Who’s classy, fierce, and nurturing all at once? Okay, yes, Beyoncé—but she’s not going to help decorate your home for the holidays. However, Mother Nature will. Elegant natural elements will beautify your indoors far longer than any plastic Santa-hatted penguin.
Create many items for free when you forage for greenery, pinecones, and plentiful branches from birches and other trees. Check craft stores for low-cost cinnamon sticks, driftwood, and grapevine for wreaths. A real Christmas tree provides a ready-made source of evergreens. (Unless you’re putting it in the middle of the room, you can cut bits off the back and no one will notice.) And you’ll find fragrant, colorful selections in grocery-store produce departments.
All skill levels may apply!
Beginner
Make friends with containers. Bud vases, brandy snifters, baskets, and bowls can become joyful accents. Think contrasting colors and shapes: a clear pillar candleholder filled with fir cones and oranges, a floor vase with birch and spruce cuttings, bowls of cranberries with plain branches loosely framing them. Once they’re filled, place them anywhere you need a dose of cheer.
Intermediate
- Centerpieces: Serving trays make great foundations and make it easy to reclaim table space for baking or for wrapping gifts. Taper candles and cedar boughs set off a birchwood log with pinecones.
- Scents: In addition to the seasonal scent of fir trees, other pieces bring a wonderful aroma inside. Eucalyptus and bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cloves, and sage and rosemary are fragrant, inexpensive, and pleasing to the eye. Word to the wise, though: pet owners, keep these out of your furry friends’ reach.
- Functional: Edible arrangements of fruits and nuts add a festive air while they provide healthy snacks. Pomegranates, pears, grapefruit, and oranges are in season now. Unshelled walnuts are particularly nice, along with chestnuts (pre-roasting) and almonds.
Martha
- Add dried fruit to elevate any decoration. Here’s how to make it.
- Use natural elements in small sprays tied with ribbon or twine to add accents to picture frames, bannisters, candle bases, lamps, side tables, and mantles.
- Make a wreath out of pinecones, herbs, or cinnamon sticks.
- Try your hand at a garland: evergreen, orange and cinnamon, or cranberry and ‘cones.
- Create potpourri to use and give. Click here for stovetop recipes and here for tabletop options.
Bring the beauty and serenity of the outdoors inside this holiday season with these tips, and make decorations you’ll want to keep around even when the holidays are over. But if you feel the need for even more serenity and want some guidance for improved mental health, contact us at Hancock Counseling and Psychiatric Services. We want to help!
Sources and External Links
HOMEMADE DRY HOLIDAY POTPOURRI
https://www.tidbits-cami.com/homemade-dry-holiday-potpourri/Fragrant Homemade Potpourri Recipe
https://julieblanner.com/homemade-potpourri-gift/Bleached Pinecone and Cranberry Garland
https://www.cleanandscentsible.com/bleached-pineconeandcranberry-garland/DIY Dried Orange Garland Made with Fragrant Botanicals
https://hearthandvine.com/diy-dried-orange-garland/Holiday DIY: Foraged Evergreen Garland
https://freshexchange.com/holiday-diy-foraged-evergreen-garland/Cinnamon Stick Wreath – Easy Tutorial for Fall and Winter
https://hearthandvine.com/cinnamon-stick-wreath/How to Make an Herbal Wreath
https://keeperofthehome.org/how-to-make-an-herbal-wreath/
How to Make a Perfect Pinecone Wreath with Easy Tips
https://uptodateinteriors.com/pinecone-wreath-easy-tips/How To Use Fruit For Making Christmas Decorations
https://www.hayesgardenworld.co.uk/blog/how-use-fruit-making-christmas-decorations