CHRISSIE'S TIPS FOR A MAGICAL CHRISTMAS

“My family all really start getting in the Christmas spirit as soon as I light a Winter candle. I love to invest in the extra large, which I start burning in December and often lasts us right through to the new year.”

“I’m always amazed at the difference a tiny flickering flame of a scented candle can make. It somehow magically makes a space feel extra warm and welcoming. That’s why they make great presents, too. If in doubt when choosing which one, start with the fragrance type, be it citrus, herbal, fruity or floral, and explore the individual scents from there.”

“Dressing a mantelpiece is always a great way to make a home feel extra special for the holidays. A garland, or some fresh greenery, fairly lights and lots of layered candlelight just never fails to please.”

“Tree decorations are great for all sorts of other uses, too. They make a place setting on a table look fabulous, they can be piled high in a gorgeous bowl for a lovely Christmassy centrepiece, while the smaller ones are also great for tying on a gift, or a gift bag, for a special extra touch.”

“Over the years, I have loved collecting decorations. Sometimes I mix and match them, sometimes I opt for a more simple approach and choose just one, or two, beautifully co-ordinating styles. We are often inspired by vintage finds and, every year, work really hard to make sure every new design is beautifully crafted and finished to also be loved for many years to come.”

“If ever there is a time to make a special effort with the table, its Chrismastime. For me, this has to start with a simple, yet very elegant, white cloth and napkins, plus great-looking mats, lots of lovely candles and simple flowers. Then, I add sparking glassware and good china. It’s always fun to use decorations, instead of napkin rings, in each place setting, too.”

“On Christmas Day, the thing I’ve learnt is to treat lunch like making a big roast dinner – I get into the mindset of cooking a large chicken. On Christmas Day evening, it’s just leftovers and salad, which is lovely and simple.”

“I used to leave everything until the last minute, wrapping presents and getting the house ready right up to Christmas Eve. By Christmas Day, I felt exhausted. Instead, I now follow a very organised friend’s example: gifts all wrapped by 31st November; house decorated by mid-December. I can’t tell you the difference it made. Most importantly, I spent lots of time with the kids, enjoying the build-up to Christmas.”

“The build-up to Christmas is such a busy time and I also try to take a bit of the stress out of all the preparation by tackling the decorating one bit at a time: the tree, decorating the rest of the house, getting the guest room ready for visiting family (hopefully!). It’s much more manageable this way.”

“We love wrapping together as a family (sometimes a little too competitively to see who can be the most creative!) and this exciting new range of wrapping papers offers great choice. They come in generous 5m rolls, so go a long way, too – all that’s left to do is choose which ribbon, topper and tag will be the winning combination for everyone on our lists!”