Giving a terrarium for Christmas? Here is how to decorate it and wrap it so it feels like a real Christmas gift.
A terrarium makes a good Christmas gift because it is a present that stays alive and looks festive without needles on the floor. To make it feel like a real Christmas gift, you only need three things: a festive base, a little decoration around the glass and wrapping that keeps the surprise intact. This guide shows how to do all three.
Most Christmas gifts are used up, worn out or forgotten by February. A terrarium is different, because it keeps changing in a quiet way. The plants settle, the moss spreads and the glass stays on the shelf long after the decorations are packed away. It is also a gift for people who already own a lot, since it takes up very little space.
The easiest option is a kit that is already Christmassy. The Jar terrarium kit with a Christmas tree is a glass jar that is 18 cm wide and 28 cm high. It comes with a Picea Glauca 'Conica', also known as the dwarf spruce or table Christmas tree. The package contains the following:
It can stand on the table next to the Christmas tree, on the windowsill or on the table during Christmas dinner. Like all our kits it is a Do-It-Yourself set, so the recipient can build it using the five easy steps.
Decoration works best around the terrarium, not inside it. Keep everything out of the glass, so the plants and the moss stay undisturbed.
A thin string of warm white fairy lights draped around the base gives the glass a soft glow. If your terrarium has an LED cork, you can use that as well. Keep in mind that the LED cork is purely decorative: it adds atmosphere, but it is not a grow light and does not replace daylight.
A few sprigs of fir, some pine cones or a ring of dried orange slices placed around the foot of the glass underline the Christmas theme. They fit well with the green of the moss and cost almost nothing.
Two or three colours look more refined than five. Warm gold, cream and deep red on a green base is a classic combination. Add one or two small baubles beside the glass, not on top of it.
A glass terrarium is awkward to wrap, but a few simple choices make it easy.
If you give a DIY kit, wrap the box and let the recipient build the terrarium themselves. It is a gift and an activity in one, and nothing can break in transit.
Kraft paper or cream tissue paper with a linen or gold ribbon looks good and is easy to fold around a jar. Tie a small sprig of fir or a paper tag into the ribbon. For a ready-built terrarium, a box with soft paper filling keeps the glass steady.
A short handwritten card with two lines of advice is a nice touch. The terrarium should stand in a bright spot out of direct sun, and it is recommended to open it for a few hours once a month. Thanks to the closed ecosystem, watering is often needed only once or twice a year.
It suits people who love plants but have little time, colleagues you want to thank without being too personal and family members who say they need nothing. It also works well as a hostess gift for Christmas dinner, because it can be displayed straight away.
Order early enough to leave time for wrapping and decorating. Choose the wrapping first and the decoration second, so that everything fits together. If you give the gift on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, you can decorate the shelf in advance so the terrarium has a place waiting for it.
It is better to keep decorations around the glass. This leaves the plants and moss undisturbed.
No. The LED cork is purely decorative and does not replace daylight. Place the terrarium in a bright spot without direct sun.
Because the ecosystem is closed, watering is often needed only once or twice a year. Opening it for a few hours once a month is recommended.
No. The kit contains everything you need and a step-by-step plan with five easy steps.
Want to see more festive options? Browse our Christmas terrariums, or read how to make a Christmas terrarium yourself.
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