We have all spent far too much time at home this year. But we have staved off the insanity by going back to basics. We’ve kneaded and nurtured bread to full rise perfection, we’ve even grown our own yeast when supplies ran short. We’ve painted walls, doors, fences, chairs and anything that would stand still. We’ve dug for victory and planted row upon row of tomatoes, beetroots, carrots and squash.
Now the festive period approaches, but though we have done our best to keep our space, cover our face and wash our hands till they are cracked, the word “Cancelled” is still looming large. No Christmas parties; whether crazy, drunken, boring, tedious or otherwise. No nativities with children picking their noses, forgetting their lines or inappropriately kissing a donkey. But as we have proved before we will not be beaten by this Ba-humbug virus. So here’s some ways to get festive this season.
Gingerbread house
Make it or Fake it a Gingerbread House is a beautiful addition to your festive decorations, as long as the children aren't in charge of decorating. One of our favourites is this gingerbread house from the Biscuiteers.
If you really fancy a challenge there are several websites that offer basic gingerbread recipes to allow you to bake your own. Just remember this is construction material, so it needs to be firm not chewy. But baking your own does allow you to construct whatever shape and size building you like.
Wreaths
Though you may not be greeting many visitors this year, that is no reason not to make the effort with a wreath. One of the biggest trends in 2020 has been plants, obviously indoor plants are beneficial with improving air quality and reducing stress. But any greenery has been shown to have a positive psychological effect, and we all need that this year. You can fake it by supporting a local business, most florists and garden centres have a good range available. But if you want to make it; Arena flowers have a lovely kit available with simple instructions, but they are selling fast.
Decorations
This is a quick and easy way to update your look for 2020, with big trends towards natural and homemade items. You may remember making snowflakes at school, they were infantile, clumsy and lacked finesse. But a quick google search will find instructions for the most beautiful elegant and simple designs.
With a massive upsurge of people crafting this year, Macrame has made a resurgence in popularity. It takes patience, but the feeling of achievement you receive when you complete an elegant design is priceless. Hang them on a tree or strategically behind your zoom call.
But if you're all fingers and thumbs as you try to follow which one goes under and why and where it goes over, Etsy also has the solution. There are lots of different designs already made by talented Macrame Gurus.
Present Wrapping
We all know that a designer tree is not complete without a selection of stunningly wrapped gifts under it. For many years people have been concerned about the impact traditional wrapping paper has on our environment, especially as most cannot be recycled.
This year a number of companies are available offering recycled, recyclable or reusable options. Furoshiki is a trend borrowed from the Japanese. Once the staple of the older generation, younger people with environmental concerns are taking on this tradition to wrap gifts in cloth.
We’ve chosen Happy Wrap as one of our favourites. A British based company, with a selection of recycled and reusable options. The Organic Cotton reusable Christmas gift wrap will look good under anyone’s tree, with the natural colour of the cotton offset by striking red reindeers and baubles.
Calligraphy
In good design it is all about the detail and this is what Calligraphy is about. Anyone can achieve amazing results, with practice. Time is all you need and what we have in abundance at the moment is time. You can use this skill to create personalised decorations or label presents with flare. Kate produces these gorgeous little Christmas kits, with everything you need to get started.
Just remember this Christmas, there is no naughty list this year. Be indulgent, be selfish. This is your one opportunity not to follow a trend, to be an individual, to follow your heart and have fun. Only unlucky…ahem lucky people will have anyone visit over Christmas. So, go wild, decorate your house like a 5yr old. Put too many baubles on the tree. Make mistakes, try something new, make something or fake something, enjoy it your way and have a very Merry Crafty Christmas!
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