Ever get to the end of the year and the budget feels a little..tight? Ever pull out the bins of Christmas decor and feel a little overwhelmed? Yeah, me too. Almost every year. Since we moved to our little cottage on acreage, the reality of four people living in roughly 1,000 square feet has set in. Simplifying nearly everything has become a necessity, especially holiday decor. The last few years I’ve opted for simple, foraged holiday decor and it’s been just the thing!
How can I decorate for the holidays without clutter?
This is a question I find myself asking every single year. Especially since we moved to our current home, almost three years ago. Our living room is long, narrow and small. Having a tree is one corner takes up a lot of space and visual interest. In this room we have a couch, two reading chairs, an armoire which hides our TV and a small piano. Besides swapping out the tree for the usual fiddle leaf fig, there’s just not a lot of space to add decor.
Here’s a few tips for making your decor count in small spaces:
- Spread it around. Growing up our tree was in one room, but my Mom always did a great job of scattering little touches of Christmas all throughout the main floor of the house. This way, it never felt like too much in any one spot. In our house, this looks like wreaths on the windows in my kitchen, our Nativity Set and Christmas China in the dining room hutch, fun twinkle lights in the boys’ room and illuminated Scandinavian Paper Stars in the front windows.
- Utilize wall space. Being that we have a small house with small rooms, using wall space to house decor is a great solution. In my kitchen, where counter space is at a minimum, I hang wreaths on two of the three windows. Our living room wall holds our stockings next to the wood stove. And we replace our usual chalkboard in the dining room with a handmade Advent Calendar. None of these items take up any floor space or flat surfaces, and they add a lot to the merry feeling of our home.
- Decorate with practical items. Investing in a set of Christmas dishes– something I’d always dreamed of having- was a genius move for so many reasons. I store the dishes in my hutch on display, which adds a festive touch to the dining room. We use them for all special meals and events. And in the past I’ve even used the bowls to plant paper whites and amaryllis in.
- Use items you can compost or recycle at the end of the season. Nothing helps you avoid clutter better than being able to toss the decor items when you’re done with them. This is where that foraged decor comes in super handy. Having a live tree, garlands and wreaths means you don’t have to store them in the off season. You can send them to the burn pile or compost heap without a second thought.
How do you forage holiday decor?
Foraging is simply the act of gathering wild items, for free. Going from place to place, searching for things you can use.
So when it comes to the holidays, that can mean Evergreen boughs and branches, berries, pinecones, holly, mistletoe and so much more! I love to make wreaths with all kinds of things found on our property. Things like ferns, dried seed pods (and even weeds, gasp!), wispy branches, grapevines and moss, often find their way into my wreaths or centerpieces.
Here are a few tools I use when foraging:
- Farmer’s Market Basket. I have found there is no better method for gathering foraged items than a nice, roomy Farmer’s Market basket. You can throw it over your shoulder and it’s large enough to contain those longer branches. I’ve had mine for years and I’ve used it for just about everything under the sun.
- Pruning Shears or Flower Scissors. My pruning shears tend to disappear around here for some reason, so if they have wandered off again, I grab my flower scissors. I’ve always used the black Japanese flower scissors in the past, but these sage green ones are calling my name. Either one makes it super easy to snip the greens you want for your decorating needs.
- A good pair of rubber boots. Whether you are trekking through the woods at a local park or scavenging your parents backyard, a good pair of rubber boots (or maybe snow boots where you live!) this time of year is a MUST. These are my favorites.
- Thick, warm gloves. Between the cool weather, the prickly nature of some holiday greens or just the sap of an evergreen tree, you’ll want a good pair of gloves for your foraging adventures.
Why decorate for Christmas with nature?
Using nature to decorate for Christmas is sustainable. It means you aren’t buying trendy decorations that might end up at the thrift store later on. It means that when the holiday season is over, you can toss those items in the burn pile or compost pile, and not have to take up valuable storage space in your home.
