It’s Almost Christmas – a quick checklist

With less than a month to go until December and the start of all the Christmas activities, we want to offer some helpful tips for buying Christmas gifts. You’re welcome!

Before Christmas

It’s good to start thinking about a few things now already, because even though there’s just over a month left until Christmas, the time goes quickly and there’s a lot to think about.

Advent celebrations, Christmas gift purchases, Christmas decorations, Christmas trips to relatives, etcetera, etcetera, must all be undertaken while many tasks and school assignments must be completed before the Christmas holidays.

So sit down today and think about what is most important for you and what you want to get started with regarding Christmas decorations and festivities.

Christmas Checklist – 7 quick things to plan and check off:

1. Clean up for Advent and the start of Christmas

Of course, you always want your home to be clean and tidy, and your Christmas decorations will look especially welcoming and beautiful in a clean home. But honestly, how many people really notice a bit of dust or if the kitchen cabinets haven’t been wiped down for Advent or Christmas Eve?

Cleaning is not always fun to do, but it can be if you make it a family activity where everyone in the family is involved – based on their ability of course. And play some Christmas music to make it even more fun! You can’t clean without a bit of dancing to Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree or other favourites.

If you don’t already have a cleaning kit at home, come to Biltema and get useful and simple products for the perfect cleaning.

2. Start decorating with warmth and light

Homes usually start to light up with various types of lights even before Christmas. Christmas stars, Christmas lights, and candles are placed in windows to ward off the dark winter and are usually lit just in time for Advent – if not before.

For many people, lights are an incredibly important part of Christmas, not only because they are pretty, but also for our physical and mental well-being. So dust off your box of lights in the attic or basement, and go through it to check what you have and what works. Ask yourself the question:

• Do my Christmas lights work - stars, candleholders, and string lights?
  
  
• Are they LEDs?

There has been much talk lately about record-high electricity prices, and this naturally makes us wonder about how it will affect our Christmas lighting. What should we consider when choosing products and what will it cost us?

For the former, this year’s Christmas present in lighting is various kinds of LED products! So if you don’t have LED lighting at home, visit us at Biltema and explore our range. You will find everything from LED string lights to stars that you can hang or stand in windows. Or why not get a classic Advent candle to decorate a room?

LED lighting for decorating at Christmas

3. Mulled wine party on a weekday evening or on a Sunday afternoon

Invite friends and family to enjoy some mulled wine, fitting pastries and delicious food. Make it an evening or afternoon where you and family or friends do an activity together while hanging out and socialising.

Maybe you can bake some gingerbread or have a simple competition for the most creative gingerbread house. Maybe you can invite loved ones who you will be celebrating Christmas Eve with and cook one of the dishes that will be served on Christmas Eve, or you can make decorations with your children that can either be hung on the Christmas tree or attached to one of the Christmas presents from Santa.

The most important thing is to just take the time to come together, enjoy conversation and socialise. Get out your calendar in October or November and book some occasions that you can then plan for as they approach.

Homemade candy is the best there is! Make Christmas crackers and iced chocolate or try cornflakes dipped in chocolate, a real Christmas favourite. Make Christmas baking a cozy time with family and friends, and create new traditions to pass on.

Try one of our recipes for Christmas sweets!

As the days are at their darkest, it is more important than ever to enjoy the little moments. Before Christmas, you can decorate the home and create the right atmosphere with unique Christmas decorations, Christmas baking or just enjoy and take it easy with loved ones. That's exactly what's so good about Christmas - you get to celebrate it exactly as you want. Regardless of the type of preparation you are embarking on, Biltema's ideas and products will help you create a magical Christmas, safely and affordably.

Let yourself be inspired and create the Christmas spirit!

4. Christmas gifts for loved ones

It’s not always easy figuring out the perfect Christmas gifts. And when you do, it sometimes doesn’t take long to forget what it is. Some people start to plan and buy gifts early, perhaps just after the summer, while others wait until the last days before Christmas Eve.

No matter what you prefer, it’s always good to have some kind of plan about what you want to buy for your loved ones. A tip is to have a somewhere to jot down all your ideas. Maybe on a notepad that you hide in a drawer or on your phone so you always have the list with you.

Depending on how many people you will be getting gifts for, it’s good to decide how many presents you will be giving and an approximate amount.

When the lists are ready, you can easily share them between family and friends so there is no risk of someone getting the same gift twice, etc. There’s certainly some planning and secrecy involved, but the risk of mistakes is minimised, and no one will feel left out. Because as they say – it’s the thought that counts!

