How to make your home and garden look festive this Christmas

From a simple lantern to a show-stopping outside light display, we’ve found the best ways to turn your garden into a winter wonderland:

1. Go to tinsel town with lights: Christmas cheer is at the top of the country’s Christmas list this year and communities everywhere are working together on outside light displays to spread joy in what has been a gloomy year for many. Evenley and Harpole in Northamptonshire are just two villages in our region determined to shine brighter than ever before to create a feeling of togetherness this Christmas.  To help lift spirits wherever you live, light up trees or shrubbery by draping them with fairy lights, or invest in a light projector or laser light to illuminate the front of your house or a favourite tree. The Range, Argos and Lights 4 Fun have some of the best Christmas light projectors to suit all budgets and the various pictures and patterns available – including snowflakes and stars – mean you can easily find the right effect to suit your tastes.

 

2. Take tips from the experts: For inspiration on a grand scale, visit Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury. Their Winter Light display is open until 23 January 2022. Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire also have a spectacular Light Trail through the gardens until 2 January 2022. Immediate booking for both is advisable.

 

3. Light-up reindeer: The pandemic has hit businesses hard this year but Christmas decorations have seen a very welcome uptick in demand and outdoor acrylic and rattan reindeer and snowmen have been selling faster than ever this year. Lights and decorations have been proven to give our mental health a boost and ward off depression so if you’re not already a convert, it is time to embrace Rudolph.

 

4. Invest in an outdoor log burner: Fire-pits, log-burners and chimineas add instant alpine atmosphere to any alfresco event and smart-looking outdoor fireplaces are not as expensive as you might think. La Hacienda have a steel outdoor fireplace which punches way above its £150 price tag.

 

5. Easy home-made lanterns: Put a few shiny Christmas baubles in a hurricane lantern and add a string of battery powered fairy lights. Wind the lights around the decorations so that the bulbs are reflected in the baubles to amplify the twinkling effect. Not only decorative but invaluable in helping guests navigate their footing after a Christmas tipple or two.

 

6. Line the path: Here at Michael Graham the importance of kerb appeal is never far from our thoughts and Christmas offers endless opportunity to up the ante.  To guarantee a warm Christmas welcome, arrange a line of lanterns or tea lights in jam jars along the path to your front door. Pre-lit potted firs either side of the door finish the look.

 

7. Go big on foliage: Frame your front door with real foliage, either from foraging in the hedgerows if you live in the country or from a local farmer’s market or florist. Fir and evergreen branches can be wired together to form an oversized garland, then weave in a string of fairy lights and hang the garland around the doorway. Continue the theme with a wreath made from the same foliage for a coordinated look.

 

8. Gift wrap your front door: This is a year to ring the changes, so if you feel like breaking from tradition, why not make a flamboyant statement by dressing your front door with a giant red ribbon and bow? Unbelievably easy to achieve, this statement look will make your house the talk of the town. Visit amazon.co.uk for a selection of door bow kit suppliers.

 

9. Style your porch: If your house has a porch, treat it as an extension of your home and decorate it as you would your rooms inside. A pot grown fir tree decorated with fairy lights can be planted in the garden after Christmas.

 

If you have a move in mind for 2022 and expect this to be the last Christmas in your current house, why not book a free market appraisal now and let us help you get moving safely in the new year? Our Michael Graham team are ready to take your call.