For some reason, I’m really eager to get my Christmas on this year. I can’t wait to start making the place look merry and bright. We’re getting our tree this weekend and of course we’ll be bringing out our favourite decorations from the loft but I’d like to add to the collection with some new bits and try out one or two different ideas too. As with most things, I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to spend a lot to make things look good so this round up of my favourite festive products and ideas is one that should suit a range of budgets.
For example, how ingeniously simple is this idea above, using a set of festive cookie cutters to create a cute display. And I’m all for using natural foliage around the house. A big bunch of eucalyptus can look beautifully effective in a vase or you could snip sprigs of evergreen from the garden or during a country walk and dot them around the house, as shown below.
For many people, Christmas decorating starts with a wreath and as well as one on the front door I’m keen to start using them throughout the house too. Internal wreaths can afford to be that bit more decadent and showy and look good on chimney breasts, mirrors, doors and hallways. You could even have a different one in each room, according to theme!?
1 Eucalyptus & winterberry wreath, £50, The White Company/ 2 Grey foliage wreath, £30, John Lewis/ 3 Hammered garland wreath, £108, Anthropologie
Of course, you don’t have to buy a wreath at all but could have a go at making one yourself, which is really cost-effective if you use gathered foliage that’s completely free. I tried my hand at this a couple of years ago and it’s easier than you think once you get the technique down. Have a read of this post, which shows how step-by-step – I was really pleased with the finished result.
My love for all things copper has lasted all year and is still going strong, so you can imagine my glee when I found these copper wrapping pieces from Cox & Cox. It’s just a nice alternative to gold or silver and you can mix it up a bit with more down to earth materials like brown paper and string as shown below.
4 Copper starry foiled ribbon, £10.50 / 5 Copper wrapping paper, £12.50 /6 Copper gift tags, £5.50
Sticking with the brown paper parcels tied up with string, (which incidentally are a few of my favourite things), I love these ideas below. A roll of parcel paper is a great budget option and then it’s up to you how you accessorise. Last year I wrapped a few of Greig’s presents like this and then decorated them with gold washi tape, which was a simple and easy way to bling them up. Try Papermash for metallic / glitter tape as well as bakers’ twine and jute string.
If you’d rather go for something ready-made, The White Company has some lovely decorative ties that you can adorn a parcel with and it makes a nice extra gift for the recipient to reuse around the house somewhere. I love the way they’ve styled up each tie differently below. They also do some pretty silver berry ties too.
Frosty pinecone ties, £12 for a set of 3, The White Company
For me, things always look more Christmassy with the addition of candles and again this is one of those areas where you can really invest or improvise a little instead. As mentioned previously, I recently discovered Neom candles and their Christmas fragrances are amazing. However, if you’re thinking more along display lines rather than just fragrance, you can buy a range of church or pillar candles and place them inside glass bottles and jars. The same is true of tea lights too of course. I love a range of different style / size candlesticks and votives arranged together as a table centrepiece or on a tray, which can also be decorated with baubles and foliage.
Buying a pair of matching statement candlesticks means the rest of the Christmas display can be quite low-key and when the holiday season is over and all the festive decorations are cleared away, you’re left with a handsome addition to the mantelpiece or dinner table – great for brightening up gloomy January days! Check out these beauties below from Amara Living, which I found on Octer. 
7 Lup copper tabletop candleholder, £25 / 8 Lorisa Ulrika chamber candlestick, £50 / 9 Brass wire candlestick, £15 /
And finally, if in doubt, just get the twinkly lights out. I love any variety as long as they’re white and you can never really have too many in my book. However, I’m particularly fond of this set I spotted on Anthropologie. Softly illuminated lights are strung onto delicately twisted copper wire (oh yes!). When lights are this pretty, you could just fill a glass vase or lantern with them and you’re good to go.
10/ Aurora string lights, £14-28, Anthropologie
Disclosure: collaborative post