Eight easy Christmas craft ideas
1. Handcrafted Christmas table decorations. “It’s pivotal to bring the magic of Christmas to the table – the heart of a Christmas gathering” said Helen Joseph, from our in-house interior design team. “Hand woven table runners or placemats create a sense of warmth, softness and comfort that embodies that cosy Christmas feel. The hand-crafted nature of them will sprinkle a sense of your personality over your table and incorporate that feeling of fulfilment once you’ve finished ‘scaping’ your Christmas table.”
2. The biophilic trend of bringing natural woodland elements into the home, continues this Christmas. “Pinecones Hand-crafted decorations, like pinecones or natural wood coasters, which can be recycled from the outside can add a sense of warmth and depth,” Helen added. An heirloom bowl filled with natural and painted pinecones could make a table centrepiece or you could keep it simple traditional and add some string or velvet ribbon and tie to your tree. A pinecone wreath can be easily crafted using a natural wicker or rattan wreath base and florist wire.
3. Wrapping old coloured lightbulbs in twine can be used to create a fun alternative to a traditional wreath. This is simple, but time consuming, but the result will be worth the effort. Start by making a circle of twine and securing gluing to the lightbulb with florist wire, then work your way around until it’s covered, ensuring it is secured at the end to complete the loop. For added effect you could also attach a velvet or satin ribbon in a pop of colour to make hanging easy.
4. If you’re looking for easy Christmas crafts for kids, making a Christmas tree from three recycled lolly sticks is one of the simplest options. Cut a small length off one stick, to use as the bottom of the tree, then make a triangle using the two full lengths and add the offcut section as the trunk before painting or adorning with accessories.
5. Create personalised wrapping paper by decorating or stencilling on brown paper. You can even use a personalised stamp for that extra special touch and add toppers made from buttons, wooden pegs or dried oranges. From wrapping paper to gifts, learn more about making your Christmas more sustainable with our guide.
6. Make your own crackers or advent calendar. These can be created from kits, with the advantage you can tailor what’s inside, reducing the amount of waste.
7. Customise your baubles with chalk paint. You could write the lyrics to your favourite carols, or you could draw stars, angels or holly or other seasonal symbols on them.
8. Glass jars can easily be crafted into candle holders. Just add some ribbon, twine or holly to the jar before adding your candle. The jars can even be painted with specialist glass paint to tie in with your colour scheme. “Incorporate candles to layer up with foraged leaves and dried flowers. These candles are easy on the eye and create welcoming aromas and scents to your home,” Helen added.
Six simple Christmas decorating ideas
When it comes to decorating your home for Christmas, don’t feel pressured into making it look perfect. Stay on trend by celebrating natural imperfections and follow these top tips:
1. Tie woven ribbons around plant pots to look like presents.
2. Create a natural noel – think cinnamon stick bundles and pinecones that can be tied to your tree or wrapped around candles, or boughs of holly or mistletoe that could be layered up with dried foliage and simply placed on the table.
3. Give your guests a warm welcome by giving the entrance to your home a seasonal makeover, like Redrow ambassador Kirsten aka @farmershome. “I love decorating my hallway/stairs. We have lots of twinkling lights and a garland up the banister which is covered in champagne gold and silver baubles,” she said.
4. The living room is the favourite part of the home to decorate at Christmas for Redrow ambassador @style_the_hawthorns aka Emma. “I tend to go for traditional colours such as gold, silver, red for the tree which sits in the window and then use foliage such as eucalyptus on shelving, which I style around fairy lights,” she said. “This works well as we don’t have a mantel to style so styling the shelves is a nice alternative.”
5. Christmas window decorations are increasingly popular. Placing some of your favourite decorations in the window, such as a garland or wreath, can make them more visible and help spread Christmas cheer through your neighbourhood. You could hang lights in the window too or add some paper snowflakes.
6. Personalisation is another way to make visitors feel welcome. Redrow ambassador @westsussex_lifestyle said: “We love table decorations, in particular name tags. Whenever we host friends or family for meals, we love to make that personal touch. We’re also venturing into candle making so homemade Christmas candles will be in every room this year, watch this space!”
The 3 golden rules to decorating your Christmas tree
How you decorate your Christmas tree is very personal. Do you let the children help or have their own tree in addition to the main one? With our top tips you’ll be able to decorate your Christmas tree like a pro.
1. Start with the lights – and work from the inside out as you don’t want to see wires showing in front of your decorations.
2. Add garlands or strings of decorations, starting at the top and working your way down the tree.
3. Then add your baubles, starting with key pieces, and then the smaller ones. Alternatively, you could follow this Christmas tree decorating hack from @westsussex_lifestyle : “We have an artificial tree with inbuilt lights, which is easy to set up and gives us consistency year on year without the hassle of cleaning up needles. We change the bauble theme each year to keep it fresh.”
To explore ways of making your Christmas tree more eco-friendly, read our guide.
Christmas baking with children
There are lots of easy festive bakes that are fun for all the family to lend a hand in making and could be given as gifts to friends, family and neighbours.
1. Mince pies are a Christmas classic. Children will enjoy helping to roll and cut the pastry, then fill and top with a lid. You could even make your own mincemeat with fruit and flavours you love. A puff pastry top adds a modern twist, or you could simply make mincemeat twists using ready to roll pastry.
2. Nothing smells like Christmas as much as freshly baked gingerbread men. They’re fun for children to decorate once cooled with icing or sweets. Turn your gingerbread man upside down and decorate as a reindeer instead. You could even put your own construction skills to the test by baking, building and decorating a gingerbread house.
3. Father Christmas cupcakes will ensure you’re on the nice list. Top your cupcakes with a thin layer of buttercream, dip one third into red sprinkles to make the hat, then edge with white chocolate chips placed flat-side up, with another one at the top as a pom-pom. Smarties or M&Ms can be used for the eyes and nose, with either desiccated coconut or chopped up mini marshmallows for the beard.
You can discover more Christmas baking ideas, including recipes, here.