Even before 1st December many people will have already started decorating their homes for the festive season and deciding on Christmas tree themes. Others take a mix-and-match approach to the tree rather than striving for coordinated perfection.
The Royal Families of Europe have also been putting up their trees and Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark’s style is a lot more personal than you might expect. In a video released on the official Instagram page for the Kongehuset (Danish Royal Family), they shared a glimpse of them hanging decorations on a colossal Christmas tree.
It was a real family occasion, with Mary and Frederik joined by their children Christian, Josephine, Vincent and Isabella. This was reflected in the ornaments too, as each of the kids had their own personalised baubles for the Christmas tree.
Shop Personalised Decorations
Add a personal touch to your Christmas tree with this enamel alphabet decoration. Each letter is paired with an animal inspired by the creatures in the iconic Fortnum & Mason tapestry and the decorations are crafted from printed metal. They're finished with enamel and have a hand-painted gold edge.
Affordable and so adorable, this felt monogrammed decoration is currently just £7 in the sale. I'm not at all surprised that many letters have already sold out, but there are still several left and these would be perfect for binging a pop of colour to your Christmas tree.
This charming glass bauble features a tree inside and can be personalised with a name to add some extra festive joy to your tree. When you place your order, you'll receive an email so you can specify your personalisation. The gold detailing really stands out against the glass and twinkles in the light.
Made from durable wood in a heart shape, this decoration also comes with a ribbon so you can easily hang it up. You can personalise it with up to four lines of text, so you can make it as unique as you like. Give as a sweet Christmas gift or add to your own Christmas tree.
You can choose from three different shapes with this enamel decoration - rectangle, round and dog bone shaped - as well as different colour combinations. The pieces are made from iron and glass with a paper backing and they hang from a jute string. Add personal pictures to bring them to life.
This gold round photo frame decoration comes ready to be personalised with a treasured snapshot of your nearest and dearest. Hung with a red ribbon, it's a simple, thoughtful way to make your tree feel personal and full of memories.
They’re not the only ones, either, as the King and Queen also have two separate baubles with both of their names on them. These are beautiful and alongside clips in the video of them accidentally smashing a decoration and playing with their dog, it emphasised how much this moment was about family and fun.
No matter whether you love a real tree or artificial Christmas trees for ease, decorations with personality make a big difference. Personalised decorations are also incredibly popular right now - as woman&home’s Digital Home Editor Tamara Kelly explains.
"Decorating the tree as a family is a beautiful annual tradition to treasure," she says. "Not only is it a joyous activity to bond the whole family, it also allows everyone to add their own personal stamp on the tree. Personalised baubles and tree ornaments are more popular than ever, thanks to this very sentiment of everyone playing a role in the wonder of Christmas."
You don’t have to completely abandon the theme you’d usually go for, either. Tamara advises that you can stick to a "chosen colour palette to keep the scheme coordinated" and then "add personalised designs to act as charming accents" that are dotted throughout the tree.
She adds, "If you are decorating your tree or Christmas tree alternatives with little ones and pets around, opt for shatterproof baubles, because accidents do happen."
This is something Queen Mary and King Frederik know all too well, having broken one of their decorations in the video. The rest of their tree isn’t strict with the colours, though red features quite prominently and they added pops of cobalt blue and gold.
To give a traditional feel to the royal Christmas tree they also included a few classic white and red candy canes, as well as tapered white candles and, of course, a sparkling star on the top. This is the tree that is on display in Amalienborg, which is the Danish Royal Family’s official residence in Copenhagen.
The British Royal Family also look to have the Christmas tree up at Windsor Castle - as seen in a picture posted ahead of the President of Germany arriving for a State Visit on 3rd December. Sadly, from this we can’t see if they have any personal decorations, though it’s possible that ones at their individual homes do have some.
