O, Christmas tree, O, Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches.

So, what’s the Yuletide routine in your house? Do you put up your life-sized Christmas tree and decorate your home ready for Christmas first, or do you decorate your dolls houses in all their sparkle and glitz before you start on the real thing? Have you got a box up in the attic with all the Christmas paraphernalia in?  So, I’m wondering how many dolls houses also have a miniature box up in their attic overflowing with baubles and bells?

You get a wonderful sense of nostalgia when bringing out last year’s decorations – and the years before… but it’s exciting also to treat your home – big or little, to something new and festive, so here’s a roundup of some gorgeous festive miniatures that we spotted at the Autumn Miniatura Show.

If you really haven’t much space – or you need a miniature to fit inside your dolls house, how about a Swiss chalet with a fir tree and snow in 1/144 scale. These kits are from Little Miss Miniature then furnished by Robert Crouch. Can’t you just feel the snow crunching under your feet on those Swiss slopes?

ABC Miniatures – which stands for Artist Bear Creations make and sell all kinds of character teddies from mice to elephants. In addition to making their own teddies, they sell other artists’ creations from all over the world, selling exclusively at the Miniatura shows.

Michael R Miniatures always has a sparkling array of Christmas miniatures, including gingerbread houses, gifts for under the tree, jars and tins of cookies – even a box of decorations to put into the attic for the rest of the year which every dolls house needs!

Small Sorts have some delightful Christmas trees, Father Christmases and sacks of toys on offer amongst other lovely miniatures. These are all hand-crafted by Toni Malin of Barnsley. She also makes dolls house accessories and witchy, spooky items. All her dolls are brimming with personality and character and the various dressers and bureaus she makes are delightfully cluttered with the personal possessions that tell the story of who lives there.

Where would we be without a pantomime at Christmastime? Getting into the festive spirit is Angela Kinnunen of Raptoor who has collaborated with Amy of Laser Shrink Ray to create a pumpkin carriage. Amy made the pumpkin by 3D printing and Angela made the chassis with all its moveable parts.

And who doesn’t enjoy tucking into all the delicious food we stock up with at Christmas. This chocolate log and Christmas pudding by Life of Riley really do look good enough to eat!

And back to the Christmas tree with thy lovely branches, (see first pic)Valerie Claire Miniatures loves decorating miniature Christmas trees, but also sell the trees undecorated as pines in their natural state. She said, “I do a lot of Christmas miniatures, I’m fascinated with all the sparkly Christmas baubles and they are very popular.”

So, enjoy decorating your Christmas tree and your house – large or small. Merry Christmas everyone!

Photos by Rob Tysall.