My childhood memories of Christmas are going upcountry, eating the most amazing chapatis and wearing the same clothes as my siblings and cousins which was the coolest thing ever! I also remember our folks going out of their way to get a Christmas tree and décor which we would use every year. Another memorable tradition is exchanging gifts just to make the season extra special. I dare not forget the carols…the beautiful Christmas carols in church on the midnight of Christmas Eve. 

I don’t know about you, but I usually feel the holiday mood checking in as soon as November gets here and I love to see decorated spaces! So maybe, you’re the type of person who may not want to spend too much on decor but you still want to get your home in the Christmas mood. The tips below are perfect just for you to give your house that special holiday ambience for under $50. 

The items below are available in several online stores and House of Leather, locally.

1. Essential oils or scented candles

You definitely want a fresh scented room to get rid of any stuffiness or dampness. The best way to achieve this is by burning essential oils in the room, the oils are sold in sets with a banner and some candles at about $12 on several online stores and the famous House of Leather store locally. Alternatively, you could get scented candles which you can burn every morning; the scent remains in the house for long hours and after a while becomes permanent. The candles retail at about $8- $20 and some great candle scents for the festive season include eucalyptus, pine and the classic vanilla.

2. Golden lighting

Ever thought of changing the lighting in your house? Maybe just for this season, you could consider draping your doors and entryways with a string of warm golden lights in the living room, even if you don’t have a Christmas tree. You could also put some red lights across the balcony which light up at night. These lights cost about $8 – $15.

3. Indoor games

Consider getting some fun activities to do in case you end up hosting friends or relatives, like cards or board games. Poker, scrabble or a game I recently discovered called Taboo would be wonderful too. This, with a combination of food, drinks and great conversation will set the mood a notch higher. These games cost between $10- $20.

 4. A Christmas touch in every room

Ensure there is a touch of Christmas in each room, it could be red candles or bed sheets in the bedroom or Christmas-themed hand towels in the bathroom. A classic Christmas tree would also be good, the best part about them is that they are reusable, soon as you store them after Christmas, the next time they will still be looking new.

5. Music Collection

What is Christmas without a good music collection like Mariah Carey’s Christmas album? You definitely need this to complete the great ambience. Here is a good collection you should consider downloading and storing in your playlist Christmas playlist.

We’d love to hear what you’re doing for your home this Christmas. Share with us on the comment section. Merry Christmas!