Christmas is around the corner and with it comes the promise of delicious rum cakes, joyful carols, and the reunion of families. The telltale signs of a Christmas iconic to the West - snow on trees, holly wreaths on doorways, and suburban houses bedecked with fairy lights - might not be something you will easily see in a city like Delhi.
However, over the years people here have adopted this occasion as their own. Now people decorate their homes with stockings, candy canes, and a range of ornaments to usher in the holiday spirit. Be it embroidered wreaths, crocheted ornaments, or personalised stockings, these homegrown décor brands feel 'it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas'.
In 2017, designer from GK-I, Sakshi Babber Paul (36) decided to start Design Station, a venture to upscale textiles that usually make it to the landfill. Her brand uses traditional textiles and crafts to create contemporary home décor.
This Christmas, Design Station has launched their newest holiday collection titled 'Take Me Home'. It features hand-embroidered bells, knitted ornaments, and candy cane cushions crafted out of discarded fabric.
"The theme is based on the idea of how Christmas reunites families to celebrate special moments with them. Every ornament has a story to tell, and with recycled fabric, like the stories, the decor can also be passed down through generations," says Paul.
Where: Design Station on Instagram
Price: Rs. 250 onwards
"Christmas has always excited us," shares GK-I resident Kaash Bhuchar, who co-founded Silver Glitter - it specialises in custom décor and gifting options - with her friend Sanjam Hingle from Model Town.
"We would discuss how, in other countries, people would decorate their houses during Christmas. So, we decided to bring the holiday spirit to Delhi in the form of personalised décor," shares Bhuchar (35).
This season, the brand has personalised mason jars as part of their Christmas collection. Along with it, they also have decorative ornaments such as stockings, stars, snowflakes, candy canes, neon lights, and metal monograms, all of which can be customised according to one's preferences.
Where: Silver Glitter on Instagram
Price: Rs. 400-Rs. 1,250
The pandemic-induced lockdown was a time when Faridabad-based Shraddha Vasisht developed an interest in crocheting. Eventually, with the help of her daughter Deeksha, this hobby bloomed into a small-scale business venture, Kira Crochet.
"My mother always needs to do something with her time, otherwise she gets jittery. With Kira, she wouldn’t get bored and would also earn a bit of money for her creations," comments Deeksha.
They have an array of options - table decorations and Christmas ornaments such as crocheted Christmas tree, snowflakes, mini sweaters, Santas, stars, and stockings - to choose from. This holiday season, the duo has also decided to add a crocheted Christmas garland to their list.
Where: Kira Crochet on Instagram
Price: Rs. 250-Rs. 500
Noida-resident Ritu Jain (51) has always enjoyed embroidery. Her Instagram page, Hazel Embroidery Designs, is a by-product of her passion for all things hand-embroidered. Her creations include an array of hoops in unique festive and wintery motifs such as a winter landscape, Christmas trees, holly wreaths, snowflakes and more.
For Christmas, her brand is showcasing a range of hoops that can be used as wall decorations, work as Christmas tree adornments, or even as stylist wreaths to greet your guests with holiday cheer. Jain also provides a specialised kit with an instruction manual and designs for anyone who wants to create their own embroidered Christmas decorations.
"All my works are handmade with very fine designs that make them unique. Moreover, my knowledge of textiles helps with choosing colour palettes that complement each other, giving the creations a delicate and vintage look," shares Jain.
Where: Hazel Embroidery Designs on Instagram
Price: Rs. 400-Rs. 1,500
For Malviya Nagar-resident Anju Tamang (32), creating handstitched products started with crafting wall hangings for her newborn child. Her venture flourished by word-of-mouth this year, and Tamang established her Instagram page Saanjh Creations in September.
Hoping to help families bring in the holiday season, Tamang’s creations feature handstitched Christmas ornaments, buntings, customised Santa hats, stockings, and pillows. "For me, providing good customer service is important. I shop on Instagram too, so I try to provide the service that I want to get for myself," says Tamang.
Where: Saanjh Creations on Instagram
Price: Rs. 300-Rs. 1,200