Santas and Christmas Puddings — The Small Makes Lighting Up the Tree

Some of the decorations in my Christmas batch weigh almost nothing, cost less than a Christmas card, and are still always the first thing people pick up at craft fairs. This week's journal entry is their turn in the spotlight: the Santas and the Christmas puddings.

The little crochet Santa is about 6cm wide and 7cm high, made entirely from cotton yarn with a hanging loop, so he goes straight on the tree the moment he arrives. At £4 he travels well too — post-friendly, gift-friendly — and orders for more little Santas can always be taken.

The puddings are out in force this year as well. The crochet Christmas pudding is a dinky 5cm ball of rich brown and white cotton yarn topped with sequin holly leaves and little red bead berries, hung from a gold cord, also at £4. The ribbon pudding does the same job with more sparkle: an approximately 5cm decoration in ribbon with traditional holly and berry detail at £7.50, and there is a slightly larger 6cm sister at £7.95 in rich brown and white ribbon with a sparkly silver hanger. One goes on the tree, one lives on the wreath, one adorns a gift — between them the puddings multiply beautifully.

For the mantelpiece rather than the tree, the fabric Santa face stands neatly on a shelf: chevron ribbon beard, rosy cheeks and a proper red hat, at £8 — and he is just as happy hung on the tree if there is no shelf to spare.

At the fairs these little ones sell in families — people collect a whole cast and take them home for the back of the tree, then come back for the front. If you would like more handmade gift ideas, all of my picks under £20 are gathered in the festive gift guide. Thank you, as ever, for reading the journal!