Dressing Your Windows for Christmas

Dressing your windows for Christmas can have a magical effect on the inside and outside of your home

For many, the best part of Christmas is the ritual of transforming the house into a place that feels festive for the family and welcoming to visitors. For most of us, the focus of our decorations is usually on the tree, front door and fireplace, and the windows often don’t get a look-in, but dressing this area can have a magical effect on the inside – and outside – of your home.

Let there be light

The great thing about adornments on and around the windows is that as well as giving the room an extra-festive feel, they make the house look inviting from the outside. By adding lights, the effect is even more magical, so try safely placing candle lanterns or tea lights in the window to create a warm glow or, where there are children, battery-operated candles with a realistic flicker. A string of delicate fairy lights around the outer edge creates a bolder effect but remember that to prevent marking uPVC windows, you should attach any decorations to the window recess itself or the glass using removable adhesive or rubber suction hooks.

Take a leaf from nature…

Not all your decorations have to be shop bought – it’s so much more satisfying to go into the garden or head for the hedgerows to find a little wild foliage that can be tied in a bunch and placed along the window ledge outside. While you’re out and about, keep an eye out for fallen pine cones – a clear glass vase filled with these makes a stunning centrepiece on a windowsill. Even better, dip them in glitter for a sparkly twist or spray them with cinnamon-scented oil to fill your home with a spicy aroma.

Cheap and cheerful

Like it or not, you’ll spend a fortune over the Yuletide, so a bit of DIY decoration is always welcome. One of the easiest ideas is to gather up some of your favourite greetings cards or baubles, then hang them from the windows using an assortment of string, ribbon, chain and even coloured knitting wool. Or why not take a bough from your Christmas tree (it has to be real!) and hang it across your window, hammock-style, then from that dangle little decorations, baubles, red and white candy canes or colourfully wrapped sweets. Dried orange slices make great decorations – just slice a couple of oranges and pop them on a baking tray in the oven on a low heat for a couple of hours. While you’re waiting, stud another orange with cloves (make the holes with a fine knitting needle or skewer first) for a festive scented pomander that you can hang with a pretty ribbon.

Festive finishing touches

Now let’s face it, the only way you’ll be sure of seeing snowflakes this Christmas is if you create your own, and a sprinkling of the fake stuff here and there is surprisingly effective. It’s easy to make, too – just lightly spray half a dozen white tissues with water and put them in a food processor, then pulse them until they look like snow. Or go for the graphic approach and simply draw snowflakes on the window panes using white liquid-chalk markers. And while you’re at it, pen a seasonal slogan, or perhaps a lyric from a classic festive song like ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas!’

The possibilities are endless but if you’re looking for more inspiration, try VEKA’s Winter Windows Pinterest page, where you’ll find a range of amazing ideas from dried fruit garlands to paper decorations.