‘Tis that time of the year again when homes welcome ginormous trees adorned with sparkling baubles, vibrant ribbons, and ornaments handed down over generations. Spaces are spruced up with festive wreaths, candy canes, and even the upholstery gets a makeover with festive prints. This year, we take you on a rather sustainable route and introduce brands known for all things handmade and environment friendly — think wooden ornaments, bells crafted from jute, fabric baubles, and more.
Woodthought
Two years ago, Anna Susan Sam went looking for an antique ranthal vilakku (lantern) to gift her mother-in-law for her birthday. “Feelings, emotions, and aesthetics are an integral part of gifting, and I wanted the lantern to remind my mother-in-law of her childhood,” says Anna, who realised the lamps available in the market were frail and lacked antiquity. So, she went on to craft a wooden candle stand inspired by the traditional vilakku, and soon decided to craft similar products by collaborating with skilled carpenters from her husband’s hometown, Thodupuzha, in Kerala’s Idukki district. That Christmas, Anna — who was on a career break post the birth of her daughter in 2019 — launched Woodthought, a brand that offered bespoke wooden decor such as nameplates, wedding covenants, ring boxes, platters, and an exclusive Christmas range.
“The brand was driven by a desire to support local artisans, and when I launched, I had employed two young mothers and two college students,” says Anna. Post-Christmas, more artisans were keen to join the team, and she expanded to two larger working spaces with imported machinery. “Understanding the challenge of a mother looking for work near her home shifted my perspective of this venture from a hobby to a mission,” adds Anna who launches Christmas ornaments every year to “challenge the dependency on Chinese products and plastic items”.
The festive line includes snowmen, stars, tabletop trees, Xmas trays, welcome boards, and wreaths. The highlight, however, is the “six-foot teakwood Christmas tree, designed for easy assembly, symbolising a sustainable alternative to plastic trees”. Anna explains how it took the team over a year to develop the tree. “It was conceived with the idea that families should have the opportunity to not just buy their Christmas decorations, but actively participate in creating and building cherished holiday memories,” says Anna who plans to work with clay and metal in the future.
Knotty Manager
For the last three years, Rachna Raniwala has been knitting a range of Christmas-themed accessories in different colors, and mostly larger sizes and unrelated styles. This year, however, the artist has curated a range with a colour theme: red, white, green, and grey. “I’ve made them in a more uniform size to make them perfect for gifting,” says the professional chartered accountant of her mini gnomes, stockings, stars, and ‘ugly’ sweater ornaments.
Rachna says it takes her three-four focussed hours of making a single small sized ornament including the stitching that is “the most painful part!” “A larger sized item like the red Santa takes me five-six hours,” she says.
Upwards of ₹350. @the_knottymanager on Instagram
Wudapple
At the popular home and garden décor store in Kochi, the annual Christmas sales mark the beginning of the festive season. This holiday season, founder Leena Francis says the aisles are filled with an array of intricately designed and handmade Christmas tree ornaments. “These include stars designed with locally sourced fabric and ribbons, embroidered cushion covers and table runners, centre table pieces made out of tree trimmings, Christmas bells and ornaments made out of jute twines and laces.” Also available are metal lanterns adorned with pine cones and faux flowers; handmade paper flowers; wooden sledges; and wreaths. “The collection also features a stunning variety of budget-friendly Christmas trees and dinnerware,” says Leena, who draws inspiration from her travels.
Upwards of ₹150 on wudapple.com, and stores in Kochi, Calicut and Bengaluru
Tanned Ink
As an artist creating digital art, traditional pen and ink art, and even hand-poked tattoos, Amey Todkar says the idea to work with glass took shape over a discussion with his architect wife, Disha. “We started talking about working with glass, specifically stained glass, as Disha has studied a lot of old buildings and churches and I have always been drawn to the beauty of stained glass; it just felt like a good medium to work with,” says Amey, who also works as a creative supervisor at Bengaluru’s Moving Picture Company.
Thus was born Tanned Ink, and the duo taught themselves how to make Tiffany style-stained glass art products such as suncatchers and lamps. “It took us a few months, a lot of broken glass, cuts on the hand and frustration to get good at it. It’s been just over a year but the response has been amazing,” he says, adding that they put a lot of focus on festive pieces. “We make a limited number of pieces, and this year we have planned to make some cute little Santas, Christmas trees, sweets etc.” Amey says it can take them anywhere between five hours to a few days depending on the design and size.
Upwards of ₹500. @tannedink on Instagram
Asone
Popular embroiderer Asone Tinyi, who hails from Nagaland, has chosen simplicity and minimalism as the theme for her annual Christmas ornament collection. “The hand crafted ornaments are simple, and I picked muted tones as the colour theme with pops of bright red and green. I planned my project in such a way that each is a limited edition item,” says Asone, who now resides in Hyderabad. Crafted in felt, her range features dolls in tunics and long woollen hair, 3D baubles embellished with bead and thread work.
Upwards of ₹650 on on @asone.embroidery on Instagram
Picky Artz
When looking for wooden toys for her child’s birthday three years ago, Nikila Perumal was disappointed with the options. “The either had subpar paint quality or an unpleasant odor. Unable to find what I envisioned, I decided to start my own venture on that special day,” says the software engineer-turned-artist. Now, she crafts wooden miniatures, decor, open-ended toys, and peg dolls in birch and sheesham wood. “I use only non-toxic water-based paints and sealants in the crafting process,” she adds. This year, her offerings include a miniature crib set, personalised star ornaments, a Santa sleigh with a reindeer and gifts display, family dolls, wooden wreaths, and Mr and Mrs Claus peg dolls.
Upwards of ₹199 on @picky_artz on Instagram
Cananor Guild
Founded in 2020, the brand was created by couple Vandhana Kollara Sunil and Manjul Jayakumar as an ode to their passion to honour and preserve “the intricate textile heritage of Kannur”. “Inspired by the historical essence of Kannur, often referred to as Cananor in the past, our brand strives to merge the timeless traditions of textile craftsmanship with the ever-evolving preferences of today’s market,” says Vandana of the brand that retails bedding, bags, kitchen accessories, among other handcrafted accessories. This Christmas, their catalogue boasts crimson, gold, and green fabric baubles shaped as bells, candy canes, trees, etc; wooden baubles crafted by artisans in Channapatna; and a Santa’s goody bag stocking designed in red and white striped cotton.
Upwards of ₹95 cananorguild.com
Thenga
The homegrown brand from Kerala that repurposes coconut waste into sustainable and handmade home products, are retaling their classic Christmas hangings composed of coconut fragments that are shaped and polished into tree hangings. “These rustic baubles are then engraved with Christmas patterns like reindeers, stars etc,” says founder Maria Kuriakose who set up Thenga in 2019 and sources coconut shells from coconut processing units across Kerala. We also have red soy wax candles ensconced in coconut shells and we are offering a special Christmas twist on our best selling coconut bowls that will come with a special golden engraving of Santa on his sleigh,” she says, adding that Thenga, a women-led venture, generates permanent employment for many women in Palakkad, Kerala.
Upwards of ₹299 on thengacoco.com
