St Nicholas Day

It’s St Nicholas Day.

Today is the day when you should put up your Christmas decoration. Or at least you should have worked out which décor theme you want to go with this year. If you want to miss out on the usual Christmas nightmares of panicking, arguing and getting stressed out – you should really start preparing for the holidays. NOW. You’ll need to consider a lot – particularly if you’re hosting the Christmas dinner and/or a party for friends & family.  First, you’ll need to sort out your home decoration, sending out your Christmas cards, your gifts, the tree, the shopping for your party… you see, there is a lot to do  – so start now!..

As far as decorating your home for the holidays and/or for your party, here is a list to remind you what you’ll need to do:-

1. Choose your Christmas theme
2. Select previous decor pieces that would fit within your chosen theme
3. Select household items (vases, large bowls, jars, candle holders, plates) that can be decorated
4. Make or buy some baubles & hanging pieces
5. Make some displays according to your chosen theme and put these around your home
6. Make or buy wreaths and garlands – wrap your banister, door & window frames
7. Think about lighting – the windows, the dining table, the tree, the outside, the living room
8. Think about the Christmas tree – if you want a real pine tree, buy it as near as possible to Christmas Eve. If you have an artificial tree, you can start decorating it
9. Make lots of edible baubles and decorative pieces – truffles, candies, cookies, chocolate, nuts & dried fruit. Not only are these perfect Christmas gifts, but you also display them around your home –  on the tree, in the windows, on shelves, in secret stockings & boxes. Ideal for parties and late-night snacking! 
10. Start thinking about your Christmas dinner or party – and the decoration of your dining room. Make a list of the food you want to serve, the details of your dining table, the small decorative touches that will pull the whole event together.

The most important thing to remember is that Christmas is supposed to be about sharing love with family and friends. It’s certainly worth putting time and effort into making our environment special for the occasion – but it’s not worth getting stressed out over it or spending huge amounts of money just to impress other people. So don’t allow the media to pressure you into buying, buying and more buying. Let Christmas decorating be your own decision, your own design, your own creation! Do it yourself  –  do it your way!