Your Stress-Free Holiday Planning Guide: Christmas Cards, Decor And More

From where to buy your Christmas trees and decorations to the best card and gift wrapping inspiration – here’s our guide to holiday planning.

The weather is cooling down, Christmas displays are going up and we’re feeling festive – although a little stressed about everything on our to-do list. With trees to decorate and presents to buy, we’re not quite sure where time is going, but we’re determined to get on top of it all. The Christmas countdown is on and we’ve put everything you need in one place. Christmas cards? Check! Decor? Check! Present inspiration. Check! No time to waste, let’s get to it…

Read more: Winter Camps 2018: Keeping Your Kids Busy This Christmas

Buying your Christmas tree

Unless you’re one of those people who has had their tree up since we packed away the pumpkins (ie. us), it’s probably time to start thinking about buying your favourite fir. Regardless of the size of your apartment, there are heaps of affordable real and fake options that’ll turn your teeny Hong Kong home into a Santa’s grotto. To bag the best trees, you likely had to be ahead of the game and order yours weeks ago, but have a look at some of our favourite options here.

Shopping for decorations

Whether you’re looking for intricate final touches on your table setting or Hong Kong-inspired ornaments for the tree, we’ve listed some of our favourite Christmas decorations that are guaranteed to get you in the festive spirit. Now all that’s left to do is finish buying all those presents… Simple. Don’t forget to check out our Guide to Holiday Fairs for some seasonal shopping opportunities!

• The Lion Rock Press
  How could we not mention The Lion Rock Press as one of our top picks for Christmas decorations this year? The Hong Kong Hanging Decorations are sure to add the finishing touch to any Christmas Tree.
• kikki.K
  kikki.K’s Christmas collection merges quirky and traditional. We love this ceramic candle holder that is guaranteed to brighten up any table.
• iDecorate
  A haven for small furniture, gifts and chic accessories no matter what time of year it is. This green stocking is an easy place to start.
• Pottery Barn
  With so many gorgeous decorations on offer, Pottery Barn is an easy choice for picking up all of your Christmas essentials. We love this pine home decor collection.
• Etsy
  From personalised stockings to unique tree ornaments, cute fairy lights and DIY projects, ETSY is a go-to resource for Christmas decorations.
• Indigo Living
  Whether you’re on the hunt for last-minute fake Christmas Trees and fairy lights, or intricate wreaths and accessories for your Christmas tables, Indigo Living is a Hong Kong homeware staple.
• Brighten Floriculture
  This gem of a store is found on the famous Flower Market Road in Prince Edward and, bizarrely, has a huge array of Christmas decorations all year round.

Read more: DIY Guide: Where To Get Everything You Need In Hong Kong

Buying Christmas cards

Picking out seasonal cards and carefully writing handwritten messages in them is definitely one of our favourite parts of Christmas! Check out our top picks below:

• The Lion Rock Press: $30 per card or $100 for a pack of 10 charity cards
• Paper Roses: $35 per card
• Pen and Paper House: $140 for a pack of eight cards, personalised Christmas cards are also available – email for details!
• kikki.K: Prices range between $38 – $200
• Biscuit Moon Designs: $100 for a pack of 10
• Barefoot Love: 100% of profits from its prints go towards supporting global, grassroots NGO’s
• Ditto Ditto: Prices start from $29 per card and $189 for a boxed set of six cards

Shopping for gift wrapping

So you’ve checked your list (twice) and all presents are accounted for – now it’s time to get wrapping! You’ve done the hard bit, so we’re not judging you if you’ve ticked the ‘gift wrap for me’ box online, but if you’re looking to get a little creative this Christmas, we’ve gathered a few of our fave looks below. Boil the kettle and pop on Home Alone, this is the fun bit…

Minimalistic
Sometimes, simple is best, and we’re all for it! Buy a roll of brown postal paper (local stationery stores should stock it), grab a black sharpie and add a shiny, red pom-pom nose – super cute! Or use plain printing paper to decorate with cool string and multi-coloured baubles. These mini versions by kikki.K would do the job nicely. You could even jazz it up with some Hong Kong-themed washi tape (100% of the profit benefits HK charity, Mother’s Choice).

Colourful
Forget traditional red and green, we’re really into a glitter explosion look! Use double sided tape over the front of your wrapping paper and dip into a colourful mess of confetti and bits of glitter. Alternatively, use pom poms like polka dots for a fun three-dimensional twist.

Untraditional
If you’re rubbish at wrapping (we feel you!) and can never get those corners tightly tucked, paper lunch bags are a cute way to cheat. We also love the eco-friendly approach of wrapping gifts in a funky scarf – two gifts in one, yay!

Read more: Christmas Gift Guide: The Best Presents For Babies And Toddlers This Year

Planning a party

Is it even Christmas if you don’t drink mulled wine and eat mince pies? With many a soirée already in the books, we’re getting our Christmas ‘do dates in quick! Everyone will be hitting the skies and heading home for the holidays before you know it, so why not round up a couple of friends, dig into a festive feast and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year! Our Party Planning Guide has our go-to faves for supplies, venues, food and more.

Read more: Quick and Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes to Try with the Kids

Make sure to check back for our Christmas Dining In Guide 2018 – coming soon!

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Sassy Hong Kong in November 2017 by Lexi Davey and was updated in November 2018 by Sakina Abidi