MERRY DECORATING

So chair-ful

Pay attention to the smallest details – even the chairs around the table. Whip out to the garden and rustle up a fir or pine branch, or whatever greenery is close to hand. Tie a classic Christmas tree bauble or two to it and wrap it onto the back of a chair with a bright ribbon. It’s a favourite and will make everyone feel that little bit special.

Black satin ribbon, $27.50 (2.5cm, 45m), from Ribbon & Blues.

Wonderland Evergreen Grove baubles, $5 (25-pack), from The Warehouse. Ceramic star, $11.99, from Farmers.

Pre-lit spruce Christmas tree, $499 (7ft), from Farmers. The mantelpiece is, of course, an area that usually receives a great deal of festive decorative emphasis. Stockings, garlands and candles are the go-tos but how about an eclectic mix of whatever you can find? Ideally, you ’ll be able to hunt out a large reindeer to oversee proceedings. Trailing some LED twinkle lights through your rambling arrangement and the odd bit of real flora and fauna is also recommended.

Gracious Objet des Fleur dome, $455, from French Country.

Potted pine Christmas tree, $59.90, from French Country.

Reindeer candle holder, $129, from French Country. Jolly & Joy brush tree, $8.50 (three-pack), from Spotlight.

Berry light-up Christmas tree, $309, from French C Country.

O Christmas tree

It’s still one of the most beloved festive decorations regardless of whether it’s real or faux. It can be ceiling-scrapingly tall or a petite version in the corner, but it is the centrepiece of Christmas activity from unwrapping presents to standing around it at night, marvelling at the sparkly lights. There must be 1001 ways to decorate it – it all comes down to individual preference. This tree though (right), is a lovely example of deliberate under-decorating to allow the glamorous gifts underneath to sparkle and shine.

Felt ball garland, $29.99, from The Party Room.

Simple pleasures

One for the

‘less is more’ types. This pared-back pink garland on a wall could be overshadowed if you have a whole lot of things going on. But if you ’re all about pulling back on the decorations, then a few of these scalloped on walls will have maximum impact. There’s also less tidying away come January.

Lavender fan garland, $7.99, from The Party Room.

Pest patrol

Ready for action against pet parasites? To keep your dog free of nasties, all you need is a little know-how and regular treatment from the experts at Nexgard Spectra

One of the major challenges for pet owners is keeping our fur babies safe from parasites. It’s extremely common for dogs to bring fleas, ticks and worms into the home, and once these nasties have made themselves comfortable, they ’re hard to remove. Initially causing your pet moderate discomfort, if allowed to thrive, these pests can create serious health issues. Happily, you can easily save your four-legged friend –and yourself – from the pain, stress and cost of infestations. The experts at Nexgard Spectra are passionate about ensuring your pet’s lifelong health and are on a mission to dispel common myths about those pesky parasites.

MYTH 1: I keep my house and my dog clean, so fleas won’t be an issue. Unfortunately, there’s no escaping fleas, they are extremely prolific, lurking on wild and domestic animals, and easily hitching a ride into your home on your dog. The only option is to kill the fleas and keep killing them, by treating all pets in your home.

MYTH 2: If I treat fleas when I see them, my dog will be fine. This is one of the most common reasons flea infestations develop.

Treating fleas once they ’re visible is too late because more will hatch from all the eggs and pupae in the environment. Killing a flea within 24 hours of it landing on a pet is key to breaking the lifecycle and ensuring it doesn’t lay eggs.

Treatment with Nexgard Spectra kills fleas fast, constantly and for a whole month. MYTH 3: Ticks aren’t really a problem in New Zealand. We are lucky in New Zealand that our ticks do not transmit disease. However, they can cause discomfort, and lead to scratching and associated skin infections, so controlling them is important. MYTH 4: I can’t be infected by worms from my dog. Dogs can be infected by lots of different worms, and most won’t affect your family. But roundworms can be a real danger to humans. These pests enter the environment from infected dog poo and can quickly spread. A human infection can lead to lots of different health issues, including asthma and epilepsy, and has been linked to reduced learning ability in children. So protection is key for both your dog and your family. MYTH 5: There are effective treatments that will protect my dog against all parasites for longer than a month. Killing fleas fast all the time is key to getting an infestation under control. Nexgard Spectra kills fleas in less than 12 hours for the full treatment period. It’s also important to know that worming every three months is not enough to stop roundworm eggs from spreading – but monthly worming can.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand Limited. Level 3, 2 Osterley Way, Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand| NEXGARD SPECTRA® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health France. Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 | No. A011184 | © Copyright 2021 NZ-CAN-0061-2021

Want to save your fur baby from all these issues? For fleas, ticks and worms done in one, treat your dog every month with Nexgard Spectra – comprehensive protection delivered in a tasty, beef-flavoured chew. Find it at all good veterinary outlets. Visit nexgardspectra.co.nz

Tangles of tinsel

Yes, it’s made of plastic so it’s not great for the environment, but if you have any stray tinsel falls left over from that age of innocence pre-Greta Thunberg, how about hanging it over a doorway and giving it a fringe trim?

Cirque bauble, $22.50, from French Country.

Straight lines

Unfurling lengths of ribbons in different colours and affixing them to a wall behind a console is a fitting background for Christmas and non-Christmas ephemera. What you display is entirely over to you but it could have personal significance, such as a mask you picked up earlier in the year for a craft project or something simple, like a cork from a bottle of champagne you popped the week prior and a favourite paper decoration.

Wonderland battery Wonderland Evergreen Grove foliage star, $9, from The Warehouse star with foliage hanging LED light, $9, from The Warehouse.

Honeycomb Christmas tree, $14.99, from The Party Room.