Have you received too few tips for Christmas presents and wondering which to put in the Christmas gift sack? At Biltema you will find everything for the whole family.

Get inspired by Christmas gifts at Biltema

And if you’re having a hard time deciding or unsure whether it will be a good purchase – rather be safe than sorry and buy a gift voucher instead.

Biltema´s gift card

5. The Christmas tree – for many the centrepiece of Christmas

The most popular tree around Christmas time is obviously the Christmas tree! There are many different types of trees: Nordmann fir, Norway spruce, or plastic trees, big or small trees, leafy and thick or tall and sprawling. All variants help to create a Christmas atmosphere when they fill a room with fragrance, colour, creativity, and joy. For many, going out and chopping down, buying, or carrying the Christmas tree down from the attic is a family tradition. Sometimes there is even a special date when the Christmas tree can be placed in its Christmas tree foot and then decorated with baubles, glitter, Santas, and a star at the top.

Our tip is to first ask yourself what kind of tree you want. Then plan how you will get it. Will you go out and chop one down, buy one, or maybe even go to Biltema and find a nice-looking, grateful tree? Via the link below, you can read more about the benefits of buying a plastic tree.

There are many of us who have at some point been out in the cold and either cut your own tree, or bought one from a tree seller. And the question of whether to have a real tree or an artificial one is a real watershed. Of course, it's nice to have a real Christmas tree, which you have selected yourself and perhaps cut down yourself. But the alternative to a real Christmas tree, the artificial tree, is superior in many ways.

 

Buy an artificial tree - the benefits are many

A Christmas tree does not decorate itself! Some families are more traditional and conservative when it comes to decorating their Christmas tree, while others let their creativity flow, mix old with new, or maybe even have a theme that follows the other decorations in the home.

It’s up to you as an individual to decide what’s needed to achieve the optimal Christmas atmosphere. Here at Biltema, we have tried to compile some tips and advice to get inspiration about beautiful Christmas decorations, Christmas baubles, and a brilliant star to decorate your Christmas tree at home.

It's finally time to decorate the Christmas tree! In many homes, the Christmas tree is the magical centerpiece during Christmas. It lights up in the winter darkness, gives a Christmas atmosphere with its glittering Christmas balls and instills a feeling of anticipation when the Christmas presents are placed under it.

Tips och inspiration when decorating the tree

6. Food – traditions and new favourites

Christmas foods and sweets make up a large part of Christmas, and it has become more and more common that different people are responsible for different parts of the celebration’s delicacies.

Ham, lutefisk, kale, cracker breads, pork roast, lussekatter, rice à la Malta, herring, meatballs – the list goes on and on! Depending on your family’s traditions and on who you celebrate the holiday with, take the opportunity to share the responsibilities. Meet over a coffee and write a list of what you want. Add and subtract from the list until you find the right balance. Distribute the items on the list and make it a joint activity. It saves a lot of time and gives an overview of what can be cooked in advance and then kept in the freezer to avoid having to do everything at the last minute.

Here at Biltema we have compiled a selection of favourites for Christmas baking, sweets, and food that we hope will give you inspiration.

Lovely Christmas recipes to make in the kitchen with loved ones

Also take the opportunity to read about the Christmas traditions as shared by our colleagues in our Nordic countries. Maybe you’ll find a new dish or activity to put on the checklist.

Nordic Christmas traditions

7. Christmas Eve and the days around it

The way of celebrating Christmas Eve varies greatly. Food, ring dancing, Donald Duck, Santa Claus, and Christmas presents – there’s a lot to fit in, and for many, Christmas Eve is often a very busy and stressful day.

Let Christmas Eve and the other days around Christmas be about peace and quiet where you really prioritise being with those closest to you. Decide in advance where you will be and who you will meet and see during the days around Christmas. That way there will be no bored or sad faces, and everyone will know what’s going on. Just remember to look after yourself as well!

So, how do you avoid stress before Christmas?

For many, planning and routines are the solution. Most people probably wish for Christmases to be the same every year – you want your traditions and enjoy some peace and quiet, and you want to have a good time, feel warmth, friendship, and love. So doing the same thing every year is only an advantage, and it saves you a lot of time.

We hope this has helped you with your planning and provided the beginning of a checklist that suits you and can be of help to you. Choose a few parts and focus on them. Do it together as a joint activity, and try to eliminate all the “must-dos” as far as possible.

Merry Christmas!