Every year, around mid November, a quiet madness takes hold. Someone goes up into the loft, comes down with three boxes of tangled lights, and announces that this year the house will look "like a magazine". By the 3rd December, half the fairy lights have failed and the cat has claimed the tree skirt. It does not have to be this way.
Here is how to dress the house for Christmas with style, a little restraint, and your sanity intact.
Start With the Front Door
The front door sets the tone for everything behind it. A generous fresh wreath, a pair of potted trees either side, and warm lighting are all you need. Fresh wreaths last longest if they go up in the last week of November, and a quick mist of water every few days keeps them looking glossy into January.
If you want to go further, a garland around the door frame, threaded with dried oranges and warm white lights, is the classic country house look and works just as well on a London townhouse.
The Tree: Timing Is Everything
When to buy. A good real tree, properly watered, will last four to five weeks. The first weekend of December is the sweet spot for most homes. Nordmann firs hold their needles best, and a Fraser fir smells wonderful.
Size. Measure your ceiling height, then subtract the stand and the star. More people get this wrong than will ever admit it.
Lights first, always. Allow roughly 100 bulbs per foot of tree for a properly glowing finish, and wind them in and out of the branches rather than around the outside.
The colour story. Pick a palette and stick to it. Gold and green feels classic; white and silver feels Scandinavian; deep red and tartan feels like a Highland lodge. Mixing all three feels like a garden centre.
Delivery and dressing. Many florists and tree suppliers now deliver, install and dress the tree for you, and come back in January to take it all away. It is the single best Christmas luxury we know of.
Room by Room
The mantelpiece. A long garland of fresh foliage, eucalyptus and pine, with candles of varying heights. Keep naked flames well away from greenery, and use good quality LED candles where little hands or paws roam.
The dining table. A low runner of greenery down the middle, so guests can still see each other, with taper candles and a few pieces of fruit or pine cones. Height is the enemy of conversation.
The hallway and stairs. A garland along the bannister is the most photographed feature in any Christmas home. Secure it with ribbon rather than wire to protect the woodwork.
The kitchen. Fresh herbs in pots, a bowl of clementines and a scented candle by the sink. Practical, pretty, and it will smell like Christmas even when the sprouts are on.
Guest rooms. A small tree or a sprig of greenery, a carafe of water, good towels and a note with the Wi-Fi password. Simple hospitality that guests remember for years.
The Scent of the Season
Christmas is as much about how a home smells as how it looks. Real pine, a pot of mulled wine, and one beautiful candle in the main living space is plenty. Too many competing scents and the drawing room will smell like a department store perfume hall.
Lights Outside
Warm white over cool white, every time. A few well placed lights on trees, the path and the porch look far more elegant than a full inflatable reindeer display, though we would never judge the reindeer. Use outdoor rated lights and timers, and check them before the first frost.
The Practical List
Test the lights before they go anywhere near the tree
Book tree delivery and installation now, as December slots fill quickly
Order fresh wreaths and garlands for the last week of November
Check the smoke alarms while you are up the ladder
Book the January take down and collection at the same time
Or Simply Hand Us the Keys
For many of our members, the house is dressed while they are at work and undressed again while they are skiing in January. Our team works with florists, stylists and tree specialists who will transform your home, and quietly put it all back again afterwards.
Speak to us at hello@otium-concierge.com.