‘Tis the season to decorate your home – inside and out – with brightly colored Christmas decorations. If dusting off last year’s leftover trimmings doesn’t sound exciting, and you’d rather not fork over money for new ones, why not let our beautiful mountains decorate your home this year?
Take a walk outside your Murphy, NC home, and you’re likely to find evergreens, pinecones, dried flowers, and more. Add some strategically placed fruit and craft items, and you’ve got the makings of stunning decorations your family and friends will enjoy. So put on your boots and grab a basket, and gather a bounty of natural materials just a few steps from your door. Then, create your decorations using the tips below – or put your imagination to work and design your own holiday trimmings.
HOLIDAY HOME DECOR
Door or Mantel Decoration: Create your own holiday swag by collecting a bundle of nicely textured brown twigs. Secure the twig ends with a wide rubber band that’s covered with a colorful ribbon. Add some holiday greenery by tucking one lush evergreen branch inside the rubber band.
Festive Wall Accents: To liven up your home’s bare walls, gather several beautiful evergreen boughs. Tack up a branch in each room, accenting your dining table, buffet, or other focal point. Add some color by hanging Christmas cards, glittery ornaments, and fancy gift tags on each fragrant green branch.
Indoor Woodland Display: Comb your garden and nearby woods for several unusual-looking bare branches. Fill a narrow glass vase with artificial snow, and create a branch arrangement that birds might find inviting. Add some tufts of snowy-looking cotton on the branches, and wire on colorful berries cut from faux flower sprays.
Next, wire a few realistic-looking cardinals onto your carefully placed branches. Create another desirable destination by placing a bird’s nest on the window sill. Rearrange your display several times during the winter.
FESTIVE TABLE TRIMMINGS
Colorful Tabletop Centerpiece: Place a striking beveled-edge mirror on your dining table. Arrange white or colored pillar candles on the mirror, adding pinecones and evergreens to provide contrasting color. Add clementines, red apples, or green pears as you wish.
Natural Forest Centerpiece: Choose a good-sized clear glass container. Gather pinecones, moss, seed pods, and other natural materials from the nearby forest. Find other dried floral items at a craft store or online. Beginning with the pinecones, layer your materials to create a pleasing multilayer centerpiece that adds an organic touch to your table.
Cranberry Candle Decor: Place a cranberry-colored candle inside a clear glass jar or cylinder. Carefully pack fresh cranberries around the candle, leaving room for the candle to burn safely. Spice up your table decoration by adding several sparkly Christmas ornaments around the container’s base.
Simply Beautiful Greenery: Bring out several differently sized glass vases. Fill each one with evergreen sprigs, varying the greens’ shapes and heights to create a pleasing collection of table accents.
CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS
Miniature Cranberry Wreaths: Give your tree some welcome red color with these easy-to-make cranberry wreaths. For each wreath, string 20-25 plump cranberries onto a section of floral wire. Shape the wire into a circle, tie it, and you’re ready to hang your mini-wreath on the tree.
See-through Ball Ornaments: Purchase affordable clear plastic ball ornaments at a craft shop or online. Gather miniature pinecones, small evergreen sprigs, and even colorful berries or seed pods from the nearby forest.
Carefully arrange the natural materials inside the bottom half of each ornament, and tack in place with hot glue if needed. Add the top half of the ornament, and make a colorful ribbon hanger for the tree.
Earthy Pinecone Ornaments: Gather a bowlful of impressive pinecones from the nearby woods. Tie each cone with a burlap ribbon. Use twine to string the pinecones together, and create a one-of-a-kind garland for your tree.
KID-FRIENDLY ORNAMENTS
Dried Fruit Tree Accents: If you have a dehydrator, get busy drying fruits that will retain their shape and color when thoroughly dry. Show kids how to string holiday ribbon or rustic-looking twine through each dried fruit. Ask your young helpers to trim the Christmas tree with their special holiday bangles.
Homemade Bark Christmas Stars: Take the kids on a bark-gathering trip through the woods. Select sections of bark from varied trees, and use glue to transform the bark pieces into star-shaped ornaments. Add a sturdy twine hanger to each one, and invite the kids to hang them in favorite spots on the tree.
Cinnamon Stalks Ornaments: Bind several cinnamon stalks together, and tuck in dried fruit for varied colors and textures. Add a natural-toned twine hanger. Ask kids to place their fragrant spiced ornaments in special spots on the tree.
With so many natural Christmas decorations, your biggest challenge is choosing the best ones for your Murphy, NC home. Once you select your favorites, begin gathering those materials, and watch your creations take shape. Chances are, you’ll enjoy the finished results so much you’ll plan an encore for next Christmas!