Guilt-Free Green Tip #77: Decorate with Nature

Welcome to a regular blog feature called Guilt-Free Green Tips. These will be easy action steps you can take to be a little greener, and each mini post will feature one tip. Choose the ones that appeal to you, and learn what eco benefits a single, simple step can make.

Photo from Pixabay

Decorating for the holidays is a fun tradition, but did you know that this year Americans spent nearly $2 million decorating for Halloween? And in 2011, we purchased $6 billion of holiday decorations for Christmas! That’s a lot of money at a time when people often stress about not having enough for other things.

Holiday decoration can be much simpler, sustainable, cheaper — and really quite beautiful — when you source items from nature. Sometimes the simple placement of a few eye-catching pieces makes a bigger impression than a house full of plastic creatures. (That even sounds a little creepy, doesn’t it?)

Fill baskets, glass vases, metal buckets or wood bowls to assemble a centerpiece. You can paint natural items in a single color for a thematic effect (red for Christmas, blue for Hanukkah, white for winter). Spell out words by stenciling letters on rocks, shells or gourds.

Nature items to inspire you include:

• Pinecones
• Colorful fall leaves
• Gourds
• Evergreens
• Moss
• Branches and driftwood
• Sea shells and sea glass
• Flowers
• Dried herbs
• Feathers
• Stones and pebbles
• Food (cranberries, nuts, oranges, cinnamon sticks)

Corral the kids into putting together their own unique creations, or glean some ideas from these Pinterest boards on natural Christmas and fall decoration.

How Does This Help?

• You reduce the amount of trash sent to the landfill, especially since Americans toss 25% more stuff between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Yikes! Even if you prefer not to go the natural route, you can help the planet and your pocketbook by reusing the decorations you already have. Or host a swap with friends and family to mix it up and trade off decorations.

• You reduce plastics in your home. Plastics can be very useful in many areas, but their additives can also leach harmful and hormone-altering chemicals into our bodies and homes. There’s no worry over that with pieces from nature, and these items can even contribute their own earthy fragrance. (Like this DIY natural potpourri made from cinnamon, cloves and oranges.)
• You gain extra space in your home…because you’re not storing boxes of hefty store-bought decorations. Depending on what you create, some nature pieces can even be used as décor year-round. Some can be tossed back outside after the season. Others might make a beautiful gift.

This post is shared at Natural Family Friday.