Kitchen Ideas – Help Yourself Embrace the Christmas Theme!
Christmas is a very special period, especially for us, the British. We adore celebrating it early – either by talking about it, purchasing presents months before the due date, or watching related films. But above all, the onset of Christmas begins when our Christmas trees go up, or when the thematic decorating process begins. If you’re interested in some Christmas Kitchen Ideas, decoration and getting into your Christmas Spirit, keep reading!
Red baubles, green door wreaths, gold and white tinsel garlands, multicoloured lights – we spread these items around the house in a hope to make Christmas even more special. When people say ‘I still don’t feel in the Christmas spirit yet’ it probably means you haven’t yet done any house decorations, or rather haven’t done them yourself. Believe us when we say this: nothing helps more to embrace this special time of the year more than decoration, but there’s one condition – you need to participate.
Releasing the Christmas Genie from the Bottle
Many people blame the ‘lack of spirit’ on growing up; they say ‘the magic is no longer there, because we’re no longer children’ – nonsense! The magic is always there, but we never give ourselves the chance to release it from the lamp. The rubbing of the lamp represents our preparation and willingness. By gradually doing activities which generate our Christmas excitement, our hand steadily shifts, begins to rub the lamp, and eventually, the bottled excitement is released, to our utmost satisfaction. Forgive this Aladdin analogy, but it’s meant to help you visualise how mental and visual preparation helps to increase our spirit.
Visual Stimulation = Festive Acceptance
Why do you reckon that when we wrap the presents, we suddenly say to ourselves ‘I’m starting to feel it now’ ?
I spoke to vast amounts of friend and family in preparation for this article, and some say that nowadays, it doesn’t hit them until the very end, even as late as Christmas day. Others claim it’s only when their holiday begins that they feel something. However, majority say the moment hits them when they wrap all the presents just before Christmas Eve, or pre-cook the dinner on the same day, or play Christmas family, and they discover that they are finally in that ‘Christmas zone’.
Why is that? Why does it only happen the? The answer is simple – because we’re letting our minds be enveloped by the Christmas activities – we engage, we simulate our minds, we are active and as a result fall into that pool of festivity. That’s right, the key is to embrace Christmas through engagement, and doing something which will evoke the right emotions in our brains. Of course, if you don’t have a problem with getting into the spirit on Christmas Eve or even Christmas day, then no problem, but many get frustrated they don’t feel it until then. Some say that even once dinner is eaten, all presents opened – they still don’t feel it. We long for it, we desire it, because it’s a nice, warm feeling inside, like mulled wine passing through our bellies. 
I postulate that the main reason why people struggle to ‘get into it’ is because they don’t engage enough – no help with cooking, wrapping, decorating – they’re missing out on a massive chunk of the stimulative ‘foreplay’, so to speak. This is especially important when we can do it with the family, and chat, laugh or share stories together. The preparation stage leading to Christmas is vital, and many underestimate it, which is why they later struggle with embracing this holiday.
The point is to motivate your mind – work your arms and legs, but also your eyes. And there are many ways to do that. Apart from inventing Christmas games, staging the whole 25th day of December, wrapping presents, or reading through the cook-books, the best way to engage is to decorate. And because Christmas decorations are technically accepted from 1st December (unofficially 1st November – although that remains a topic of divided debate), you can launch yourself into that festive period right off the bat.
Simply put on a film like Home Alone or The Holiday, get your partner, mum or brother involved, and begin to decorate. Remember, that cooperation will help to increase your spirits. After all, Christmas is a time for family and friends, for gathering together and embracing one another. We dedicate this time to our closest. So, when you put up your Christmas tree, make sure there are people there to help you; that you all laugh and enjoy the moment spent together. That will instantly transport you to the Christmas Day – sitting around the table, chatting and reminiscing. You’re going to feel that connection, that same goal, the festivity channelling through your heart and mind.
But when it comes to decoration, embellishing the living room or bedroom is pretty straightforward. But what of the kitchen? Should it be decorated any different? Or at all? Will the decorations not get in the way of cooking?
The answer is simple, they should definitely be up! But they should be positioned cleverly and certainly limited. Browse through the Christmas Kitchen Ideas below to find out the best ways of implementing Christmas decor to your kitchen.
