Cheerful ideas for Christmas displays

How to display stockings
The Christmas stocking must surely top every child's ‘best-bit-of-Christmas' list. And if parents are honest, the stocking is probably the present they have the most fun putting together.

Although hanging up old socks remains popular, the stores are now filled with sumptuously decorated versions. Making your own decorative stocking is not difficult if you're handy with a needle and thread. Personalizing the stockings with names or initials ensures that there will be no fights over who gets what on Christmas day. Making a patchwork stocking is more time-consuming, but the end result is worth it, and will no doubt become a family heirloom, passed down through the generations.

If you have guests staying for Christmas, a miniature stocking would make a nice treat. You could make pretty felt bags containing one or two little gifts to be placed on bedside tables or outside bedroom doors.

And finally, which stocking tradition suits you best? The British wake up on Christmas morning to the delicious weight and lovely crinkly sound of a stocking lying heavy across their legs. North American tradition has you trundling sleepy-eyed into the living room, to find your stocking no longer hanging from the mantel, but on the floor in front of the fireplace, brimming with goodies and gifts. Either way, make sure you leave a drink for Santa and a few carrots for his reindeer!

Pretty fabric
Decorative stockings are a charming way to liven up the kitchen during the run-up to Christmas. They're also very easy to make, requiring only a simple template, scraps of pretty fabric and the most basic sewing skills.

Socks
A lineup of real socks in varying shapes and sizes have been pressed into service for Christmas Eve, and because they are all pure wool in muted retro colours, they make a stylish, understated display.

Patchwork
A patchwork stocking like the one at right is a beautiful decoration in its own right and is guaranteed to become a cherished family heirloom. If you have neither the skill nor the inclination to make one yourself, similar examples can be found at crafts fairs.

Read more in Decorating and Seasonal Decorating