Creating a Christmas Wonderland on a budget

Can you remember celebrating Christmas as a child; the excitement and anticipation as you build up to the day?  I can still remember the tingle of magic on Christmas Eve knowing Father Christmas was busy preparing his reindeer and sleigh. I can also remember the sheer exhilaration of discovering he had been the next morning, finding a few crumbs where his mince pie had been. That’s what I want to create for my children for as long as I can. This year I’m going to create a magical wonderland for them and you can too. Whilst this might sound expensive, the aim is to keep the cost as low as possible. First and foremost, it’s the time spent together that counts and those are the memories that will one day be treasured. So here is my guide to creating a Christmas Wonderland…

When I think back to the Christmases of my childhood I can always remember the magic of Christmas lights, simply turning the tree lights on was completely enchanting. So whilst we will have our tree ones on, I will also grab a few extra packs and drape some over the mirrors and frames around the lounge. These can be found at many pound shops and I’ve also found colour-changing light up characters there too including penguins and snowmen so I am going to add some of these also. Instant magic! 

I'm also in love with my star shaped light which has been making us all feel very festive recently. On those dull winter days it creates a soft and glowing light in our lounge. 

Another thing I remember from Christmases past is the wonderful scents from the beautiful pine smell of our Christmas tree to the delicious smells of cinnamon, gingerbread and Christmas pudding! 

You might not have a real tree this year which is fine, you can still recreate that Christmassy scent. Try spraying some pine-cones with cinnamon scented oil which creates a beautiful warm aroma. You can also buy or make your own potpourri using cinnamon sticks, cloves, dried oranges and star anise. This is also a fun activity for you to do with your little ones. 

Do you remember making clove oranges at school? Your little ones will love helping with these!

Baking with children will also provide beautiful Christmas scents and a delicious treat for after. Why not try baking some gingerbread Christmas shapes? 

Another way to really add some excitement to the Christmas countdown is to play Christmas songs in the house. We have a cd that plays lots of fun Christmassy songs and we love having it on as we are pottering about during the day. It really adds to the festivities! 

Fast forward to Christmas Eve and this is where the real magic starts. Create your own magical reindeer dust to sprinkle in the garden using oats, edible glitter or cake sprinkles. Don’t forget to leave Father Christmas a mince pie and a whisky (apparently he’s quite partial to a gin too!) and leave Rudolph a carrot- you might just find he’s had a bite out of it in the morning!! You can leave some magical Santa footprints by creating a simple stencil and sprinkling some icing sugar over it- your children will be enchanted to discover some magical North Pole snow! 

So there you have it, a few ideas to create your very own home Christmas wonderland, helping to create some mesmerising life-long memories. Merry Christmas!!