Offline Moment: Making Your Own Christmas Decorations

Make the most of your extra time indoors this season and make your own Christmas decorations. Not only is it a meditative exercise but it will also save you from buying wasteful decorations.

As Winter approaches, coupled with various lockdowns, this year we’re spending more time indoors than ever. Taking care of some Christmas DIY decorations helps to keep us entertained. Not to mention lifting our spirits. These simple hacks are easy and quick, but make all the difference to your inside space. From sustainable Christmas trees, DIY natural candles, or old school salt dough and Christmas Pomanders, you’ll be feeling Festive and bright in no time.

Rent a Christmas Tree

Who doesn’t love a Christmas tree in the house for the holidays? Plastic trees aren’t exactly environmentally friendly, but buying a fresh one to dump it in the landfill in January is not sustainable either. According to The Carbon Trust, a two-metre Christmas tree made from plastic has a carbon footprint measuring at around 40kg of CO2. Not nice! But the carbon footprint of a 6ft real Christmas tree is the equivalent to 16kg of CO2 if it ends up in the landfill. That’s 100,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from the 7 million trees. If you can, buying a potted tree with roots means you can grow it outside and use it year after year. It has a lower environmental impact and works out cheaper. If you don’t have any outdoor space then there are many lovely Christmas tree rental services. London Christmas Tree rental delivers a tree directly to your door, or it can be collected from a local hub. Post Xmas, the tree is collected, and goes back to the Farm to be specially cared for until next year. It’s also possible for you to have the same tree next year too. Simply fill out the name label at the time of return.

Turn your houseplant into a Christmas tree

Who said a banana tree can’t be Christmassy? LED lights work wonders. You can also add lights to dried flower or twig displays to add a festive touch. Not only will they save you electricity and money, but they last up to 10 times longer than incandescents while consuming 70% less energy. Also, you won’t have to worry about any incendiary emergencies from overheating incandescent bulbs because LED lights are cool to the touch and represent much less of a fire hazard.

Salt Dough Decorations

Do you know that some of the most nostalgic decorations are perfectly biodegradable? Salt dough and Christmas Pomanders make excellent decorations with little ingredients and little effort. 

To make your salt dough, you only need salt (1 cup), flour (2 cups) and water (1 cup). Our trick is to add a few drops of essential oil: warm tones like rosemary or orange are perfect for the winter season. Then, proceed in the same way you would make cookies. Get creative with your cookie cutters and use a straw to make a little hole on top, where you will insert a ribbon. Bake it in the oven at 120-degree celsius for about 3 hours to let the dough dry. Then you’re all set, and your Christmas tree will look (and smell) incredible! If you’re not particularly arty, why not try pressing seasonal leaves into the dough to make some beautiful indentations? 

Christmas Pomanders

Speaking of incredible fragrances, Christmas Pomanders are relaxing to make, and their old school flair really lends a sweet Festive feel. You only need firm, fresh citrus fruit. Oranges and clementines are perfect, but lemons look great too. Then, use toothpicks to poke design holes, to help you place the whole cloves. To carve patterns into the orange, you can use the corner of a citrus zester to make designs, or a peeler will make larger strips. A smart trick is to use a rubber band around the oranges to make perfect circles.