How to style your space for Christmas

Prep your space for entertaining by giving it a clean. Simple tidy-ups that make a big difference include blowing away leaves and washing down decks and windows. This will ensure your space sparkles.

When guests are visiting for an extended period of time – i.e. for the better part of a day – it’s best to create individual areas they can flow through and mingle as they choose. Start with a seating area, where guests can gather as they arrive. Make it comfortable and welcoming with extra cushions. (A good tip with cushions is to always work in odd numbers or sets of three.) As it’s likely to be warm, you might want to set up some shade.

Set up a welcome drinks table by your seating area so you can offer your guests refreshments as they arrive. You can use a small trestle table to hold glassware, jugs of water and soft drinks on. Fill up a couple of ice buckets and place bottles in there to keep them chilled. This will minimise trips to the kitchen.

A gazebo provides the perfect protection from the elements. For an extra special touch, hang a centrepiece above the table – you can use rope and foliage for this simple yet eye-catching D.I.Y. decoration.

For an all-day affair, integrate lights within the centrepiece and wind them around the dining area. When the sun goes down, your space will come alive with ambient lighting. Choose warm globes for a gentle glow, which pair perfectly with tea light candles placed in the centre of the table. Add a bug zapper to keep mosquitoes and flies away.

A BBQ is a great choice for Christmas Day, as it’s a relaxed dining experience that allows you to remain close to your guests. (Tip: to prevent your guests from smelling like their meals, set the BBQ up away from the seating area.) Creating a food station next to your BBQ area will save you multiple trips to the kitchen. Using a fold-up trestle table, place a portable esky under the table and keep a storage tub stocked with extra supplies. 

There are two types of Christmas guests: those who enjoy a post-lunch snooze and those who want to continue the festivities with games. For the nappers, set up a pod for your guests to sit back and doze off. Consider putting some rope lights inside to create a dreamy space for younger kids.

For the gamers a trampoline is great entertainment, followed up with chalk and bubbles when the kids tire of jumping. Another fun game for the whole family is bucket ball. With each bucket representing a different point value, it could bring out some friendly rivalry!

Wrap up the evening gathered around a firepit and toasting marshmallows, a great way to keep warm when the sun goes down. By this point, you may even be in the mood for some carols.