You can decorate your bedroom with pretty fairy lights. You can place them over the headboard, along the curtains or even delicately over curtain rails. Curtain voiles are also a good way to add a bit of elegant mystique to your Christmas bedroom. You can dress your windows with them or even create  a canopy over your bed.

Your bed is the biggest piece of furniture in your bedroom and also the focal point.  So, dressing your bed to fit your style but bringing out a festive mood is  a must.   You don’t have to have an all obvious Christmas theme and you have various options.

1. To provide a contemporary festive/wintery feel to your bedroom you can get lovely bedding. Brushed cotton material is warm and soft and just by looking at it, gives you a cosy feeling.  To give you a contemporary look you can go for the many Scandinavian style designs that are available or even something like a stag print which is so fashionable these days. Silver/grey colourways also give a modern look.

   

   

   

2. You can create a traditional look to your bedroom by using traditional Christmas colours like reds and greens. Mix these up with bits of gold and silver decor, like tinsel, cushions, and throws and you will have a gorgeous looking bedroom.

   

3. Obviously Christmas. One way you can be totally Christmas with your bedroom by using fun Christmas bedding. You can have fun, grown up designs like Christmas trees, St Nicholas or even the three wise men. You can dress these sets throws and cushions to make your bedroom just that little bit more special.

   

Don’t forget that you can make your bedroom smell like Christmas too. A lovely candle with a Christmas fragrance like Frankincense and Merr or something a bit more wintery will give your bedroom a lovely aroma.

One of the best things I’ve seen recently is Christmas wall tapestry.  Yes, it’s a lot of work for something that you will have up for 4 weeks at the most, but oh my, it sets the room off beautifully.

The above should give you plenty of ideas to decorate a Christmas bedroom perfectly.

The post Tips on how to decorate your Christmas bedroom appeared first on HomeSpace Direct.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Before Christmas Happens

During the day itself, you’re going to be extremely busy. That means that you won’t have to do much in the way of cleaning. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be such a problem – provided that you do as much as possible beforehand. After all, if your house is utterly spotless before the guests arrive, then you’ll have a lot less to do once you’ve sent them on their way.

Ensure that all of the cutlery and crockery you intend to use on the day itself is properly washed and ready to go. If you need any extra items – perhaps if your seating arrangements aren’t all that they might be – then it’s best to find out beforehand and secure the relevant supplies.

You should also make a point of stocking up on essential substances. Stain removers, detergents, dishwasher powder, bin liners, toilet paper and shampoo will all be required over Christmas – and you won’t be able to get hold of them at short notice on the day itself! Not only will these come in handy over the course of Christmas, but it’ll make life considerably easier when the New Year finally arrives, and you’ve a cupboard full of every cleaning supply you could possibly need.

If you’re thinking of putting on a buffet, then you might want to spend a few quid on some paper plates and cups. This will eliminate washing up, and leave you available to do other, more enjoyable things, like playing charades and watching the joy-infused EastEnders special.

On the Day Itself

As we’ve touched upon, when Christmas Day finally arrives, you’ll likely be busy with a number of different tasks in and around the house. But by maintaining a mental checklist of what needs to be done, you’ll be able to keep on top of the basic housekeeping, even if you’re playing host to your entire extended family.

For example, when spillages occur – and they will – you’ll want to ensure that they’re addressed right away. If you’re busy with something else, then leave it for a while until you’ve dealt with the stain on the rug. There are, after all, few tasks on Christmas Day which can’t be put aside to one moment; unless you’re cooking a particularly impressive Christmas dinner, a roast just requires timing and experience – it won’t mind being left alone for just a moment.

You’ll also want to make sure that your supply of toilet and tissue paper is maintained. The last thing you want is for one of your guests to find themselves stranded in a strange toilet without paper after an afternoon spent guzzling down cranberry sauce and sherry. Do the kind thing and make regular checks to ensure that the supply is adequate. You might want to give your toilet a quick wipe while you’re at it.

