That’s right… All the gold, sword and glitter that fills the world of commerce at the beginning of November to set the mood is actually quite soulless and fake. The spirit is rather homemade, in meaning and in stories.

We – Estonians have a background in the back rooms of farmhouses and there was no sparkle. The pride of Christmas was the brightness of the peeled reed against the dark log wall. The reed Christmas crown was always made by the family, and the children could do it too. Stories say that the crowns kept evil away. They were placed in the house in such a way that anyone who entered the room could easily spot them and the crown would catch the eye of the evil one. The Christmas crown is simple in nature, with the ears arranged in an octagonal ornament. However, if more people are involved, dozens of tiny chandeliers can be woven together and the result may even resemble a manor house chandelier. To spice up the colour, you can add a few home-made sweets or strips of cloth, a skein of yarn or a feather. A Christmas crown is undoubtedly a part of my own childhood Christmas. Picked from a beach in Saaremaa, it was carefully peeled until the golden gum inside came out. These were braided together at my grandmother’s to make a crown, and to this day it remains one of the most authentic Christmas treats of my childhood. Although at the time, due to the state order, they were more often referred to as ‘crowns of nary’. J This New Year’s Eve, I invite you to recreate this homemade festive feeling. Take an hour in the Christmas tree with your colleagues. Let’s sit down, look at each other and let our fingers do the walking. The secretary doesn’t even have to worry about which colour of glass eggs to buy to hang on the office windows this time, we can pile on a few tiny crowns and set up fancy homemade office decorations. No, and you don’t have to go out and buy the decorations yourself. The steward will bring everything you need. You just give us a call and the whole team will get together. Trust us, even the most squeamish colleague will find the fun, there’s just something so powerful about crafting with your own hands. And if you like those Chinese glass eggs, you can hang them on the Christmas crown too! PS! And if you’re going to sell your boss on the idea of Christmas crafting together, you can pitch it to him or her with the argument that this is how your team can mitigate climate catastrophe and save the environment. He just can’t say no to that!