Christmas is about many things. The food, the music, the partying, the presents… but let’s all be honest: Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the decorations. Getting all trimmed up is one of my favourite things about Christmas, because it allows me to really unleash my creative side. That comes in handy when thinking about trimming up on a budget as most students have to. Here are some quick and easy decoration ideas!
The Book Tree
My mo
st favourite part of Christmas decorations has always been the tree. You can pick up a cheap false tree for under £10, but you can also make your own unique tree by utilising something you should have in abundance: books. Simply pile them on top of each other, forming a pyramid. To get height, just put a small book in between larger ones. Then decorate like you would a normal tree with tinsel and maybe even some lights.
Bauble Decorations
Baubles are great. You can do all sorts with them. Pile them into cones to make festive table decorations, hang them on your ‘book tree’, or just hang them on beaded string from shelves. Here’s a really quick and easy decoration you can make using small baubles and tinsel, just for something a little bit di erent.
And there you have your finished bauble decoration. Make more and hang from the corners of cupboards, or use them to trim up your tree. Experiment and get creative with different colours and sizes, and even add pine cones or pieces of holly for a really festive look.
3D Snowflakes
We can all remember making paper snowflakes as children. It seemed to be a staple of primary school life throughout December. Here’s a quick and easy way to make 3D snowflakes. The one I made is quite large, but you can follow the same method to make smaller ones. Just use smaller squares of paper. Also, you can sprinkle them with glitter and use different coloured paper. Be creative!
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- Fold a square piece of paper in half, and half again, diagonally.
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- Cut at an angle from the side.
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- Unfold the paper.
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- Fold in the inner two chevrons, and staple/glue together.
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- Flip the whole thing over and do the same thing for the next chevrons, repeat until they are all done
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- Repeat steps 1–5 a further ve times, so that you have six spirals in total.
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- Arrange the pieces in a concentric pattern to form the snow ake.
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- Staple or glue all six of the spirals together.
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- This can be a nice hanging decoration or smaller ones can be used to trim your tree
And there you have your 3D snowflake. Just attach a piece of tinsel from the top to make a nice hanging decoration or make smaller ones and use to trim your tree. As with all of these decoration ideas, the possibilities are endless!
Christmas Cards
It’s great receiving Christmas cards. I lo
ve writing them almost as much as I love getting them. Not only do they make you fee
l popular, but they double up as free decorations, and ,let’s be honest, we all love a freebie, Tack them to your wall or wardrobe door, put them up on book shelves, or hang them from some fairy lights on your wall.
Utilise what you already have and don’t be afraid to scavenge for things outside. Painted twigs and pinecones can make great rustic looking decorations.
Don’t be afraid to go basic. Paper chains are look great, are easy, and are flat snowflakes if you don’t fancy the 3D ones. You can also make loads in a relatively small amount of time.
If you have a flat party, why not combine it with trimming up? Stick some Christmas music on, and really get in the festive spirit.
Don’t wait too long to trim up! You’ll probably be going home for Christmas, so get trimmed up now and enjoy the decorations for as long as you can.
Why not combine forces with the rest of your flat? Club together for a decent tree and decorations, and split the cost and work involved in putting them up.
Whatever you do, have fun and enjoy the trimming up process, and make sure that you have a great Christmas and a fab New Year!
