Deck the halls

It's time to get ready for Christmas! We help you put an individual spin on festivities with our suggestions for tree, table and gifts...

SPRUCE UP YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE
Decorating the tree is one of the most exciting Christmas rituals, but before you get started, it's worth thinking about the effect you hope to achieve. Your choice of tree - real or fake, traditional or modern - will be based on the style of your home, but even a majestic Nordic Spruce will look disappointing clad in cheap tinsel and dingy decorations that have seen better days. So, if you're looking for some inspiration to spruce up your tree this year, try out one of these stylish themes, created by Rose Hammick and Charlotte Packer for their book, Christmas Inspirations - Stylish Ideas For Gifts And Decorations...

Traditional
Traditional style is all about warmth and nostalgia, as well as symbolising the colour of winter berries and foliage. The traditional Christmas palette of rich reds, dark forest greens and bold tartan prints is inspired by the Victorian era. A elegant Grand Fir, with wide, lush branches, makes a perfect base for antique and reproduction decorations. Formality is the key to traditional style, but you can tone it down with a vintage, shabby chic spin. Mix homemade and shop-bought decorations for a more personal feel and scout around antiques markets for unusual trinkets. You can use lengths of wide ribbon make a pretty alternative to gaudy tinsel and faux flowers and delicate birds make charming and unusual decorations too. Oversize baubles and candle-style tree lights maintain an old-style familiarity, but if you want to spice it up a bit, try using rich jewel colours such as purples, deep berry pinks and inky blues instead of the usual reds and greens.

Nordic
The Scandinavian approach to Christmas decoration is refreshingly un-glitzy - a simple but effective red and white colour scheme can be applied throughout the house and of course, to your tree. Nordic style is inspired by simple, natural textures, so a real tree works perfectly. Create a feeling of warmth with by twisting a length of pretty white fairy lights around the tree. Home-made decorations are popular, with corn dollies and straw hearts giving a rustic effect, while gingerbread is also a favourite Nordic decoration. Children will enjoy making gingerbread hearts, angels and stars, which can be tied to the tree with simple red and white ribbons. Finish off with sprigs of red berries to add to the natural, homespun charm and complement the colour scheme.

Contemporary
Hot pinks and vivid blues don't immediately spring to mind when you think about Christmas, but if you're tired of the traditional, why not try something a little more contemporary this year? Once you abandon the traditional route, there's no limit to what you can do - but you'll need to remember a few basic rules to maintain a stylish result. Limit your palette to one or two key colours and stick to them. Dark colours look dramatic next to contrasting acid shades, while putting muted shades together gives a more subtle, sophisticated effect. Restrict your use of pattern and keep it bold, rather than fussy. Stripes or spots both look bold and modern.

Christmas Inspirations - Stylish Ideas For Gifts And Decorations, by Rose Hammick and Charlotte Packer, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £14.99.

TABLES TO DINE FOR!
One of the best things about Christmas is sitting down with family and friends to enjoy the festive meal. You can make it extra special by taking as much care dressing your table as you do decorating your tree. All you really need are a few simple ingredients - think ribbons, feathers, flowers - a mere dash of imagination and some pretty tableware and hey presto! A fabulous festive table.

Caroline Atkins, author of Country Living: Country Christmas (Collins & Brown) adds: "The more gold you introduce the more sumptuous the look will be. Setting the table with goldrimmed china and glasses will add to the festivity of the occasion, and add gold crackers and napkins."

Emily Chalmers, author of Table Inspirations, says: "A pretty table with personal touches like hand written place cards, or a decorative name tag tied with ribbon to each chair adds so much to the atmosphere of a meal. A finishing touch is a tiny gift at each place setting."

Chalmers has devised a couple of easy-to-achieve looks for Christmas settings that are guaranteed to win compliments. Here are her top table tips...

