Christmas traditions: warm and cosy

We thought it was OK to mention the C word now. Yes Christmas is just a few weeks away so we thought we’d look at how to make your house extra-cosy for Christmas.

 

The Christmas tree

No home feels quite as welcoming than one with a Christmas tree. This is one of main traditions and was thought to have been brought over from Germany by Prince Albert. But apparently it was first introduced here by ‘good Queen Charlotte’, herself a German native who was married to George III some sixty years earlier.

 

Now it is the quintessential Christmas decoration. Will you have yours in your hall or in your living room? Maybe you’ll have one outside your home too?

 

Cosy Christmas

Whatever the weather at Christmas, we all want to cosy up in a warm space to enjoy Christmas; this is the same whether we’re stay-at-homes, after Christmas lunch walkers or visiting guests.

 

In Denmark creating that cosy feeling is called ‘hygge’ but we reckon it’s something all of us know and enjoy and can do.

 

It’s all about creating a great atmosphere. Candles and fairy lights certainly help with this creation. A big log fire is good too but if you don’t have an open fire, why not fill your fireplace with lots of candles?

 

Other ways to ensure a cosy Christmas is to have lots of snuggly throws and cushions around for guests to use in the living room or in their bedrooms.

Have some simple spare (new) slip-on slippers, hotel-style for your guests so that they don’t have to walk around barefooted. This is especially good for the bathroom unless you are fortunate enough to have under-floor heating.

 

Give your home a cosy glow with your choice of decorations. A cheery and traditional red theme always works.

 

Warm drinks

Welcome guests with mulled wine or cider or hot toddies or even hot chocolate. Great to take the chill off as soon as you arrive brisk walk.

 

Christmas fragrance

It’s also a very old tradition to bring greenery indoors at Christmas. This tradition dates way back even before the Christmas tree to Roman times when it was a symbol of good luck. If you can have fresh pine branches or other fragrant evergreen such as herbs – Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and Bay leaves – that helps to add to that cosy Christmas feeling. You can use it in garlands or in vases which means you can add this touch to many different rooms including guest bedrooms and bathrooms.

 

Of course you can also create fragrance with scented candles; you can get these in a wide range of perfumes from mulled wine to winter fruits to fir and snowberry and even pomegranate. Woodland Spice, Christmas Wreath or Garland and Spiced Orange are just a few more tempting perfumed candle choices for the season. Again these can go in every room but should only be lit when the room is occupied for safety’s sake.

 

You could also hang up cinnamon sticks, star anise and dried orange slices to give you home a warm and cosy, Christmas fragrance.

 

All in all it’s easy to give all the rooms in your home some great Christmas cheer with very little effort.