We can all agree that 2020 has been quite a dreary year, and unlike the previous years when we could go out to visit places with beautiful Christmas displays, this year, we are all forced to spend the entirety of the holidays at home. With all the gloom going on this year, I thought that it was up to me to bring in a little holiday cheer into our home.
This was actually my first time – yes, EVER! – to embellish our home for Christmas. Mike and I have been together since 2012 and we’ve never put up even one Christmas ball in our house! We just didn’t feel like it was necessary and practical. To make our home a little more Christmassy, I just improvised! Here are our Christmas ‘trees’ from the past:
But this year, I was motivated to brighten our home for the holidays because I wanted to make my little one feel like she’s not missing out on all the festivities. She sees Santa Claus, Christmas lights, and snow on the cartoons that she watches, and I want to let her experience that, even if it’s just in our own simple way and even if it’s just at home. When she was smaller, none of those things meant anything to her. But now that she’s three, she’s more curious and has a better grasp of holidays and their symbolisms and associations. This is why I was motivated to create a feeling of warmth and joy in our humble abode with the help of some Christmas decorations.
Sharing with you here where I got our items from!
Christmas tree
I got our 6-feet Christmas tree from SM Home for only PHP 1,299 (on sale from PHP 1,499)! This was surprisingly the cheapest Christmas tree I’ve seen that was of good quality. I say ‘surprisingly’ because I had this notion that the trees from SM Home would be ridiculously expensive, but I was pleased to find out that they actually have a tree that caters to every budget!
I had a very smooth and hassle-free transaction with SM Home. I joined the SM Home Viber community and after inquiring about their trees, someone got back to me instantly and assigned a personal shopper from my chosen SM branch to assist me. My personal shopper (Melanie Gonzales of SM Megamall) coordinated everything with me through Viber. I paid online and the item was delivered to me the very next day! The whole process was so convenient, and I didn’t even need to leave the house. I also appreciate that they informed me that the tree was on sale, even without me asking.
The tree that I got is called the Graham Basic Tree. It’s slim but not TOO slim, so it fits nicely in our small condo. With enough ornaments, this simple tree can look really nice!
Christmas ornaments
Since it was going to be my first time to decorate our home for Christmas, I knew that I wanted to stick to the classic colors — red and green – and add a little bit of sparkle with some white, silver, and gold. I got a mix of Christmas balls, berries, pine cones, snowflakes, star topper, and warm Christmas lights from the Dapitan Arcade since it was cheaper to get from there than from the mall. I didn’t actually go to the Dapitan Arcade myself though. I just contacted a personal shopper from The Dapitan Arcade Suppliers group on Facebook. A word of caution: be careful when you transact with some of the online sellers there. I was *this close* to buying from a scammer! Good thing I snooped around and found out that he cheated a customer and sent her the wrong items after getting her payment!
My personal shopper (Alma) is just starting out in the business so she doesn’t have her own website or Facebook page yet, but if you want her contact details, just message me. I love her! She was so patient with me and would send me photos of all the product options so I can choose from them. She also only charged me the full amount after I received all the items so I wasn’t worried about her taking off with my money.
I also added gold ballerina ornaments to our tree. Andi is obsessed with the animated movie Ballerina / Leap, and this tree was really for her, so I knew that it was a must to incorporate ballerinas on our tree! I ordered these from Lazada for only PHP 144 for 12 pieces. The ornaments actually had some scratches on them, but they’re not too obvious from afar, so it was fine with me. They also did not come with their own string so I had to manually tie a nylon string on each of them. These ballerinas added some glamour to our tree.
Ikea Lerberg Shelf
I bought this shelf to house our trinkets in our living room, but for the whole month of December, I used it as part of our Christmas display. This is where I placed some of our decors, as well as all the gifts we received. I got this shelf from Conner Furniture for PHP 1,650. If you need Ikea items, I highly recommend them as their prices are reasonable and their customer service is excellent! They are also very responsive on both Instagram and Viber.
Long-stemmed berries
I love these berries from Alriver Export because you can use them individually for your flatlays and photo shoots, or you can also put them all in one vase, which is what I did. I just stuffed the vase with a white fur cloth.
Alriver’s berries are really sturdy and they don’t break easily even if you bend them. The colors are also striking so they really added some life to our Christmas nook.
Christmas angel
This beautiful 10-inch Azalea Christmas angel which is also from Alriver Export is one of the highlights of our Christmas nook. It can be used either as a tabletop décor or a Christmas tree topper, depending on your preference. This angel is handmade with love and the craftsmanship is excellent! The heads, hands, and gold guitar instrument are constructed from high-quality resin and the clothing is made from satin and organza. Some features of the angel are hand-painted by skilled artists. It’s really elegant and lovely, and it makes for a great gift for your moms, mothers-in-law, aunts, and your friends who love to dress up their homes for Christmas.
