Avoid the rush: Christmas decor finds for under P500
The best part? You can use some of these pieces for other holidays—like the heart-shaped napkin holders for Valentine’s, or the apple-shaped tin cups to pair with cookies for Teacher’s Day
It’s the “ber” months. Jose Mari Chan memes are out. The Christmas countdown has begun. Avoid the rush by doing your shopping early.
Ikea has set up their Vinterfint collection near the checkout counters. We love the choices, and we also love a bargain. We’ve listed some of our under-P500 finds here.
Get some lights
Ask tablescape enthusiasts, and they will tell you that lights make a huge difference in a table setup. This is why we are so in love with the pillar candle holder. It reminds us so much of Amsterdam’s canal houses.
It comes in sets of two for P250. They can be arranged on top of each other to give candles more height, or placed side by side to become rows of houses. The store also offers candles.
Pillar candles are perfect for the holders, but you are not limited to them. A scented tea light (P190, pack of 30) lasts for 3.5 hours and can sit nicely inside the houses.
Red and greens
Artificial Christmas trees are an investment. You don’t have to get a new one every year. Get the ones you think your family will grow with. Ikea has different trees available, but what we really like are the potted plants.
One of the trends last year was having more than one tree in the house. A secondary tree is the most obvious route, but those who are trying to save space could opt to surround their main tree with smaller ones.
The store carries artificial potted Christmas trees for P180 each. Each comes in black pot which could easily be replaced with a red plant pot for P70 or you can wrap it with sinamay or gift wrap. Each tree stands 3.5 inches in height.
An alternative to this is the artificial poinsettia, for P350 per pot. This will really depend on your tree’s theme this year. You can continue this theme on your dining table, with the tiny Christmas trees or poinsettias for P90 apiece. Either way, the miniature version of this Christmas staple will make a nice accessory to any area that you want to highlight.
Go figure
The store carries several Christmas figures, but we like the Santa Claus that sells for P300. His main features are the red hat and shoes, and a nose that drowns in a grayish beard. The figures can be made to sit in any corner and are safe for kids to play with.
On the first Christmas, Jesus Christ was placed in a manger made of wood and hay. If you want to honor the Lord’s humble beginnings, there are straw decorations available this year. There’s a goat that stands six inches for P250, and hanging ornaments in sets of eight for P350.
The ornaments can be used as substitutes for napkin rings or table placements for dining. There are a lot of hanging ornaments and they’re all so beautiful. We got for ourselves ornaments that came out last year. The 2-centimeter red Christmas balls (25 pieces/set) cost P290.
That’s what we discovered about Ikea’s selection of hanging ornaments. Their under-P500 range is wide, but you have to plan ahead on your theme this year.
We couldn’t resist adding their snow globe (P450) to our cart. It can be used as an accent to a tablescape, decor on the shelf or just a wonderful toy for the kids.
Gift wrappers
Plan your style of gift wrapping, too. Taking time to wrap your gifts shows the care you have for the recipients. Ikea has plenty of wrappers available. They come in rolls, bags and boxes. We chose the sets of threes for P150. The design was picked to match the theme of our tree this year. What you place under the tree can add to the cohesiveness of your decorations.
Another thing you can appreciate about the store’s Christmas selection is that some of their items can be used for other holidays. A heart-shaped red napkin holder (P150) can be put out again for Valentine’s. The scented candle comes in apple-shaped tin cups (P190), something that you can give to stressed-out teachers on Teacher’s Day next month, with chocolates or cookies.
If you are going to splurge, we recommend the pretty Advent calendar (P1,190). It’s perfect to store minigifts for your child in the lead-up to Christmas Eve.