Decorateyour homefor Christmas

Decorate your home for Christmas

BYKEM ORMOND

Tinsel, fairy lights and snow . . . ho ho ho

You either lovedecoratingyour homefor Christmas, oryou don’t. I happentolovedecorating my home for Christmas andI like to have my decorations up and my home embellished in Christmas tinselbyDecember the first.

The tree.. .realvs artificial WhenI had small children, it hadtobea real tree and now Iama little olderI amquite happy witha bushy artificial one. IfI need that pine smell,I just give my hedge abit ofa trim up and pop some branches under the tree.

Don’t skimp on the lights!You need plenty of them and masses of small white lights make an impact.I have been an avidcollector of Christmas decorations all my life, not huge decorations, more like the small ones that you decorateyour tree with.Every timeI have travelledoverseas,I goona missiontofind new decorationstobring home with me. When my treegoes up. . .so do the memories!

I drown the tree in the most beautiful decorations from all around theworld, but my favourite part is throwing thegold lametta(thin tinsel hair) allover my tree. That is like icing on a cake!

Around the home I have aselection of nutcracker soldiers that sit proudly on the shelf abovemystove, entwined in artificial pine branches, sprayed small pinecones andred berries. Huge candlesticks are adorned with berries and tiny branches and atthe door there is alwaysa handmade wreath madebyyours truly.

A huge selection of matchingcandles of various sizes (samecolour) sit on silver platters, an old rusty chandelier which presidesover my diningroomtable has enormouscolourful Christmasballs that hang from it.

One of myfavourite decorations isa threetiered spinning windmill that is Christmas themed and spins duetothe heatfromcandles atthe bottom. This is alwaysa wonderful talking piece as it is quite unusual. My usual doormat is changedtoa Christmas themed one andI swathe my frontgate in tinsel and beads.

Making someofyour decorations I always make orangesstudded with cloves androlled in cinnamon andI enjoy fossicking for greenery and berries in the hedges that surround my property and makinga Christmas arrangement. Then there arethe handmade Christmas cushions and Christmasstockings that Imadefor my children when small.

Another sourceof materialfor decorations is the beach, where youcan find driftwood. A friend madea beautiful Christmas tree from driftwoodtoadorn herverandah.

Driedteasels and small pineconescan be spraypaintedgold and threading popcorn is a fun project for the children.

Rememberyou canalways putyourcards on display, decorateyour mantel, opt forred accents, greens and glitter arefun,gobig on berries, pops of plaid, make aDIY advent calendar, have fun withyour porch and give your ornaments adifferent use.

Boxing day sales This isa good timetoshopfor next year's decorations, there arehuge discounts on offer after Christmas.I alwaysforgetwhat Ihave purchased so it is quite exciting unwrapping new decorations bought last year.

Christmas is the timetolet your creativity shine, have fun and enjoy gettingreadyfor thefestive season!

FOR 20 YEARS WE’VE BEEN PROUDLY BUILDING KIWI HOMES FOR KIWIS USING ALL THE BEST STUFF FROM RIGHT HERE IN GOOD OL’ NZ.

Over the last 20 years the Kiwi dream has come a long way since the elusive quarter acre. That’s why we’re proud to still be able to provide a Kiwi solution for your first home, second home, a home where you need a bit more home, or even your home away from home. We offer a range of plans from 60 to 250 square metres. These can be built straight from the plans, or we can use them as inspiration to create your own Kiwi dream.

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Cnr Sandford Road and State Highway 1, Ruakaka

Open

Mon to Fri 8:30am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 2pm

Contact: Steve Hart

09 433 0200 a1northland@A1homes.co.nz