Feeling overwhelmed by all of the Christmas hassle? Many people tend to have higher expectations during the festive period, which can mean extra work to make everything perfect. But, you don’t have to work hard (or break the bank) in order to spread festive cheer. Here are a few Christmas hacks you can use to make this period easier.
Tree-Related Christmas Hacks
- If you typically put your tree in the corner, you don’t have to wrap your lights all the way around the tree. Simply criss-cross the string across the portion of the tree that’s visible
- Store your ornaments in an egg carton. For larger ornaments, use plastic cups or coffee jars
- Use things like popcorn and cranberries along with some string or twine to make natural (and inexpensive) garland
- Take the bulbs off of your strings of lights and spray paint them gold or silver to make them stand out
- Use green tinsel to wrap around the inner branches of your tree to make it look fuller
- Make you tree taller by placing a milk crate, or paint cans under the base, then hide them with a tree skirt
Decoration-Related Christmas Hacks
- Wrap your lights around a paper towel tube or part of a wrapping paper tube to store them once the season is over
- If you run out of hooks while you’re hanging up ornaments, try using twine or zip ties
- Wrap a bit of green garland around a tomato cage to create a quick and easy outdoor decoration
- Wrap a couple of pool noodles with brown paper and paint them to look like Christmas firewood
- Hang ornaments from a ceiling fan, or light fixture, to form a festive chandelier
- You can run string through gingerbread cookies to make them look like another decoration that looks good enough to eat
Gift-Related Christmas Hacks
- Use double-sided tape while wrapping presents to add a professional touch to your gift wrapping
- You can make a simple snow globe, using a mason jar, some glitter and a few small Christmas-themed trinkets. These could work as a decoration as well as a personalised gift
Food-Related Christmas Hacks
- Fill old ketchup or mustard bottles with icing to make cake or biscuit decorating easier
- If your slow cooker isn’t being used to make food for your Christmas feast, you can use it to make a big batch of mulled wine
- Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and clove into a pot of boiling water to fill your home with a festive scent. Or make your own Christmas tree spray
- Spread out some whipped cream on a baking sheet, put it in the freezer and use a cookie cutter to make festive hot chocolate “marshmallows”
Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to helpful Christmas hacks. Always be on the lookout for time-saving tips on the internet. You can also look in magazines for inspiration. You never know when and where you might come across a great festive hack idea.