4 years ago

Natural Ways to Decorate Your Home for the Winter

Author Bio

Emma Gallagher is a Brit living in North Carolina. She grows organic gardens and... Read More

Out with the pumpkins and hay bales, and in with the holly and ivy. Whether you celebrate a specific winter holiday or not, it is fun to decorate your home in a way that celebrates that which is still beautiful in nature.

Bringing greenery, and generally, the outside in is an age-old tradition this time of year. Sure, there are shops heaving with decorations from fake trees, to fairy lights, to glittering baubles, but if you just take a little look outside, you might find some fun stuff to bring in. You can even forage from the ground meaning that you don’t have to prune the trees at all.

Holly, ivy, pine cones, pine tree garlands, and mistletoe are evergreen paraphernalia that has been used to decorate for the winter for centuries. The original intent may have been skewed and readopted over the years, but the cozy, warm festive feeling remains when you see a wreath on a door or a sprig of holly atop a picture frame. Combine that with dried fruits and nuts and you will have a house full of natural festive joy.

If you are ditching the commercial decorations this year and are looking for something that can be simply composted after the season is over, then look no further. Here are some eco-friendly ways to bring the spirit of the season into your home for little to no cost at all.

Wreath

To make a basic wreath you need to start with a hoop of some kind. The size of it depends on how big you want your wreath to be. You can find a metal hoop, or even better, if you can source some green vines, you can wrap them into a compostable hoop. The internet and craft stores also sell natural willow/cane hoops.

Once you have your hoop, gather some greenery. You can use ivy, pine tree sprigs, hemlock, holly, boxwood, or anything that you can get your hands on that stays green and lush. With some hemp twine or garden wire, start to load your hoop with your trimmings.

Wire on some pine cones for added decoration.

Cranberry and Orange Garland

Garlands are such a wonderful decoration to use as they are so versatile. You can hang them on your tree, along your mantlepiece, or weave them through your banisters. To make this garland you need to slice oranges into discs and push a clove into the center of each piece. for decoration and aroma. Then, pop them into the oven to dry out. They are ready when they get a translucent appearance.

Next, you need to get a needle and some fine thread (waxed would be a great choice) and start stringing your orange slices and fresh cranberries along it. You can get creative with your patterning at this point.

You can also thread popcorn and walnuts in a similar way.

Mini Rosemary Hoops

rosemary wreath

Shari’s Berries/Flickr

This is a fantastic idea if you have your own rosemary bush growing in your garden. You can use these mini wreaths as name markers at your holiday dinner table, or hang them individually onto your tree. You can also make a bunch of them and fashion them into a mobile by hanging them from a pretty branch or stick.

Just clip a long rosemary stem and form it into a hoop. Use some natural twine to secure the ends together. You can then use some more string to make a loop for it to hang on your tree, doorknobs, or anywhere else you can think.

Twig Stars

These twig stars are super cute and can be decorated with other greenery from your garden. You can make them any size you wish, and they can even be used as a wreath for your front door.

They can get a little fiddly but keep at it. To make one star you need five sticks and some natural twine. The easiest way to do this is to tie together two sets of two twigs at one end so that you are left with two letter Vs. Then, with the remaining stick, form a five-pointed star, and tie the ends together appropriately.

You can add some more sting to hang the star up with, and tie on some holly, pinecones, or ivy for extra flare.

Natural Holiday Cards

Rather than buying a holiday card this year, think about making your own from some sprigs of greenery you find in your garden. Take a piece of recycled card and fold it in half to make a greeting card. Then, choose a small holly branch, piece of ivy, or a small tuft of pine tree and sew it to the front of the card with some natural twine. Your greeting card is then completely compostable and creates no waste at all.