The family enjoy celebrating the winter solstice –
the concept of cherishing nature and the change of the
seasons. This inspires how they decorate their home,
and they regularly gather objects when outdoors to
bring home and make garlands and wreaths. “In the
past we’ve made little animals to decorate our tree –
they hide among the branches and the children love
them!” Artemis says. “A large owl looks down from the
top of the tree, and it really does feel like we’re in the
woods in our living room.” For the family, winter is all
about earthy tones, so they steer clear of bright
colours and prefer to celebrate the survival of plants
and animals during the dark, cold months.
As a mother, Artemis acknowledges the fact that,
for children, Christmas is very much about what’s
under the tree. As a family they enjoy giving special
gifts, either handmade or carefully chosen items, but
they encourage the concept of finding joy in other
things too. “Our kids love roasting chestnuts on our
living room fire, they love making wrapping paper
and mince pies, and they love going to buy the tree
and decorating it – they each have their own little
tree to decorate how they want,” she explains.
Contrary to popular belief, Artemis believes that
Christmas is one of the easiest times of year to be
ethical and sustainable. “You can find so many
beautiful natural things to use as decorations,
and even reuse them for following years,” she says.
“Vintage baubles are far more attractive than new
ones in my opinion and can often be found in charity
shops or at vintage fairs.” Her advice is to look at
Christmas through a child’s eyes again: “Stop and
think about all the small things that you loved about
Christmas when you were young; quite often you’ll
find that the things you remember the most weren’t
to do with money at all.”
You can see more of Artemis’ family life, craft projects and
home décor ideas on her blog: junkaholique.com
“You can find so many
beautiful natural things
to use as decorations”