We might not have had Halloween or bonfire night yet, but that doesn’t mean Christmas is just a far-off event on the horizon that we don’t need to worry about. It is just a matter of weeks before we’ll all be in the swing of things, frantically trying to buy gifts and get our homes decorated in time.
Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey are being defrosted as we speak, ready to treat our ears to traditional Christmas delights. Closer to home, Southport businesses and local officials are preparing to host a series of local Christmas events in the coming weeks.
While many things stay the same each year, the most popular gifts and Christmas activities often change just as our taste in clothing fashions do. In 2019, nature-inspired gifts and decorations, the colour blue, and lots of lights were all the rage. In 2021, many are predicting recycled materials, bright colours, and home baking to be fashionable choices.
Here are some of the biggest trends we can expect to see in our homes and across Southport, Sefton, and beyond this Christmas.
More Games
Christmas is a time when we come together, often for much longer than at any other time of the year, so playing games together is a great way to have fun and make memories. Video games get all the attention in the press, but traditional options like card and board games have been growing in popularity in recent years, especially during the festive period.
Over the last couple of years, we’ve learnt to appreciate just how important face-to-face contact away from a screen can be. So even more people are expected to play games in person this year. Big-name board games like Monopoly are some of the best-sellers each year, while more recent creations like Cards Against Humanity, Exploding Kittens, and Blockbuster have also become hits.
Playing traditional casino games at home could also be a popular choice. Online casinos have helped to create interest in classic options like roulette, a table game that uses a tri-coloured wheel with 37 pockets. Card games are an easy and accessible option, particularly given that a standard 52-card deck can be picked up for just a couple of quid.”
DIY Decorations
The Christmas decoration industry is huge. Fuelled by the cheap manufacturing costs that have been enabled by globalisation, British businesses have been selling trinkets that can spruce up just about every surface of our homes. From Santa-themed toilet seat covers to the giant bows that have appeared on our doors in more recent years, things have come a long way from simply decorating a tree in the corner of our living rooms.
However, with the rising cost of living and more people being conscious of our environmental impact, 2021 is set to be the year when more of us make a greater proportion of our decorations ourselves. There are plenty of options too, from foraging for pinecones to adorn our trees to repurposing drinks bottles into cute penguin decorations, meaning there’ll be a lot of variety in these homemade Christmas crafts.
A Blast From the Past
Christmas decorations come in and out of fashion. As people reminisce and yearn for a little nostalgia, 2021 is expected to be a year when many classic ornaments and traditions come back in vogue. One of these is believed to be the ceramic Christmas tree, which was a hit last year and is likely to be in even greater demand in 2021. According to Google, the number of people searching for them has increased quite sharply since 2011, with 2020 being the year with the most searches since 2007.
It’s too soon to get figures for 2021, but judging by early demand on sites like eBay and social media sites like Twitter, this year is going to be another year when retro decorations are a hit.
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