o tannenbaum, o tannenbaum

As many of you will know, decorating safely for Christmas can pose a bit of a challenge once you have children. From housing a Christmas tree inside a playpen, to no Christmas tree at all, I have heard lots of mums discussing the options, so I thought I'd post a few ideas I've come up with/found.

Usually I go all out with my Christmas tree, but this year I have decided to go for a more minimalist look with safety in mind. On a trip to Lincraft, I came across some paper mache 3-D stars made from cardboard - they were cheap as chips ($1.99 for lge, $1.49 for sml), have a Scandinavian-vibe which I love, and will not smash if pulled off the tree. I've combined them with red and white grosgrain ribbon bows, as well as some fabric decorations that I picked up at Ikea last year.

Some other possibilities for safe decorations include:

• making your own paper decorations - cut out the shapes of baubles, stars etc and have your child decorate them with drawings, pictures cut from Christmas wrapping paper and stickers;
• these recycled card decorations, pictured below, from Polli - safe AND environmentally friendly!

If you're looking for a quick and safe Christmas tree alternative, I don't think you can go past this fabulous wall decal tree from Love Mae. It's too gorgeous for words!!!

Alternatively, if you're feeling crafty, why not try making your own Christmas tree wall decoration? Be inspired by this idea by Khali from Little Lovely at Bookhou Craft Projects.

Happy decorating!