Inexpensive Ways to Decorate Your Home for Christmas
The beginning of December is rapidly approaching… and that means so is Christmas! There’s always
a debate at this time of year as to when it’s socially acceptable to put up the tree or start playing
Christmas music. We all have that one relative or friend who gets super excited halfway through
November and goes Christmas crazy. And we all have that one friend or colleague who likes to take
on the role of The Grinch and tell everyone that even Christmas Eve is too early to start getting
excited! On the whole, however, most people would agree that anytime after the 1 st of December is
okay to start decorating and getting into the Christmas spirit.
If you want a dose of Christmas decoration envy, all you have to do is switch on your TV or open up
your phone. TV shows, movies, Instagram and Pinterest make homes look magical. Seriously, in the
world of showbiz and social media, there’s no shortage of festive glam! But without an endless
budget, how on earth can you recreate these looks and make your home look anywhere near as
good? Read on to get some tips!
Candles
There’s nothing more Christmassy than candles and, thankfully, they’re one of the cheapest things
you can buy! Of course, high-quality fragranced candles can be expensive. Online, you can buy luxury
candles from some of the world’s favourite fragrance houses, like Jo Malone, Le Labo, and Diptyque.
Here in Malta, you can find Yankee candles in most supermarkets and places like Zara Home and
Floreal in Naxxar also have lovely selections of luxury, fragranced candles. However, if you don’t
have between €20 and €50 to spend a single candle, then have no fear! Tealights are your friends.
They’re cheap and they’re versatile. You can buy a pack of 50 for less money than one fancy candle
and you can put them in almost anything! Pop a tealight in an empty vase, glasses from your kitchen
cupboard, empty jars – whatever you can find. You can add some colour to your home at the same
time by getting a set of cheap coloured glasses and popping tealights in those. Dot them around
your house and light them when the sun goes down. Voila, you’ll be relaxing in candlelight every
night of the festive season.
Colour Scheme
Christmas is colourful. Many colours are associated with this time of year: green, gold, white, red
and even blue and purple. One way to instantly make your home look festive is to add some
Christmas colour. Picking just two (or perhaps three) colours is a good way to rein in the Christmas
spending. If you go for colours that you already have a lot of throughout your home, even better.
Anything you can find in your chosen colours at home, be it blankets, cushions, vases, books,
candle holders etc., put them on display! Things that don’t match your Christmas colour scheme can
be put away until January. Small things you can buy to enhance your festive colour scheme include:
napkins, tea towels, soap holders/dispensers and tealights (of course!).
Plants and Flowers
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches. Fir trees (and other types of trees)
have been decorated for Christmas for centuries. Even before people began the tradition of bringing
them into their homes, their branches were used as decorations around the house. Nowadays, you’ll
be hard-pressed to find a home in Malta that doesn’t have one! If a Christmas tree just isn’t in your
budget, or you have a four-legged friend who will love to destroy it, then there are other ways you
can bring the Christmas tree spirit into your home. For instance, you could buy (or make) a Christmas
wreath to hang on your front door. Or, perhaps, you could decorate any other plants you have inside
your house or apartment with lights and tinsel and baubles (if possible). If you live in a small
apartment or a studio and you simply don’t have space for a big tree, you could get some other
inexpensive Christmas plants to put in your home. Poinsettias are on sale everywhere at the
moment, and you can pick up a small one for less than €2. You could also decorate your home with
little bits of Holly or Mistletoe, both of which are often associated with Christmas.
Highlight Your Home’s Features
Homes in Malta and varied and each house or apartment will have something special about it. If
you’re lucky enough to live in a house with a fireplace, Christmas it up! Put some candles on the
mantle, hang your stockings over it or decorate it with tinsel. However, you decorate your fireplace,
make sure you do it safely so that there’s no chance of your decorations catching fire! If you have
any beams or high ceilings, why not hang up some fairy lights or put up all your Christmas cards on a
string? Any Maltese balconies you have could also sparkle at Christmas with just a few decorative
touches, like lights, tinsel, holly or mistletoe!
Fragrance
Finally, let’s talk about fragrance. Yes, technically, this doesn’t really fit in with the decoration
theme. On the other hand, if you’re going to be entertaining over the festive season, then making
your house smell like Christmas is a great way to add to the vibe! When you think of Christmas
smells, what comes into your mind? Cinnamon, oranges, cloves, gingerbread, log fires, pine trees? If
you can afford a nice fragranced candle, it’s always a nice touch. Otherwise, you could use your
trusty tealights and burn some Christmassy essential oils. You can also pop some oranges, spices, and
herbs into a pot of water and leave it simmering on the hob. This way all of the lovely smells will
waft around your home thanks to the steam. Pop on some Christmas music and then when people
step inside your house, they’ll get Christmas from every sense (literally).
You might not have the money to make your home looks like the McCallister's or the Kardashians
but hopefully, with our tips, you’ll get it looking Christmassy enough without breaking the bank. Or
sod the decorations and fill up the cupboards with Baileys, mince pies and chocolate oranges! It’s
definitely an option worth considering, anyway. Just saying.