The Eclectic Person’s Guide to Christmas

Wreaths, Decorations, Trees, Games, Christmas jumpers, Cards & Candles.

Nov 20, 2024

Last Year I did an Ultimate Guide to Christmas, which included gift ideas, decor, food, fizz and more, but it was long, so this year I’ve broken it up into smaller, more manageable chunks for both you the reader and me the writer/researcher. On Sunday I’ll be sending you the first of my gift guides and there will be a separate post on canapés and fizz coming up soon too. If you missed it, then here’s my prepare and freeze ahead Christmas dinner guide.

I have a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde approach to Christmas decor. On one hand I adore the simplicity of the traditional natural fresh green foliage, simple red velvet ribbons, brass bells and warm white lights. But, at the same time I’m drawn to all that glitters, shimmers and sparkles, as well as candy cane stripes and cute mice made of felt. So years ago I decided to throw out all the rules and just be me.

I’m not one for over-arching themes. I have done loads of them for brand work, but in real life I like my decor to be an eclectic mix of things that we have collected over the years. There’s something very comforting about the tradition of hanging each ornament and reminiscing about where we were when we bought it, or who gave it to us. I see christmas ornaments as heirlooms that we will one day pass on to nieces, godchildren and nephews, each one a precious treasure.

That said, I do have many decorations, far too many for one tree, so we tend to have quite a few trees in our house and I suppose each one might have a mini theme. The main tree is a riot of colour, glitter and light and although there is repetition, it’s more of a joyful jumble of everything we love. Then we have the wooden Scandi tree that Mr. C made so we could hang all of our annual Swarovski ornaments (more on that later). There’s a twig tree, which tends to be adorned with homemade, slightly hippy, natural and dried fruit ornaments and so it goes on and on. We have our American friends flying over this year and they will be expecting enormous amounts of over-the-top jolly festooning, so I had better get cracking.

Here’s my list for 2024 of decorations, wreaths and trees. There are no affiliate links here, just things I have tried, have bought recently, or want. I’ve also added in my favourite games, some christmas jumpers, festive cards and candles. Enjoy! This is a free post for all to read, but it has taken an eternity to put together, so do please leave a heart, a comment and a restack to show your appreciation. This Sunday’s Gift Guide will be partly free and partly for paid members. There’s 20% off my annual membership at the moment, so why not treat yourself.

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Garlands and Decorations

Christmas Imaginarium Greenhouse Ornament - £20

Three lovely bells by Ginger Ray - £6.49

The Suffolk Nest - Faux Norfolk Pine Garland - £75. You’ll find the wreath and ribbon under Wreaths, slightly further down.

Mid-century paper house bauble - £9.60 - West Elm.

Christmas Cable Car with Presents - Sass and belle - £8 (3 for 2 on decorations)

Claymore Mirrored Glass Votive Holder - One.world - £13.95. I have bought these to place on the Christmas table with small gifts inside.

Felt goose with wreath - Sass and belle £13

Valery Madelyn 16pcs Christmas Glass Baubles Pack, 7-9cm Luxury Red and Gold

Vintage string lights - Cox and Cox - £60

Konara giant bauble by Nkuku - from £22.50

Mr C and I met in 1998. That Christmas we bought our first Swarovski Christmas star/snowflake (they alternate). We now have 27 of them, enough to decorate a tree! It’s the most wonderful tradition and a great heirloom. We also now buy one for whoever is staying with us for Christmas. It’s the perfect gift to remember the festive fun from each year. They go up in value too, just remember to keep the box! - £69

Glass mushroom string lights - Cox and Cox £18.50

Wreaths and wreath kits

Florence & Flowers Wreath Making Kit - Not on the High Street - £63

.Bramble and Willow Fresh Christmas Wreath Kit - £58

I literally want everything in Ashlee Jane’s online floristry store, The Suffolk Nest, but this Faux Norfolk Pine Wreath - £75 - 70cm is something you will use year after year. The Frayed Crimson Red Ribbon is sold separately at £9.

Rocket St. George - Rainbow Christmas Wreath - £50

Stunning handmade wreaths by Franny Brown.

I try as often as I can to include small businesses and Franny’s work is utterly beautiful. I’ve bought a similar wreath to the white one you can see above earlier this year and I can vouch for the quality. Franny’s style is wild, nature-led, borrowed from the landscape. Each wreath is unique, a mix of fresh and dried evergreens, twigs and seedheads on natural vine bases and fully sustainable.

40 - 50cm £65/50 - 60cm £75 - Plus p&p. (Around £20). Please Dm on Instagram @frannygbrown or email: frannygbrown@gmail.com Website: https://frannygbrown.wixsite.com/mysite

The Tree

I always used to insist on a real tree and actually, we do still buy a small real spruce for our kitchen/dining area. However, as the years have gone by it has kind of fallen to me to decorate the house for Christmas. I love it, so that’s not a complaint, but I do like to decorate the whole house and with quite a number of trees it can take forever. So, to take the stress away I bought a faux pre-lit tree eleven years ago. It’s still going strong and B&Q still sell it now. It’s called The Thetford. It definitely stands the test of time.

It’s also important to note that a faux tree needs to be used for ten years or more to overtake the environmental benefits of a real tree. So, I’m winning as I’ve done my eleven years. It’s a real showstopper of a tree too, with 600 LED lights and standing 7.5ft tall. The branches are incredibly realistic and you can go one step further by adding scented sticks hidden within the tree. They’re called Scentsicles and once you’ve bought them you’ll never look back!

6 foot European Fir - Whitestores £99 - If you fancy doing your own lights.

Pre-lit Douglas Fir - 7ft - WeRChristmas - £359

Christmas Cards & Candles

Design Vintage Advent Candle 100% stearin wax - £14.50

I’ve followed Ellie Hoo on Instagram for years and now she has a thriving business selling her own hand illustrated cards. Pack of 5 British Christmas Animals - £17.50

Love this take on the traditional angel chimes. Add this to your Diptyque candle. Diptyque Holiday Lantern - £80

You might remember Evoqua candles from my Best Scented Candles for 2025 Guide. I didn’t include this as I wanted the test to be the same for all the brands. However, I am super impressed with The Evoqua Candle Warmer and Wickless Candle Christmas Bundle - £72. With gentle warmth, it coaxes the fragrance from the wax, filling your space with a lingering, comforting scent that lasts.

Christmas jumpers

Men’s fair isle Christmas jumper - John Lewis - £45 - the link will take to the ladies version and the children’s version too. They come in navy, red, white and green.

Ralph Lauren Estate Rib Quarter Zip Jumper - Gorgeous! The jumper’s quite nice too.

Games

Personally, I think the best games are the free ones. I prefer it when no one gets too intent on winning and everyone can just have a good old giggle. However, my favourite to download is Heads Up and to buy it’s the hysterically funny Bank Attack and Pictionary Air. This year I am also looking at: The Chameleon, Sweary Bingo, which I think could huge fun and Karen - if you know, you know.

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