It also means that you are SAVING MONEY for things that really matter. Aside from a tradition of buying our boys an ornament each year, we bought nothing new this Christmas. We are taking them to see The Nutcracker Ballet for the first time, giving them a beautiful experience and making memories, instead of spending that money on decor.
The final reason why I love using natural elements to decorate for the holidays is that it emphasizes the seasonality of Winter. Winter is a season where it’s a little more challenging to get outside in nature. For me personally, after too long in the world of man-made things, I tend to get a little depressed. Bringing the outside in reminds me of the beauty of the season, and helps me feel connected to nature even if I can’t be outside as much myself.
What kind of holiday decor can I make with foraged things?
Ok, great. You’ve gone outside, stuffed a bag full of branches and boughs, berries and cones, but what now? What do you actually DO with it all?
Here are a few of my favorite things to make with those foraged winter goods:
- Wreath. There’s nothing more classic than a Christmas wreath. I’ve made many wreaths over the years, some better than others, but they never fail to make me happy and make the house feel festive. If you feel intimidated by wreath making, you can grab a wreath ring to get you started. I’ve also bought inexpensive wreaths somewhere like Trader Joe’s, and added my own foraged items to personalize them a bit. Here’s a tutorial for a beautiful foraged wreath.
- Centerpiece. The easiest way to make a beautiful holiday centerpiece is to ball up some chicken wire, place it in a vessel of some sort (vase or bowl), fill your vessel with water and arrange your foraged greens and goodies by sticking the ends into the wire and water. Add a candle or some twinkle lights, make sure it’s full and lovely on every side and arrange to your heart’s content. I love a festive holiday table!
- Garland. You can spend hundreds of dollars on faux pre-lit garland, but why!? Why buy one when all you need is some floral wire and determination. I like to choose a base of larger branches (1-2 ft. long), wire those together super well, and then add in different greens or berries for variety on top. It’s one of those things that you just kind of learn as you go, so don’t beat yourself up if it takes a while to get the hang of it!
- Table/place setting. I love nothing more in this life than a beautiful table setting. Tying up fresh greens or berries with your napkin, lining the table with a beautiful garland and perhaps even decorating your name cards with foraged elements, there’s no end to what you can do with your imagination!
Simple things to add to foraged holiday decor
Just because I’ve waxed poetic about all the ways to use foraged items in your holiday decor, doesn’t mean I’m totally opposed to buying a few simple things to really up the ante. Here’s a few pieces I like to add to my foraged greens to really make them pop!
- Beautiful ribbon. I am a sucker for velvet. I’ve always adored it. When I was a little girl, one Christmas my Mom made matching green velvet dresses for her and I. It was my dream come true! I don’t find the occasion to wear velvet all too often anymore, so instead I have become a devotee of velvet ribbon. Red, green, gold, blue, orange and mauve; all of these colors add such an elegance to your foraged items. Here’s my favorite source for velvet ribbon.
- Dried oranges. Dried oranges have been an Internet sensation for a decade, but there’s just something about them! Buy fresh oranges, slice them up nice and thin, dry them out in your oven at 200 degrees F and then use them on your tree, in your wreaths or garlands, or strung into a garland of their own. You can even buy them these days. Incredible.
- Beeswax candles. I know everybody and their mother loves beeswax candles, so call me a broken record, but I LOVE beeswax candles. They smell like a field of wildflowers on a warm summer day. They are utterly transporting in a season which often feels bleak, they are good for you and add such a cozy glow to your centerpiece or table settings.
- Eucalyptus branches. Some lucky folks might have a eucalyptus tree on their property, which I’ve heard can get quite monstrous actually, but I don’t. So, Trader Joe’s is my trusty source for eucalyptus greens and branches. I love to tuck them into my homemade wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, everything basically. They’re an inexpensive and easy way to customize your Christmas decor.
Alright my friends, are you ready to get out there and forage!? Pin this post to your Holiday Decor board so you can remember all the foraging tips and tricks. Leave a comment with your favorite way to decorate with foraged items. And most of all, have a Merry Christmas!
