‘Swast ani mast’ – Shopping for tree ornaments in Crawford Market – Part 2 in my Christmas décor series

Each year I set upon a theme for my Christmas décor. This year was inspired by a trip to the Raffles Hotel in Udaipur which oozed luxury. Christmas décor is by no means or measure easy to obtain or cheap to buy. Growing up, there was one store on Hill Road in Mumbai that popped up at Christmastime. That store, while it dazzled the eye burnt a hole in your pocket. So how do you make your tree look like a million bucks without spending more than a thousand rupees?

This year I set out to achieve my goal of a luxurious looking tree but working it out on a low budget. Crawford market is the place that I went to and here I must add that you must be willing to explore the place so don’t be in a hurry. Here are a few tips that I want to offer you.

1. Invest in a few good pieces of tree décor – Don’t buy your tree décor all at once. Tree décor should be a collection and don’t be hesitant to spend some money on a few good pieces that will last a lifetime. These should be the show stoppers of your tree. Avoid anything with glitter because with our levels of pollution in the city it tarnishes quickly. Whites are wonderful provided you dust them often during the season and even better, purchase those that you can wipe and clean. Invest in a few pieces each year that are outstanding and unique and will look gorgeous on your tree.

2. Plan in advance – You need to visualise what will work for your house. Instagram and Pinterest may inspire you but imitation can be a limitation. You need to look at the colour of your walls, the space you plan to set up the tree and if the look that you want to copy from social media will match your existing décor at home. Tree décor is available in Crawford market immediately after Diwali with wholesale dealers. They will entertain you only if you are buying décor in sets of a dozen and you will get a mixed bag of colours. Plan in advance and get a few friends who would like to buy décor as a group. You can then split it up. Christmas décor, post first of December is available in the market but at a hundred percent markup.

3. Be creative – If you see something you like on social media try to make it. This year I purchased or put together five decoration pieces and most of them cost me about rupees fifty only. To give my tree a luxurious look, I bought imitation glass balls that look like Swarovski crystals for less the Rs 20. I purchased plastic diamond shaped decorations and attached them to a stylish chain. I got a packet of these for Rs 150/-. I also wanted shimmer and picked up imitation jewelry earrings and hung them on the tree and they cost me just Rs 50/-. I also picked up some unconventional looking artificial plants that I stuck into my tree and yes purchased tinsel shimmered artificial leaves for just Rs 15/- a piece. I also picked up applique embroidery and used it as decoration pieces. Look for the pictures that I have attached to this article.

4. Think out of the box – Most people just jog out and purchase Christmas décor to hang on their tree. I look at social media and set myself on recreating what I see but using stuff that is locally available. Yes, you can import your décor but a local market such as Crawford market has a lot of stuff that does not look like a Christmas décor but can easily be adapted with some embellishments to look fantastic. A few years ago, I took dried almond leaves which are very large, spray painted it gold and tinseled it. I added this to the ready-made green runners that are available for about Rs 600 for nine feet. It enhances the look and makes your Christmas décor unique and fashionable.

I am sharing several pictures with you hoping that you feel inspired go ahead and reproduce this look in your home this year. Do leave your thoughts and questions for me.

In case you missed the first article I wrote, please click on this link  https://www.pottypadre.com/things-you-need-to-know-while-decorating-a-christmas-tree-part-1/

‘Swast ani mast’ – Shopping for tree ornaments in Crawford Market – Part 2 in my Christmas décor series