Decorating your home with a partner for the first time is incredibly exciting. It’s a time for you to share happy memories of your childhoods while making new memories together and starting traditions of your own. Remember it’s all about having fun and try to compromise (even if you have different opinions about the Christmas décor!).
First thing’s first. It’s time to get festive. So, crank up Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ and make a jug of mulled wine. This recipe from Jamie Oliver is super yummy and contains all kinds of festive ingredients to tickle your taste buds. Plus, it’ll make the house smell wonderful, which is precisely what you need at this time of year.
Decorating the tree together is a lot of fun. Try and pick a colour scheme and style that you’re both happy with and run with it, whether you are traditionalists, quirky or contemporary. But, for those who can’t decide, or for those of us who suffer from PCOPD (Perfect Christmas Ornament Placement Disorder!), why not have two trees? Not only will your home look doubly festive, but it’ll mean both you and your partner have your own trees to decorate in your own styles. A 6ft festive tree like this one from John Lewis is ideal for the living room and can be used again every year. However, for an alternative, artsy take, we like this cardboard brown Christmas tree by Love the Sign, and think it will look super cute adorned with handmade paper decorations.
Wrap presents in complementing wrapping paper to avoid an under-the-tree clash of colour. This navy and copper star wrapping paper also come in white. You could take a roll each and that way, you’ll know whose presents belong to who, but your tree will also look coordinated and stylish.
You might want to pick out your hiding place early (so your partner doesn’t get there first). An under-bed storage box, like this one from Habitat, is an excellent choice for hiding presents, and later on for storing chunky winter jumpers and shoes. Another excellent choice is a blanket box, which can also be used to store linen and towels (when you’re not hiding presents). Here are some more ideas if you’re looking for Christmas essential storage suggestions, Christmas colour themes and interior decoration ideas.
It’s fun to start Christmas traditions together, so as well as picking up trinkets from your travels together, you could also invest in a personalised bauble to hang from the tree to commemorate your first Christmas together. These options from notonthehighstreet.com are perfect. They would also make a lovely gift for your couple friends.
