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Home and Gardens

Published on November 28th, 2012 | by Nicky Barclay

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‘Tis the season to be jolly – and relaxed.

So it’s the December issue again, and of course the Polar Express is full steam ahead – and has been since October, I think.  Personally, I find it hard to address Christmas before mid December, but that said, on the odd occasion when I have tackled it early, I have felt an enormous sense of (smug) relief and it is far easier because there are less people queuing for the tills.

I’m not going to suggest ways in which you can tastefully decorate your house/mantelpiece/table, because there are so many magazines out there with gorgeous inspiring pictures and loads helpful ideas, like “use glitzy wallpaper”.  Really?  Wallpaper your house for Christmas? Not me! It’s really not necessary to buy half of a Christmas department to make your home festive, tempting though it might be for a magpie like me.

From an interiors point of view, Christmas involves more people gathered together in the house for a longer time than usual, and more stuff – by way of decorations, food and presents.  So anything you can do to keep said incumbents happy, entertained, exercised and occupied is paramount and if you can make extra space, then so much the better.

So here’s my advice.  Start tidying up now and next year start earlier!  Have a good old declutter.  Get rid of as much junk as possible, because more is on its way!  Tackle those piles that are taking up corners and surfaces. If you have friends or family coming to stay, where will they sleep, and what will they need for a comfortable stay?  Take the ironing board out of the spare room.  Get everything ready.

Then think about what you will do with the time you have together and what will make it fun.  Plan games, walks, films – whatever it is that will make you laugh together.  If you’ve space to fit a ping pong table, or the table football, or the Wii, then all the better.  If not, perhaps a trip to the ice rink, the curling rink, or bowling alley.

My super-organised friend gets as much of her Christmas lunch done in advance as is possible, and that includes allocating serving dishes and getting them out ready.  I couldn’t believe it when she told me, but neither could I believe what a difference it made when I tried it – the fact is it’s only once a year that I use that many dishes, and it helps not to be dragging them out from the depths and washing cobwebs off them as you’re serving up!  The point is that thinking through the detail and preparing in advance saves time and energy when you need it most.

Now you can turn your attention to decorations.  My advice here is that, in my opinion, you can never have too many fairy lights on your tree, spend a little time to make your table look good, and don’t be too precious about it, after all, it’s Christmas!

If you would like some help with your home or office– Nicky Barclay runs Shoestring Style in and around Tunbridge Wells and can be contacted on 07771 522235  www.shoestringstyle.co.uk

 

 

 


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