Make your home festive for the holidays

With the December temperatures tapping the mid-twenties, the likelihood of you roasting your chestnuts around an open fire is pretty minimal. However, while the UAE might not be a traditional winter wonderland, you can still add that special sparkle to your home and welcome the festive season with open arms. A celebration that sets important time aside for friends and family, it's essential to set the scene. Whether you still believe in Father Christmas or you prefer to enjoy watching younger members of the family soak up the magic, here's our guide on how to make your home festive for the holidays.

The value of visuals

When it comes to setting the scene, it all starts with the visuals. From the moment your guests approach your front door, it's time to let them know they're welcome and in for that perfect Christmas experience. While wreaths are a great way to let everyone know that this is your favourite time of year, there's nothing more magical than the Tinkerbell-twinkle of outdoor lighting. Check out our lighting range to find battery-operated string lights that are entirely suitable to face the elements, so you can give your home that sparkle.

Welcoming your guests

While popping on your favourite festive tunes might seem like an excellent way to set the scene, your visuals are equally important. Once your visitors set foot inside your home, you want to let them know that they're part of your personal Christmas experience. Garlands, ornaments, and even seasonally themed tealight holders provide the portal between the warm weather outside and the cosy, familiar feel we all associate with this special time of year. Battery-operated string lights draped over picture frames and shelves are enough to let your guests know that they're beginning their journey to some festive fun.

A seasonal, sensory experience

When it comes to get-togethers and gatherings, the living room tends to be the focal point of any home. While you might choose to give the rest of your grotto a festive facelift, your lounge is where all the Christmassy conversation kicks off. Because this room is likely to be the hub of your home for a grotto-style get-together, this is your chance to play with the senses of anyone who walks through the doorway.

Most of us tend to think of our eyes as the fastest way to access our surroundings. However, if we're looking to get a bit scientific about it, research has found that our sense of smell is the quickest way to evoke ambience, atmosphere, feeling, and nostalgia. With that in mind, if you want to deliver the full Christmas experience, it's worth investing in scented candles to give that real whiff of wonder. We offer an extensive range of scented candles, which combine that atmospheric flicker with all the scents and perfumes that will entice your guests' olfactory senses. You'll be transported back to when this time of year was far simpler and full of the wide-eyed joy that comes with the belief in Santa, reindeer, elves, and presents.

A tree-mendous living room 

Without a doubt, the centrepiece of any Christmas-themed living room should be the tree. With Yuletide smells making your guests feel comfortable and calm, the next step is to add some excitement to the proceedings. While a bona fide fir might have some appeal, you might be surprised to know that faux Christmas trees have a far smaller carbon footprint than their real-wood relatives. Easy to tuck away and without all the associated hoovering, they're easy to put up and even easier to take down. Our range of Christmas trees includes those in the traditional conical shape. However, no matter how classic the design, you can use the basic silhouette as a blank - and green - canvas on which to indulge your creative side. Check out our collection of baubles, garlands, and ornaments to give your tree enough pizazz to straddle that line between the classic and the memorable. With your tree acting as the focal point of your living room, you can complement the way it looks with throws and rugs, helping to tie your Christmas themes together.

How many sleeps ‘til Christmas?

However, while for grownups, the festive season might be a time for gatherings and gifts, the most important people in the equation are far younger. You can start that fuzzy feeling in your children's tummies by adding a few little extras to their bedrooms. Our Santa-style bedsheets, cushions, and throws are snug enough to be cosy without worrying about the heat and shot through with all the colours and themes you associate with the most important day on the calendar. Changing up your kids' bedding on the run-up to Christmas is a simple and superb way to light the fuse towards all the excitement and anticipation the season entails.

Which rooms are the most important for Christmas?

Come the Big Day, two rooms will become the most important in your home. For those who've still managed to cling to their belief in the Man in Red, it'll be the living room, the tree and those all-important presents. However, for those of more mature years, the magic happens in the dining room. Presentation is all-important to ensure that your guests, friends, family, and visitors fully appreciate that the meal you're serving is very different from those you dish up during the other 364 days of the year.

A festive feed

Browse our collection of dinnerware, drinkware, cutlery, and serving accessories to ensure that what you've cooked gets the attention it deserves. Presenting your Christmas meal in the right way can help remove the awkwardness from any silences and provide a focus for those closest to you. In addition, taking care of the details, such as what you're eating from, what you're eating with, and how your drinks are dispensed and drunk, lets your guests know that you've gone that extra mile to ensure that they enjoy the day as much as you do.

From decorations to dinner plates, you’ll find that the Crate and Barrel Christmas collection has everything you need to transform where you live from a home to somewhere your guests will become immersed in the seasonal cheer, no matter how young or old they might be.