5 Key Ingredients for a stylish and welcoming home this Christmas, without going OTT with the Christmas Decorations
1. Fairy Lights
Fairy lights are at the top of my list because they are just so pretty! But they have to be warm white for me. I don’t want to offend anyone with multi-coloured or ice white lights, I can admire them in their homes, but for me, nothing beats the ambience of warm white fairy lights.
You probably know that fairy lights replaced the dangerous practice of placing candles on a Christmas tree, but did you know that the original idea of placing lights on a tree is thought to represent the light of the stars shining through trees in a forest?
I don’t think you can have too many fairy lights at Christmas. They are so welcoming draped around the porch or front door. In the hallway, you can wind them up your staircase, hang them over a mirror frame or lay them on your console table. In the lounge, you can display them along the mantle, perhaps through a foliage garland, place them in glass vases or bottles or let them sit in bowls amongst Christmas baubles. In the kitchen, you can fix them to the top of kitchen wall units or shelves and lay them along the dining table. Options are endless……..
2. Candles
Candles are traditionally associated with Christmas and mid-winter festivals. Nothing gives a warmer and more welcoming feel to a home than the soft flickering glow of candlelight. We are naturally programmed to wind down and relax in lower light as it’s generally a signal that night-time is approaching.
Candlelight also creates a sense of cosiness and intimacy. The light cast by a candle doesn’t travel very far so it creates a small cosy space within its pool of light. So, if you want a cosy, relaxing atmosphere, then candles are key.
For greater impact, group candles of different shapes and sizes together on a tray. Use a mix of tall pillar candles, short fat pillars, candle jars, votives and tealights. The more variety there is, the better!
You can re-use beautiful glass candle jars by removing as much of the wax as possible first and then either, placing it the freezer for a couple of hours before easily removing the brittle, frozen wax or, placing the jar in a pan or bowl of gently boiling water to melt the remaining wax which can then be blotted away with kitchen paper before washing (never pour the melted wax down the drain). Fill your gorgeous, clean, sparkling glass with tealights and voila!
3. Christmas Scents
We all have our favourite Christmas scents, some are based on the freshness of pine trees and others the deep, warming aroma of spices like cinnamon, ginger and clove, but whatever your favourite Christmas scent is, it will immediately transport you to Christmas. Our sense of smell is so closely linked to our memories and emotions that memories of Christmas past can be instantly triggered with one whiff of a scent.
The shops are full of festive fragranced candles and diffusers in a multitude of elegant, stylish, and sometimes fun, bottles and containers to suit your décor. However, if you worry about using chemicals in your home, you can opt for essential oil versions. Or, even better still, you can make your own diffuser by adding a few drops of essential oil and a little vodka (helps the reeds draw up the oil) to a base oil in a small vase or bottle.
You can also fill your home with a festive fragrance by gently simmering a pan of water with orange quarters or slices, cloves and cinnamon sticks. The scent will infuse throughout the house within minutes and is a quick and easy way to rid your kitchen of cooking smells before guests arrive.
4. Greenery
It doesn’t have to be the traditional holly & ivy, it can be bunches of cut evergreen plants and shrubs from the garden, supermarket or the local florist. The supermarkets have a great choice of greenery at this time of year and fairly inexpensive too.
Depending on how creative you are feeling, you can make garlands, wreaths or swags (the latest trend for this year) or just bunch together in a vase for a simple but effective look. Look out for wreath-making workshops in your local area or try good old You Tube for guidance.
If you don’t fancy fresh greenery, there is so much faux around now at varying price points and it’s possible to get some quite realistic looking greenery at a reasonable cost.
5. Friends & Family
And finally, the most important ingredient is to fill your home with a constant stream of friends and family. After all, what’s the point in having a stylish, warm, comfy and welcoming home if you can’t share it with those you love.