Young and fun
Eclectic settings can be achieved with simple ingredients. Choose a table runner in a brilliant pattern and echo the colours in a decoration of Christmas tree baubles. Ideally use only two jewel bright colours eg: red and green, and use baubles arranged in a clear glass bowl for a centrepiece. Take strands of ivy and wind them round candlestick bases and to decorate the table centre. Tiny glass baubles threaded on to ribbon and tied around each napkin will echo the theme. Alternatively thread decorative buttons onto florist wire and use that as a tie for napkins, and to trim candlesticks. Scatter sequins, metallic nuggets, glass jewels or colourful beads and coloured feathers down the centre of the table. Put glue on glass T light holders and then roll them in gold or silver glitter for extra sparkle for that candlelit glow.

Classic
There is nothing to beat the look of a classic pure white table, with an ornate candelabra at the centre, maybe hung with crystal drops. White roses, white and silver ribbon, and tiny gifts wrapped in silver paper, make this a crisp, timeless look. For a grander and more rich and sumptuous style choose red for napkins, candles, and place cards. Intertwine red ribbon and ivy as a decoration for each place setting and use an artificial green wreath as a table centre piece, embellished with clusters of artificial fruit including red apples. Set it off with a cluster of candlesticks and candles in the middle, or a string of fairy lights.

Finally Chalmers says: "Layer tableware for a truly professional setting. Begin with a plate or charger, then add a starter plate, or soup bowl. Add a napkin, a cluster of decorative nuggets, pretty foil wrapped sweets or a small present to make the whole place setting irresistibly inviting! Then just sit back and accept the compliments."

Table Inspirations - Original Ideas for Stylish Entertaining by Emily Chalmers is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £18.99.

IT'S AWRAP!
You don't have to spend a fortune to give someone a present to remember. A beautifully wrapped gift is guaranteed to make their day. According to Charlotte Packer, who is also co-author of Gift Wrapping: "Good wrapping need not be complicated, just well-executed and appropriate to the gift." And you don't need to spend a fortune on materials if you start building up a collection of items that may come in use. According to Charlotte, items to look out for include "scraps of pretty paper, fabric and ribbon, sturdy boxes and gift bags".

Where to start
Firstly, you need to decide on a theme for your wrapping. Charlotte suggests taking inspiration from the colour and style of your Christmas tree. "Rather than wrapping every present in the same paper, choose a variety of papers with similar patterns and colours, then use a scattering of tree decorations to unify the theme." If you want to try something different to the usual shop-bought wrapping paper, try using fabric off-cuts, wallpaper, Cellophane, hand-marbled paper or even a map or print. Inexpensive tissue paper is perfect for children's stocking fillers, which are usually ripped open too quickly to warrant fancy trimmings. If you run out of wrapping paper late on Christmas eve, newspaper provides an ideal solution. It has just enough body to fold neatly and looks quirky and stylish when tied with thick colourful ribbon.

Awkward shapes
Some presents are just too awkwardlyshaped, small or delicate for straightforward wrapping. A box offers extra protection and ensures the contents remain a mystery. Gift bags are also useful. Add a personal touch to shopbought gift bags by decorating with cut-out stars, snowflakes or holly leaves. Fabric bags are a good way of using up leftover pieces of fabric. The bags can be sealed quite simply with a length of ribbon tied into a bow.

Finishing touches
Charlotte says: "When choosing what to use, consider colour, scale and the sort of thing the recipient would like best. Start a ribbon box and stock it with ribbons and fabric trims in a variety of colours and textures. Don't forget thick, rustic-looking twine and colourful raffia, or even a humble ball of string." A large silk bow which dominates the gift always looks great. The thicker the ribbon, the more luscious and lavish the result. Details that hint at the content of the gift add to the pleasure and surprise of the unwrapping.

Gift Wrapping, by Lucy Berridge and Charlotte Packer, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £8.99.

SENDING CHRISTMAS CARDS AND GIFTS?
Don't forget the last posting dates...
Special Delivery: Thursday Dec 22
First Class: Tuesday Dec 20
Second Class: Saturday Dec 17
International Airmail: Monday Dec 12
European Airmail: Wednesday Dec 14

Ask at your Post Office or visit www.royalmail.com for more information.