Blogmas 2 – Our Christmas Decorations

Welcome back to Blogmas. The first post was all about why I celebrate Christmas. Yesterday we decorated the house and it’s definitely one of my highlights of the festive season. In this post, you can see exactly how we’ve decked the halls at the Doals.I’m a sucker for Christmas decorations but this year I’ve got a little crazier. Usually I’m able to fit all of my Christmas gear in one storage box but I may have to buy a couple more this year.

I’ve had the same Christmas tree for sixteen years, a cheap and cheerful green one I picked up at Argos back when I lived in London.It’s done the job nicely for years but I admit unravelling the fairy lights every year and wrapping them round gets a bit tedious. This year I wanted to buy a pre-lit tree to save all the hassle.I was torn between a white tree or a snow-tipped tree and opted for the latter. It looks so pretty and if we don’t get a white Christmas, then at least I can fake it a bit.

I shopped around at many different stores and online but pre-lit trees can be quite expensive.In the end I found a 6ft tree at Asda for £50 and it’s everything I wanted. The fake snow can make quite a mess so I let loose on it with a can of hairspray first.I’ve gone for a combination of bright turquoise, hot pink and lime green decorations for the last few years. But this year, I’ve gone for a simple gold theme, with a bit of rose gold thrown in.

I think the minimalistic look is classy. The kids decorated the tree all on their own this year, which allowed me to concentrate on the hallway, porch and front garden.Usually I put a garland on my banister and go all out on my porch but I wanted to try something a little different this time.B&M and The Range had so many beautiful gold decorations, I couldn’t resist picking up a nutcracker, standing reindeer, a lantern and wire Christmas tree.

I also bought wooden garlands mainly in neutral colours with just a splash of red and green.I picked up some snow blankets from Poundland and set about creating my snow scene.I wasn’t sure exactly how it would pan out and whether I had enough to make it striking enough. But I’m pleased with how it looks. I’ve kept to my gold theme with just a pop of colour here and there.I used my nest of tables, covered it in the snow blankets and placed the ornaments on top. It looks really pretty and adds warmth to a usually quite large but empty hallway.In the opposite corner of the hallway, I’ve created an Elf scene. Last year was the first time we did Elf On The Shelf and I bought a few bits and bobs.It was such a success in my household that I bought a few more props this year. So many shops carry elf items now so it wasn’t difficult to get a few nice things.Using my previous green and red tinsel and beads, I was able to create something quite pretty.My porch is pretty simple at the moment with a couple of garlands. I’ve also stencilled the windows using templates I picked up in Poundland a few years ago.

They’ve lasted years and I’m impressed. It can be a hassle to clean the snow spray off the windows when the decorations come dow, but it looks so pretty I couldn’t resist it again.I’ve put a few strings of lights in the kitchen and stencilled the windows and of course, my outdoor lights are back out. I tend to keep it simple outside and wrap the lights around the gate which runs along two sides of the driveway.

I threw in a light box and festive Yankee candle on my dining table, and a garland around my TV and I was all done. Shalini has decorated her room this year too.It took me around four hours in total to deck out the house and I broke several nails in the process, bashed my knee here and there and nearly fell off the ladder. But with all the lights on, it just looks so pretty and festive, it was well worth all the effort!

See you tomorrow for Blogmas 3 x