yes it s that time again time to frantically hit the shops and spend obscene amounts of money on finicky same old christmas tree decorations that won t last until new year s eve don t you get bored of doing that every year only to end up with a tree that looks like everyone else s instead we ve rounded up some more interesting and unique ways to decorate this year the elf on the shelf tree if you re a family that already partakes in the elf on the shelf shenanigans positioning a toy elf into new crazy scenarios for your child to wake up to each morning leading up to christmas why not go a step further and create a whole elf tree we love the idea of sticking a few elves in the tree along with giant wooden numbers to act like a big advent calendar gingerbread tree spend the day baking and icing small gingerbread houses stars angels and presents don t forget to leave a little hole at the top to thread red ribbon through then hang the delicious ornaments onto the tree it s pretty and pretty tasty too just don t eat them all before christmas morning silly string tree okay this might be a little difficult for organised moms to get their head around but why not get a little silly this year and let the kids go wild on a tree with a can of party string spray it s not classic but it s a lot of fun and will certainly get people talking when they come over for dinner cotton snow tree we know christmas in south africa is less about snow and fires and more about mangoes by the pool but we can still have a winter tree if we want one plus adding some cotton wool balls and lights to a tree is quick and easy and looks pretty spectacular in the end like a tree in a soft snow storm the sweet tree everyone knows that christmas is all about indulging in things you wouldn t eat regularly your tree should adhere to those rules too this year instead of baubles stick gold red and green sweets in between the branches we love green fizzers and red twiggles pompom tree it s an oldie but a goodie pompoms are super easy to make and a great way to get rid of left over wool you might have show the kids how to make pompoms and then hang them on the tree glitter lights not sure what to do with all your old lightbulbs keep them then cover them in glue dip them in glitter and add a little string to the top they ll make beautiful tree decorations that shine in a whole different way