Kitchen Ideas – Trendy, Acceptable Christmas Decorations for the Kitchen
- A Small Christmas Tree
If you have any room in your kitchen, or any spare, nooks, windowsills or corners where you can insert a small Christmas tree, then definitely go for it. Remember, it cannot interfere with anything or generally be a nuisance. You need to enjoy the tree being there. But when you eventually do it, you won’t regret it. There’s nothing better than a Christmas Tree, especially one decorated by yours and truly, to get an interior vibrating with the Christmas spirit. You can now get the little, miniature trees from any local superstore – In fact, Tesco sell small 10″ & 15″ trees for £3 & £7 – and above all they’re real – so you can even get your kitchen smelling of fresh pine or spruce.
Alternatively, you can order miniature trees online e.g. Argos currently sell them for less than £6 – and they’re synthetic, meaning that you can set them up the following year. Decorating the tree is a personal matter completely, and there’s lots of small decorations out there. Personally, however, I’m especially fond of the miniature (5cm x 5cm) presents that you put underneath. They’re very easy to make and make a fantastic supplement to the Christmas Tree.
- Pine Branches
If a Christmas Tree in the kitchen is too much, either because you lack room or you simply just want to possess only one, then we highly recommend purchasing some small pine branches. They usually come with a bit of decor already on them, and special strings or clips which enable you attachment to cabinets, blinds or railings. Alternatively, you can make them yourself, which will plunge you into the Christmas Spirit even more. Just go out to the nearby woods, cut a couple of branches off, decorate them and attach them to cabinets, utensils, appliances etc.
- Christmas Garland and Paper Chains
Another item on the Christmas Kitchen Ideas list is the Christmas Garland. It’s a fantastic tool to decorate the tops of your cabinets, or even walls. All you need is a little sellotape, and you’re done. But remember to not hang the garland over the Cabinet joins, otherwise you’ll struggle to open the doors. Likewise, we don’t recommend putting anything on the lower cabinets, as they often get unintentionally ripped. And keep these rascals away from hobs or ovens, ideally anywhere where it might catch fire.
What conceives an even greater Christmas feeling during the process of Christmas decor is creating the chains yourself. You can find these chain-kits everywhere online. They cost £2 at most and you essentially get a hundred multicoloured strips of paper, that you loop and join together with sticky tape. They make a fantastic decoration, and you get that unparalleled satisfaction that you made it yourself.
- Lamps, Lights & Candles
Lamps, light and Candles are essential, really. They not only brighten up your entire kitchen, but provide the kitchen a warm atmosphere. This vibe can be achieved using any of the said light sources. Like I already mentioned, if you don’t possess any room, you can always use the LED lights and string them across your top cabinets, or pile them in fish-bowls with a couple of oranges, cinnamon sticks and pine twigs.
Candles can be used, but remember to use a sconce, and never forget to blow them out when left unattended. To add a little atmospheric flavouring, you can purchase scented candles either smelling of cinnamon, pine, mulled wine or berries. Nowadays, shops even make strange smelling mixtures like Christmas pudding or roast dinner! Could you imagine! I never tried one of these myself, but my curiosity has certainly risen.
- Bells, Baubles and Other Minute Elements
These kitchen ideas decorations are basically the generic Christmas Tree decorations that you can implement into your kitchen. However, instead of hanging them on the branches, you can, for example, hang them on appliance handles, cabinet-door handles or even the garlands strung across your top cabinets. Perhaps you could insert a couple into that fish-bowl I mentioned above? Try it out and see if this style matches your taste. Not everybody likes that and I’ve heard it can be an overkill, but if you do it with moderation, and use the right decorations, then you just might pull it off. I heard little bells perfectly suit that style.
- A Plate of Gingerbread Men & Houses
This Christmas Kitchen ideas technique is fairly simple, but once again, the preparation process will get you right in that Christmas Spirit. To learn how to make a gingerbread house or men, just insert the phrase into Google search bar, and you will receive vast recipes and method-making guides.
Needless to say, once created and put on the plate on your kitchen dining table or breakfast bar, not only will they make fantastic decorations, but also be little treats to your kids, friends or family whenever they visit. They fantastically suit a coffee or a warm cup of tea.
Other tips and practices:
If you’re looking to further develop your kitchen ideas knowledge, and expand your pallet of interior decor, feel free to read the blog we posted last year: Outdoor Kitchens – Practical Ideas and Tips – it briefly discusses some attractive possibilities if you have an outdoor BBQ/kitchen area.