Tabletop décor
Just a few days before Christmas, SM Home sent me this pretty tabletop décor. Andi was in awe of this when she first saw it. This is a beautiful decorative piece that works best in smaller living spaces. Place it on your shelf, your dining table, your kids’ play room, or anywhere you want, really!
Mini Christmas tree
We got the cutest tabletop tree décor from Alriver Export! I loved it so much that I gave this as a gift to some of my mom blogger friends. One of my friends who I gave it to said that this was a great gift because they didn’t put up a tree this year, so this tabletop tree was their main tree! It’s also an ideal gift for kids because it can be their ‘starter tree’ and they can even decorate it, just like what my friend’s kids did. (Watch this video to see what they did with it!)
Even if it’s tiny, you can do so much with it. You can decorate it any way you want, just like you would with a bigger tree. Put a star on it, add some small Christmas balls, or just display it on its own. The possibilities are endless!
Table runner
I ordered a red table runner from Lazada and what do you know? I received a brown one! Argh! I wanted to return it and have it replaced but it was too much trouble so I just stuck with what I got. Actually, the quality of the table runner is pretty good. It was thick and the colors don’t fade, unlike some of the cheaper ones I’ve seen online. I’m just miffed that they got my order wrong, but quality-wise, I was happy with it. I bought this for only PHP 169.
Dining chair covers
These Santa and snowman covers are super cute! Since this Christmas is for my baby girl, I wanted to incorporate some kid-friendly decors in our home, and these chair covers were a good choice. The material is thick so I’m sure they will last for a long time. They’re machine washable too so they’re easy to clean. These cost PHP 248 each.
I would have wanted to get more of the Santa and snowman covers but they were more expensive, so I just got dirt cheap Santa hat chair covers for our two other chairs. These covers bleed when washed (so DO NOT make the mistake of washing them with your other clothes, especially the white ones!). They’re reeeally thin, so they have a tendency to tear easily, but hey, for PHP 39, I can’t complain! They still work and they make our dining room look more Christmassy, which was the goal anyway!
I got all the dining chair covers from Shopee.
Christmas wreath
This is another Christmas item from Alriver Export. The quality of this wreath is superb. If you look at it closely, you’ll see that it was really well-made and the colors are so vibrant. I really love the combination of sparkles and crystals with the rustic look of the pine cones, and it’s great that it matches our Christmas tree! I placed this on top of Andi’s mini kitchen to make her play area look more festive.
Christmas pillowcases
This is another case of online shopping disappointment. I actually ordered different designs from another online seller in Shopee, but they cancelled my orders at the last minute and so close to Christmas Day, so I had to get from a different seller. There were more pillowcase options for 45×45 cm pillows, but ours were only 40×40 cm so my choices were limited, and most of the designs I wanted were already sold out. These are the ones I ended up with. Oh well, at least the quality of these pillow cases are good, and they’re ridiculously cheap at only PHP 58 each. Lesson learned: shop for Christmas decors early! That way, if your orders get cancelled or if you’re not happy with the items you receive, there’s still plenty of time to find a solution.
Cost of decorations:
Christmas tree – PHP 1,299 (on sale from PHP 1,499)
Red Christmas balls 6cm (20 pieces) – PHP 250
Silver Christmas balls 6cm (20 pieces) – PHP 250
White Christmas balls 6cm (6 pieces) – 150 x 2 = PHP 300
Pinecones (10 pieces) – 150 x 2 = PHP 300
Snowflakes (10 pieces) – 150 x 2 = PHP 300
Berries – PHP 350
Star topper – PHP 170
Christmas lights – PHP 250
Table runner – PHP 169
Snowman and Santa chair cover – 248 x 2 = PHP 496
Santa hat chair cover – 39 x 2 = PHP 78
Christmas pillowcases – 58 x 2 = PHP 116
*Long-stemmed berries – PHP 500 (on sale from PHP 700)
*Christmas angel – PHP 650
*Tabletop décor with berries – Price unknown
*Mini Christmas tree – PHP 400 (on sale from PHP 650)
*Christmas wreath – PHP 600 (on sale from PHP 950)
TOTAL COST (excluding the sponsored items and minimal delivery fees): PHP 4,328
*Sponsored items
What a steal! I mean, some Christmas trees already cost that much (or even way more!), and that’s JUST the tree (without the ornaments yet). It’s definitely possible to decorate your home without spending too much.
Final thoughts
Setting up our home for the holidays was my labor of love for my baby. Everything was inspired by her. Seeing her eyes sparkle when she marvels at all the décor made me feel that it was all worth the time, effort, and money spent. But what I didn’t realize was that this was for me and my husband too. These holiday touches created a feeling of warmth and love in our little space and certainly made us feel the Christmas spirit despite living through a dreadful year.
Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!!!
