The holiday season is upon us – but with a cost of living crisis in store, many households are preparing for a gloomy Christmas and have little reason to celebrate.
With a nationwide shortage of turkeys as bird flu wipes out half the free-range population, our Christmas Day menu could make Ebenezer Scrooge blush.
And with food prices rising an inflation-busting 16 percent, those Brussels sprouts will seem like a luxury.
But since record-high energy bills make you think twice before turning on the fairy lights — let alone the heating — consider that the holiday cheer is one of the few things left free.
By following our tips for making your own decorations – from festive cards to baubles for a tree – you can still share in the magic of Christmas without breaking the bank.
The festive season is upon us. By following our tips on how to make your own decorations, you can still partake in the magic of Christmas without breaking the bank
Make a bargain
Nordmann trees are the most practical for homes as their needles take longer to drop than the traditional red spruce.
According to consumer group Which? Some of the cheapest Nordmanns can be found at the Aldi supermarket – £15 for a 5ft tree or £25 for a 6ft tree.
Although it can be more expensive, a £25 pot-grown 4ft Nordmann from Tesco proves better if you can later grow it outside and bring it to celebrations every year. Those keen on growing a tree from scratch can buy a Nordmann seedling from as little as £10, but you’ll have to wait up to a decade for it to grow into a 6ft tree.
Nordmann trees are the most practical for homes as their needles take longer to drop than the traditional red spruce. Pictured: file image
Artificial trees offer an alternative solution and while they’re fake, they should last for years.
According to which?: “Another idea is to upcycle old trees. You can hang branches horizontally – line them up along a wall in a pyramid shape, with the longest sticks at the bottom and the shortest at the top. Decorate the branches with energy-saving LED lights and baubles to make it feel like Christmas.”
You might consider renting a tree, but it’s usually more expensive. For example, Cotswold Fir is offering a month’s hire of a 4ft tree for £52 from December 7th. Delivery and collection costs are an additional £25.
Festive foraging
This harsh winter is the ideal time to brighten the mood with handmade decorations around the home.
Alison Martin-Clark, from Staplehurst in Kent, believes there’s no need to spend money in the shops when a walk in the woods and a pot of paint can offer a creative solution that costs next to nothing.
The tutor says, “You can cut small branches from a tree, but I like to look for fallen wood that has been blown away by the winter wind.
‘Hazel is a particularly attractive branch with its beautiful, wavy curves.
“I then get a pot of white emulsion paint from the shed and paint the branch with it.”
This harsh winter is the ideal time to brighten the mood with handmade decorations around the home. Pictured: Alison Martin Clark shows off a wreath from the woods
Alison adds, “For decoration, use old baubles and pine cones dipped in paint and maybe sprinkled with glitter.”
Cones also make attractive baubles for hanging on a larger Christmas tree. For those wanting to make traditional baubles for a tree, shops like Hobbycraft sell ‘fillable’ plastic or ceramic baubles for £1 each, which can be painted or filled with festive trinkets or sweets.
Paper chains can also be a great alternative to tinsel – £3 for an 8ft line of decorations.
Online videos from House Beautiful and Hobbycraft will help for inspiration and guidance.
Find the Holy Spirit
Celebrate the advent of Christmas by starting with a front door wreath.
Helen Round, Garden Manager for the Royal Horticultural Society at RHS Rosemoor in Devon says: “All that is needed is often already outside in the garden or can be gathered from neighbors or on a country walk.” She suggests evergreen branches like holly, pick conifers from a hedge and maybe a small-leaved plant like the Pittosporum shrub.
As a base, you can buy a natural vine ring at the florist.
A 12 inch ring costs around £3 and can be reused every year.
You will also need a 2lb spool of florist’s wire to tie the periwinkle together and attach to the ring.
Helen says: ‘Take a single sprig of holly – ideally with some berries, conifers and pittosporum – and wrap the three tightly together as they can unravel as they dry.
“Maybe you need a dozen of these bouquets. Then you wrap each bunch around the ring until everything is covered in green.”
She adds: “There are no rules about what’s right or wrong – so have fun with your imagination. For example, add pine cones or oak fall leaves for more color.”
You can also find practical help from online videos such as those offered by RHS magazine and Country Living.
Play your cards right
A handcrafted card is always valued more than a standard printed one – and costs pennies instead of dollars. Looking for inspiration, Lyndsey Dangerfield thinks handprints are a great place to start because they’re quick and easy to make.
The 45-year-old accountant and artist from Benenden in Kent says: “Taking time out to make cards with children is not only fulfilling, it also gets the whole family into the Christmas spirit.
“If you’re looking for inspiration, just roll up your sleeves and dip your hands in an ink pad – and press them on an antler-shaped card.
“You can then draw a face and have a wonderful personalized greeting card. The same trick can be used for penguin or Christmas tree designs.’
Lyndsey and her children Catherine, eight, and Tom, six, also make their own wrapping paper, using potato prints and ink stamps to turn regular paper into festive wraps.
Hobby shops sell colored stamp pads for £2 and wooden Christmas stamps for £1. A pack of 50 basic cards can cost £3, a roll of paper £1.
Alison Martin-Clark suggests also making sure received cards aren’t wasted by cutting them into Christmas gift tags for the following year.
Go crackers!
Old toilet paper rolls make a great base for Christmas crackers – with the cardboard tubes wrapped in festive paper overlapping a few inches on either side. Then twist the paper at each end of the toilet paper roll and hold the narrow necks together with ribbon or twine.
A couple of 2 inch wide strips of thin cardboard should be glued to the inside perimeter of the wrapping paper after these twists – to give guests something to grab hold of.
Snaps in a cracker are £3 online for a pack of 24. You can craft hats using a roll of £1 holiday-themed tissue paper or festive wrapping with tape and scissors.
Inside the cracker, put your own handwritten jokes and aim for laughs rather than the usual groans. Gifts can be personalised.
Ideas include packs of plant seeds, mini race cars, and keychains. For luxury adult fills, also consider miniature liquor bottles.
For help making and filling crackers, visit sites such as The Cracker Company, Cowling & Wilcox, and Neve’s Bees.