Top 5 Christmas tips and ideas

Tired of the commercialisation of Christmas but don’t want to be a Scrooge? Hankering for a simpler spirit? Here are five ways to make this year’s Christmas memorable without going over the top.

Tip #1: Get the whole family involved

Source: www.huggies.co.nz

Christmas is an exciting time for children, but many parents forget to involve them in the preparations. It’s an ideal opportunity for them to develop their cooking, baking, art and craft, and teamwork skills. Christmas is a family time, after all.

2. Keep it simple

The original Christmas was a simple occasion, and it’s possible to have an enjoyable Christmas without trying to keep up with the Joneses or drain the country’s entire energy grid. In the photo above, which we found on Pinterest, we like how they kept to a simple colour theme and used a found item, the mistletoe branch suspended from the ceiling. Don’t feel you need to replace your Christmas decorations completely. Instead, dust off last year’s decorations and add a few new pieces to create that something special.

3. Really give

We were taught that Christmas is all about giving, so this year our family decided together that rather than give presents to each other, as in past years, we would give to those who really need it – the people of the typhoon-stricken Philippines. Donations can be made to World Vision, Save the Children and Caritas, among others.

4. Give back to the environment

Source: Pinterest

One way of refreshing past years’ Christmas decorations is to recycle with a creative twist – as in the way an old broken rake has been used to hang decorations in the photo above, and a burned-out light-bulb has been painted up as a Christmas bauble below.

5. Get involved in your neighbourhood or community Christmas

Every year, thousands of New Zealanders take a stroll or drive down one of those streets that seem to be everywhere now – you know the ones we mean, where the neighbours all get busy festooning their homes in Christmas lights and figures. Even if you’re not into that, there are loads of other ways to share in the community spirit – start a neighbourhood choir, hold a street party, or make Christmas cakes for your neighbours.