A ReFreshing Way to Welcome Christmas into Your Home

So… we can’t deny it. We must face into it. The moment has arrived when we start climbing into the loft, rummaging in the cellar, or hunting through the back of the garage for those familiar boxes filled with shiny, sparkly things.

Yes, Christmas is coming!

I won’t pretend this is some kind of seasonal chore. I absolutely love this time of year, thanks to my gorgeous Muma, who always made Christmas feel magical for our family. My sisters and I have proudly picked up that mantle and made it our mission to carry on the tradition with our own families. It’s become a fun, festive, memory-filled time - though I will say, tinsel is still firmly banned!

That said, I do feel a little concerned about the pressure our ever-consumerist world now places on the festive season. So let me be very clear: I will not be encouraging anyone to rush out and buy the latest “on-trend” colour scheme for Christmas 2025. Please don’t. Instead, pull out your existing decorations. Dust them off. Fix a fallen leg or reattach a wonky drumstick. These well-loved pieces are part of your family story - old friends we welcome back each year (and then happily pack away again once the New Year arrives!).

In my own home, we’ve created a tradition of buying just one new decoration each year, from somewhere we’ve been together as a family. It becomes a keepsake rather than just another bauble.

What the festive season does offer - and this is where my interior design heart really gets excited - is the opportunity for a refresh.

Now I know, I know… we haven’t even put the decorations up yet and I’m already talking about taking them down again! But bear with me. When you’re preparing to decorate, try putting away some of your usual ornaments, picture frames and

shelf pieces. Clearing these surfaces allows your Christmas decorations to shine without visual clutter. And here’s the big bonus: when everything comes down in January, you’re left with clear, open surfaces - perfect for a thorough clean and a beautifully fresh reset.

Once that’s done, you can bring your everyday treasures back out… but perhaps not in the same spot as before. Move them to a different shelf, another room, a new nook. I can guarantee you’ll notice them again in a whole new way and appreciate them all over again. It’s wonderfully refreshing - and it costs nothing except a little time and effort.

I’m still about a week away from getting my own decorations up, and when I do, the house will be completely upside down. I go all in. Always have, always will.

However you choose to approach this season, I hope it’s a joyful, meaningful and memorable time for you and your home. But one last question... tinsel, yes or no?!