Nature is beautiful, especially at Christmastime. Harness that beauty by using nature for your Christmas decorating ideas. We’ve compiled a list to get you started!
Nurture Natural Christmas Decorating Ideas
Take a look around you – this time of year is perfect for generating fabulous Christmas decorating ideas! Snow-topped evergreens and pinecones, beautifully fresh citrus fruits, and amazing scented herbs and spices harbor the feeling of the holidays for so many of us. Use that homey feeling when creating natural Christmas decorations. Here are some Christmas decorating ideas for you to consider.
Decorate with Pinecones
They look great on trees (nature’s Christmas ornament!), but pinecones also make great and diverse holiday decorations.
Pop in a bit of nature by adding real pinecones to an artificial wreath, garland or other typical Christmas greenery.
Make Christmas ornaments for your real or artificial Christmas tree. This is a fun activity to do with your kids or grandchildren too! Gather up pinecones from the yard and paint them or decorate them as your favorite holiday character. Make Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with pipe cleaners and googly eyes. Paint the tips white, use spray-on snow or a bit of Epsom salt to make them look snow-covered. Cover them with glitter to make them shimmer and shine when the Christmas lights hit them. Be creative and have fun! Just remember to glue on the string so you can hang them on your tree!
Fill a bowl. Simple is often best. A fancy bowl or other cylinder filled with pinecones make a memorable yet easy centerpiece or Christmas home décor piece. Use extra painted pinecones from your ornaments or use them as nature intended. Add other accents too, such as cranberries, dried pomegranates or oranges, star anise, moss, pine boughs, etc. To add a bit of pizzazz, tie garland or Christmas ribbon around the bowl or cylinder.
These Christmas decorating ideas are just the tip of the cone; collect your pinecones and see what other ideas come to you.
Decorate with Oranges
The orange is popular at Christmastime for some cultures as it symbolizes the gold left in the first Christmas stocking by Saint Nicholas. But it can also make lovely Christmas décor!
Let it be! As with pinecones, oranges look festive when simply placed in a bowl, pot or other open holiday decoration. Add some cranberries or mistletoe for a true holiday feel.
Spice them up! For a different look, insert cloves into oranges in a fun and festive design or pattern. This is another Christmas craft idea that you can do with older kids as well. The oranges can be used as centerpieces, ornaments, wreath accents or more.
Dry it out. Dried oranges make wonderful ornaments either full or sliced. Just add a bit of decoration, some string, and a hook and they’re ready to go! Take sliced oranges, dry them and string them together for a beautiful garland that can be draped around your Christmas tree or added to evergreen branches and strung along your staircase or mantel.
Decorate with Cinnamon Sticks
Who doesn’t love the smell of cinnamon in the winter? It’s such a warming scent, especially when added to a cup of hot chocolate that’s enjoyed by a crackling fire.
Gather them. Bundle up those cinnamon sticks and they can be used as a deliciously scented ornament for your tree. They also make a lovely gift wrap decoration or wreath accent. A bundle of cinnamon sticks can be used for a number of different things and the smell makes it extra special. Get thinking and get bundling!
Glue them. Take a plain candle and glue the cinnamon sticks around, then tie off with a piece of burlap or Christmas ribbon. Put the candle in the middle of a wreath and you have a gorgeous Christmas table centerpiece.
Turn them into Santa Claus! Even the kids and grandkids can enjoy making these holiday decorations. Take a cinnamon stick, paint the top red, add a bit of pink paint for the face then draw on a face. Top it off with a bit of cotton on the top and make a big, bushy beard. Now you have a holly jolly Saint Nick stick!
Decorate with Star Anise
Star anise is gorgeous. Mother Nature created a decoration when she made this spice. It is a star-shaped seed pod with the smell and flavor of black licorice and is often used in baking. But it can dress up your home as well!
Use it as accents to homemade soap or candles. Star anise pods add some glamour to bar soaps or pillar candles.
Press them into dough, ceramic, plaster, etc., to create a festive design. These make great ornaments. Use your favorite ornament recipe (ceramic or dough recipes can be found online) and cookie cutters to make a Christmas ornament. Press the anise into them to create a star shape, bake and cool and they are ready for the tree.
Make potpourri. Add star anise, dried rose petals, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, nutmeg and cardamon pods, mix together and divide into mason jars or bowls and you’re done! Not only does it look and smell great in your own home, but it also makes a lovely gift to give to neighbors, party hosts, family members, etc.
Bonus tip: Take leftover oranges, cinnamon sticks, and star anise, add them to a saucepan with two cups of water and some rosemary sprigs, simmer over low heat and the aroma of Christmas will fill your home!
Are You Ready to Decorate with Nature?
Christmas decorating ideas using nature are endless! Let your mind and creativity go wild, like nature, and have fun. But if you find yourself making more of a mess than a masterpiece, we have some lovely natural, rustic Christmas decorations ready to go for you!
Article source: https://www.improvementscatalog.com/RoomForImprovements/christmas-decorating-ideas-decorate-nature/
