The observations and forecasts for Christmas 2020 made by Gianfranco Ranieri, who since 2006 has been president of the International Toy Fair, and also president of Flora, the well-established brand of Christmas articles. Things are going to be more domestic, reassuring, traditional and sustainable this year. And people will be wanting to do more in the way of decorations and trimmings.

One interesting fact about the run-up to Christmas this year is that people have started their Christmas shopping earlier.

So what are this year’s Yuletide trends?

- The Mediterranean Christmas: reassuring, warm, traditional, and classic. Nothing outlandish or daringly novel.

-  The main colours will still be red and gold, and also white. However there will be quite a lot of pale pink: the kind of powder pink which first started to make an appearance last year. Nothing too brash or glittery: this year we will mainly be seeing soft, warm, reassuring hues.

- Lighting: people really want to brighten things up this year. Sales are doing very well.

“Consumers – and so also companies,” Ranieri stresses, “are very much focused on nature and sustainability, and on eco-green products, and that will translate into Christmas decorations (wood, natural colours). At Flora we are also very concerned with good social and ethical practices. For example we have donated and planted 3,000 trees (not Christmas trees!) in Kenya, where for many years we have been supporting activities and projects to help children, through Karibuni Onlus.”

What is driving these trends?

“For months now, our homes have been the centre of our daily lives, Christmas dinners at restaurants or elsewhere outside the home will be reduced to a minimum, because people will necessarily be spending more time in their homes.” And more precisely “each of us will be in our own homes, because it will be more complicated to go round to see others.”

As a result, in order to make the most of the festive season (and forget all of life’s tensions for a little while) “attention will focus on the tree. Nativity scenes and Christmas cribs will be more elaborate – and the pleasure associated with that will be keenly felt: it’s something you do at home, as a family. People will be doing more in the way of handicrafts too, because we have more time on our hands to make decorations ourselves.”

So there will be a shift back to reusing things and do-it-yourself, with more interest in giving everything a personal touch.

Ranieri ends on an optimistic note: “Homes will have to be more beautiful than ever: warm, welcoming and full of light. This is going to be a special Christmas – one we won’t forget… We need to be strong and remember that we will get over this difficult time.”