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Best Green Holiday Decorating
By the Care2 Green Living Staff
As easy as it may be to drop that artificial garland in the shopping cart, we’ve found that green decorating for the holidays is healthier, cheaper, prettier and so much more satisfying. Deck your halls with our favorite eco-friendly winter decor ideas and start dreaming of a green Christmas.
Decorate with Nature
Use evergreens. It’s good to remember the undying green when the natural world sleeps. Fragrant and bristling with good energy, evergreens are the quintessential symbol of this season. Heap them in vases and jugs, garland your doorways, banisters, mirrors, or mantelpieces, place a sprig or two underneath the bows on your gift packages. Put them in an old workboot to place by the door, or a twig basket for the bedside table, or a pretty mug for the kitchen counter. Evergreens add festive cheer to every room in the house. For more ideas about decorating with items found outside: Decorating with Winter Nature Magic.
Make Organic Twinklers
Holiday candles nested in fruits or vegetables are a creative way to light up a room, and an excellent reason to forgo traditional holiday candleholders for a more “natural” alternative. Read on for how to make an Orange Clove Twinkler and other clever decorating tricks: Winter Holiday Eco-Decorating.
Decorate with Edibles
Make garlands with dried bay leaves, small lady apples, dried figs, cinnamon sticks and more. Just thread a needle and start stringing! For lots of fun food decorating ideas: Decorating with Food.
Make Your Own Ornaments
Make, bake and decorate using this recipe for homemade ornaments. The dough is very easy to work with, and once baked the ornaments are very firm and easy to paint. For the recipe, and another fun ornament idea, see: Recipes for Homemade Holiday Ornaments.
Create an Indoor Sanctuary
We can all benefit from spending time in a little quiet corner where we can find our center, and be recharged. All you need is a private place and a candle, although some of us also like to include photos or statues or gifts from nature in our sanctuary spot. Taking time out to simply gaze at a lighted candle is one way to commune with the inner stillness that brings such peace in the midst of frantic activity. For more holiday lighting tips: Seven Easy, Energizing Ways to Light up the Holidays.
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8 comments
add your comment »I do like natural, but it seemed such a waste and mess and my allergies didn't like it, with the exception of a Noble tree we purchased garland and I decorate with found nature. Magnolia leaves are beautiful and long-lasting. Happy healthy 2008. Rev. Donna-Marie
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I picked an e-card, but no "send this card" at a bottom of the selectted card. there for unable to send the card. please tell me what to do. Thank you.
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In my childrens primary school yhe children are encouraged to send one hand made (eco) card to all the chidren in their class rather than 30 indervidual cards
Bah Humbug!!!!
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For those of us with allergies, fresh greens can be a disaster. We have used an artificial tree and garlands for many years for health reasons. While they might be made from non-renewable resources, they are purchased just once and used for a very long time.
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I feel it is a waste to buy food simply for decoration. It costs too much to have those oranges and cloves produced and shipped to me. I prefer using aritificial high-quality greenery that can be used for many years, and enhancing it with things found around the area - pine cones, magnolia seed heads, etc.
The greater problem to me is when we purchase cheap and cheaply made lights and ornaments that must be replaced every year.
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I remember one year when I got a tree that was way too big for our home--it was a fresh evergreen..I trimmed it off and with the extra trimmings I tied several together with a brigh red bow and added some brigh red wooden apple ornaments -- I made several that way -- I hung one on my door and handed out the other three...like I said my tree was huge....It was really aromatic -- as I gave one to my Grandparents (who only put up an artifical tree) and they loved the scent each time their door opened up.
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I made pommander oranges ten years ago .I completely covered the oranges with cloves, rolled the finished pommanders in oris root plus cinnamon and ground cloves. They are still beautifully aromatic. Denise N.
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Thank you for some new ideas. I've been doing a few of these for years now, but I certainly intend to add on with some of the ideas above.
Happy Green Holidays!
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