At Christmas, the kitchen becomes the center of attention. The Christmas meal takes a lot of time to prepare and creating. What better ambiance for the cook than to have the kitchen decorated with ornaments which reflect the seasonal spirit? Kitchens are not always the most practical places to decorate, since the vapor from cooking can damage many traditional decorations. Instead, how about decorating with ornaments made by the family? These add to the cheer, and can make the kitchen the center of communication during a time when it is busy with preparation for the big meal.

As well as setting the scene with Christmas table cloths, tea towels and festive decorations, some nice ornaments for the kitchen can include a table center piece, and ornamental place mats and coasters, which are relatively simple to make. Although a center piece may not be able to be used in future years because of its fresh nature, what it does is provide a wonderful aroma for the kitchen of fresh pine.

Christmas table ornament.

These can be made relatively easily and will require the following items:

*Florists wire.

*Florists oasis.

*Holly, Christmas tree cuttings.

*Bows and glitter.

*Gold or snow spray paint.

*Red, Green and Gold glass Christmas balls.

*Long red candles.

Laying all the items out on newspaper is a good idea, since this helps to protect the working surface. Cut the oasis to the size required. These can be bought in all shapes and forms, though the best for Christmas are those which are wreath shaped, since these act as a great center-piece. The small branches cut from the Christmas tree are sturdy enough to be inserted into the oasis without much help. These form the base of the decoration, and cover the mousse or oasis. Holly sprigs are cut and then wired with florist's wire to give them a good fixing to the oasis. To do this bend the wire into two and hook it onto the holly sprig so that a secure fixing is simple. Twist the florist's wire to create a solid point which is then inserted into the oasis.

Bows similarly need a piece of florist's wire to hold them into place, though these should not be added at this stage. When all the greenery is in place, spray it with either gold or snow spray paint. The coating should be very light. You can also spray pine cones to go onto the decoration.

Start to add the bows spacing them sufficiently apart so that they enhance the center piece rather than overdo the decoration. The glitter can be obtained from old decorations,

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