Finally, it’s likely that you’ll have a lot of food left over on Christmas Day. It would be a tragedy to waste it, so make sure that it’s properly covered and stored before you go to bed. You’ll then be able to dish it out as leftovers until New Year’s Day.

After Christmas

Once the day itself is done, you’ll be able to take a moment to take note of the damage. If you decided to wear a special outfit, then you’ll want to have it properly dry-cleaned before you put it back into your wardrobe for next year. The same is also true of any festive decorations you might have put up – give them a quick wipe, and put them back into their respective boxes until next year.

If you should have missed something in your pre-Christmas shopping, then be sure to buy it on your next shop afterwards. Similarly, you should take a note of what you’ve gotten through over the holiday season, and make up for those missing items in your next shop. If you’ve done things right during the preparatory stages, then your first shop after Christmas should be a relatively small one.

Finally, it’s worth attaching a final piece of advice – enjoy yourself! Christmas comes but once a year – and cleanliness, however important it might be, is not the stuff you’re likely to look back fondly on later.

The post Staying on Top of the Cleaning During Christmas appeared first on HomeSpace Direct.

We all know that Santa cannot make his rounds at your house until all of the little ones are asleep all snug in their beds, but what if your kids have trouble calming down and getting to sleep on Christmas Eve? Here are some important tips to keep in mind that will help them to settle down and fall asleep on the night before Christmas, so that not a creature will be stirring in your home – not even a mouse.

Start the Sleeping Routine A Few Days in Advance

Even though your kids are on their Christmas holidays, they should still be in a sleeping routine with an established bedtime and a relatively early wakeup time. If they are able to stay up late and wake up late for the days leading up to Christmas, they will be adjusted to that routine and it will be harder for them to fall asleep at the appropriate time on Christmas Eve.

For a few days leading up to Christmas you can establish a bedtime and get your kids up at a relatively early time, so that their inner clocks have adjusted to the right schedule.

Keep Them Active During the Day

The goal on Christmas Eve should be to keep your kids so busy throughout the day that they collapse with exhaustion by night time and fall asleep without a fuss! You can go on a big family outing, play outside in the snow, go for a walk or play sports at an indoor centre. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as it’s active and tiring. By the end of the day they will be so tired that getting to sleep won’t be a problem, even if they are excited about Santa.

Give them a Warm Bath

There’s nothing like a warm bath to relax the body and help your kids to feel sleepy. It works because the drop in body temperature after the bath gives your body signals that it is time to sleep. You can make the bath even more relaxing by using aromatherapy bubble bath such as lavender, chamomile or another calming fragrance.

Limit Sugar Intake

Although it’s the holiday season and there are a lot of sugary foods around, try your best to limit your child’s ingestion of these sweets. The sugar will give them too much energy and they will find it more difficult to sleep.

Make Strange Surroundings More Familiar

If you are somewhere different than usual for Christmas, such as at a relative’s house or on holiday, try to make their sleeping environment as familiar as possible. If they have a favourite blanket or toy you can bring it along and you can read their favourite book before bed. This will make them feel much more comfortable and will help them to relax and fall asleep.

Make an Earlier Bedtime for Christmas Eve

An early bedtime can help to compensate for some of the extra excitement on Christmas Eve. Knowing that Santa is on his way will always make your kids want to stay up longer than usual, but if they have gone to bed slightly earlier they won’t miss out on as much sleep because of their excitement.

Turn Off Electronics Before Bed

After a certain time, all electronics such as tablets, smart phones, computer games and televisions must be switched off. This is because the glowing screens will limit melatonin production, which is a hormone that gives your body the cue to start transitioning into sleep.

Let Them Know When They Can Wake You

If your child is old enough to tell the time, give them a set time when they are allowed to wake you up so that they can go downstairs and open their presents. This means that they won’t be waking you up every ten minutes and asking if they can see what Santa brought them yet.

These are just a few ways that you can help your kids get into a good sleeping routine so that they won’t be up all night waiting for Santa to arrive!

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