How To Decorate With Christmas Bunting And Flags: A Practical Guide

By Author: Midland Imports LTD
Total Articles: 1
Comment this article

Fairy lights and tinsel get most of the attention at Christmas, but bunting and flags are one of the cheapest ways to make a house, classroom or shop window look festive, and unlike tinsel they can go outside. Here's a practical guide to choosing, hanging and looking after them, so they come out looking just as good next year.

A short history of bunting

The word "bunting" originally meant the light woollen cloth used to make ships' flags. Strings of small flags were used at sea for signalling long before they became decorations. By the 20th century, bunting was the standard decoration for street parties and village fetes, and strings in red, green, gold and white now do the same job at Christmas.

Christmas decorating as we know it is mostly Victorian. A picture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's family around a decorated tree, published in 1848, helped make the Christmas tree fashionable across Britain, and paper chains and garlands followed. Christmas bunting is a modern take on the same idea.

How much bunting do you need?

Measure before you buy. A few rules of thumb:
- Along a fence, ...
... window or shop front: measure the length and add about 10 per cent for the dip between fixings.
- Zig-zagging across a room or hall: measure one crossing and multiply by the number of runs. Four runs across a 5-metre hall needs 20 metres plus the slack.
- Around a doorway or porch: measure up one side, across the top and down the other.
- On a Christmas tree: a 6ft tree usually takes 5 to 8 metres, wound loosely from the top.

It's better to have too much than too little. Spare bunting always finds a place on a banister or mantelpiece.

Hanging it indoors

- Use removable adhesive hooks on painted walls rather than nails or tape, which can lift paint.
- Keep bunting well away from candles, open fires and heaters. Fabric and paper bunting will burn.
- On a staircase, tie the cord to every second or third spindle so it doesn't sag.
- In schools and halls, check whether there are rules about fixing things to the ceiling, and use a proper ladder.

Hanging it outdoors

Outdoor bunting has to cope with wind and rain, so:
- Choose weatherproof fabric or plastic (PVC) bunting rather than paper or card.
- Pull the cord tight. Loose bunting flaps, wears faster and can wrap itself around guttering.
- Tie off to something solid, such as a fence post, bracket or tree, not to guttering or electrical cables.
- Bring it in during gales. Most damage happens in a single stormy night.

Choosing a Christmas flag

If you have a flagpole in the garden, a Christmas flag gives it something to fly between St Andrew's Day and Twelfth Night. Merry Christmas, Santa, snowman and nativity designs are the most popular.

- 5x3ft is the right size for most garden poles.
- Smaller hand flags work well for nativity plays, Christmas fairs and carol services.
- Table flags make a fun centrepiece for Christmas dinner, especially if family are visiting from abroad: one for each guest's country.

When to put it up and take it down

Many people decorate from Advent Sunday, four Sundays before Christmas. Tradition says decorations should come down by Twelfth Night, on 5 or 6 January. Leaving them up longer is supposed to bring bad luck.

Making it last

- Take bunting and flags down on a dry day, or dry them indoors before storing. Folding them damp causes mildew and stains.
- Wind bunting around a piece of card or a cable reel so the cord doesn't tangle.
- Store everything in a sealed box away from damp and direct sunlight.
- Check for fraying before you put it back up next year, and re-tie or re-hem any weak spots.

Good-quality fabric bunting can last for years if it's looked after, which makes it cheaper over time than buying new decorations every December. For ideas, Midland Flags has a range of Christmas flags and bunting: https://www.midland-flags.co.uk/flags/celebration/christmas

Author resource box:

Logan works at Midland Flags, a flag and bunting supplier in Stoke-on-Trent, England, with over 16,000 designs in stock. Find Christmas flags, bunting and table flags at https://www.midland-flags.co.uk/flags/celebration/christmas