Hippy Christmas - The Alternative Way

We may be home for Christmas but it doesn't mean we have to go down the conventional route of crippling ourselves in debt, piling on the pounds, buggering up the environment and have the waste bin overflowing by Boxing Day.

A new outfit? Why? I've a wardrobe full of fabulous second-hand frocks bought for peanuts throughout the year. I overhear women rejecting fancy dresses in charity shops moaning that they'll never go anywhere to wear them. As my late Grandma used to say, buy it and when the occasion eventually arrives you'll be ready for anything. 

The house is decorated with hand-made and home grown things. The stocking is filled with the cats' presents (balls, felt mice and treats).

The "paper" chain is made from vintage fabric scraps, stiffened, glued and tied with ribbon. It'll be festooning Gilbert, our VW camper van, come the festival season. Fab tutorial, here.

I've used holly, laurel and ivy from our garden to add some festive cheer and pinned some vintage lurex braid  (bought from a jumble sale back in the summer) to the fireplace for added sparkle. The peacocks usually roost on my chandeliers but they fancied a yuletide change of scenery.

The Trechnikoff ladies are feeling festive.

Pine cones from the trees in the garden.

The tiny home grown tree decorated with handmade crimplene decorations, salvaged sequins, wool, braid and burlap and topped with the rock fairy Emma made for me.

Some people think we'd odd preferring a single, well-chosen, second-hand gift bought with love rather than a multitude of over-blown, expensive gestures. Jon's fair-trade Komodo jacket retails at well over £100 but I snapped it up from a charity shop for less than a tenth of the price. It's going to be perfect for walking to the pub or chilly festival nights.

Extra food? There's no need. We've booked a table at the Indian restaurant for Xmas lunch and we've already got good cheese and crackers in the larder. All we've bought are fresh olives and a couple of bottles of wine. There's always a shop open in multi-cultural Walsall so there's no need to panic and buy more than we need. I don't feel the need to consume more calories just because we're constantly bombarded with supermarket adverts on the TV and besides I'm hoping to be on the beach soon so I don't want to be harpooned .

1960s Jean Varon maxi dress (£4.95, Acorns Hospice) worn with a heap of second-hand costume jewellery

Have yourselves a fabulous time and see you on the other side.
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