A Natural Scandi Christmas: Mix It All Together and Don't Overthink It

From mid-November, I'm surrounded by Christmas in the shop. So at home, I hold off a little and do the main decorating in mid-December.

That doesn't mean there's no Christmas at home until then. From early December, I'll hang a few simple paper decorations in the window and over my lights, so there's a little bit of Christmas from the start of the month. Something like the House Doctor paper garland of stars, birds and snowflakes, or a paper star in the window, is perfect for that.

I was raised decorating just a few days before Christmas. But I like Christmas too much to only have it for such a short time, so now I give it a little longer.

Mix it all together

How much you mix depends on your style. Me? I go all in, mixing everything together, especially at Christmas. A mix is what makes it look, well, Christmassy.

My own tree is a mix of collected pieces, not one matching theme. Glass, felt, velvet, woven: it all goes on, and every piece has its place.

Where to start: baubles, mice and a tree topper

If you're building a collection from scratch, start with three things.

• Baubles. Mix textures. The Palazzo velvet bauble and the woven Bellagio bauble from Olsson & Jensen sit beautifully next to glass ones.
• Mice. The Olsson & Jensen felt Christmas mice are so classically Nordic. Choose from white mice in winter knits, brown mice with a garland or beige mice with a berry wreath.
• A tree topper. The finishing touch. Try the Clip gold star with its leafy wreath, the Connect star in antique copper, or the Gant LED paper star that glows like a paper lantern.

The biggest mistake? Overthinking it

The one thing people get wrong about decorating for Christmas is overthinking it. It doesn't need a theme or a plan. Put up the things you love, mix them together, and add to your collection a little each year.

See everything in our Christmas decorations, or come and see the shop at Redbrick Mill, Batley, where Christmas is very much underway.

Kamil