Christmas time is all about festive cheer, putting the Christmas decorations up, gift giving and eating some great food. It’s the one time of the year when most people tend to go all out and spend a little extra, whether this be on gifts, decorations, or days out with family.
With the celebration and fun though comes Christmas trends, and the top trends change every year so it can often be fun to try out new things with your families. We’ve put together a list of the 10 must-have Christmas trends for 2023, from food to activities to decor.
1. Alternative Christmas trees
Probably the biggest Christmas decoration by far, the Christmas tree is always going to be on trend. However, it has changed in various ways over the years and there is now more of a focus on alternative types of Christmas tree. Sometimes the reason for this is to conserve space, so a pop-up Christmas tree would work. Sometimes it is to save time on decorations over Christmas, so some Christmas trees are designed to be redecorated throughout the year for other celebrations so that you don’t ever have to take them down.
2. Burgundy Christmas decorations
While red is always going to be considered one of the main Christmas colours, burgundy itself is making its comeback. You can find a lot of traditional Christmas decorations in velvety materials that are deep burgundy, including Santa himself proudly showing off his burgundy suit. This is the year to bring these colours back.
3. Candy cane stripes
Another Christmas decoration theme is the candy cane stripe, which doesn’t seem to stray too far from the trends each year. For Christmas 2023, it’s up there with the top trends, especially with the popularity of the elf on the shelf not going away any time soon.
4. Homemade Christmas decorations
The aim this year more than ever is to save money wherever you can, which is why everything homemade is being encouraged this year. This can be anything from homemade decorations to homemade gifts. It doesn’t matter because the thought is still there, and you get to have fun while you create!
5. Woodland animals
It seems that any creature can now be incorporated into our Christmas decorations, as you will find all sorts of woodland creatures happy to sit next to your Christmas tree or on your mantelpiece. Snow covered owls, dogs, dee, and squirrels are all out there to choose from, and you can really create a woodland winter wonderland within your home.
6. The fluffy star
The star can always be found within Christmas decor, especially in religious displays being the cherry on top of the nativity. This year, the star decoration has had a little makeover and is now fluffy. You can find it in many colours and pair it with a whole host of other textured decorations such as the aforementioned woodland creatures as well as placing it atop your tree.
7. Tis’ the season to be vegan
There are a fair share of new foodie trends to try this year, and making its way into Christmas food trends is the plant-based menu. The nut roast is one to try for the main feature of the plant-based Christmas dinner, as it is tasty and festive. You can even buy ‘no turkey’ turkeys and plant-based desserts, so there is a choice for everyone that you may have join you for Christmas day dinner.
8. Graze boards
Cheese boards have been a Christmas favourite for some time, but social media has spread the love of the graze board this year so much that the possibilities are endless. The amount of cheese choices has increased; many supermarkets are letting us be even more creative with our graze boards this year.
9. An alternative to turkey
We’ve talked about plant-based options, but what about an alternative meat to turkey? Well this year, there is a move away from the traditional turkey centerpiece, and in its place are things like pigs in blanket pies, wellingtons and even fish choices. Some of this is a way to try and reduce the waste that can occur with a whole turkey, although you still have plenty of options if you want something more traditional.
10. An alternative to the Christmas pudding
You can’t talk about Christmas unless you talk about dessert, or more traditionally the Christmas pudding. While the age-old brandy covered dessert still remains popular, there are many new things to try this year, including chocolate and caramel alternatives. These often appear to look like the traditional pudding, but have a very different taste and suit some people’s sweet tooth a little better.
A lot of these trends have a significant focus on making the best of everything at the same time as saving money or reducing waste, which are both really trends within themselves. The good thing is you can follow these trends or take a pinch of each one here and there; they will all help go towards making a more cost-effective enjoyable Christmas for all.
