycling all those finger paintings.
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