Most of us know that we do not need boxes of stuff marked "holiday" in order to create a holiday atmosphere. The most natural (+ perhaps beautiful) holiday decorations do not need to be stored + are also quite zero-waste. Not only are these decoration festive, they are often tasty, aromatic, cozy, fun to make + recyclable/compostable.
A few simple, non-clutter holiday decorations ::
-a jar or two of red + white candy or cinnamon sticks
-oranges with leaves still attached
-dried orange slice, popcorn +/or cranberry garland
-a fresh green wreath or tree
-a beautiful branch or potted plant strung with snowflakes (made from sneaky junk mail)
-a tray of sage bundles, pretty crystals + candles
-meaningful scripture verses, poems or carols written
-forced bulbs
-cozy blankets + pillows
-candles
-found pine boughs tied together with twine
-a bowl of pinecones or pinecone garland
-received Christmas cards
-fairy lights (because they are lovely all year) :)
I mentioned last week that the decorations I really love for the holidays are lights + greenery. I'm happy that I figured this out early in the season, because now I have a plan.
I've decided to acknowledge + accept that simple does not necessarily mean free. I would like to indulge in a little live greenery...because it is compostable at the end of the season... it has less tendency to create visual clutter...it doesn't become stuff to store...and it is beautiful. This live greenery is not free (for me). I'm keeping my budget in check with my edited choices. I decided that I would like to purchase a small real tree + some greenery to make a simple wreath. These cost me $30. I'm accepting that these costs are part of the holiday experience that I'm giving my tribe as well, so the gift budget will respond appropriately (shrinking a bit). (A great way to gather a little free greenery is to pick up the fallen pieces around the fresh cut trees...or to gather them from an outdoor space where permitted. Another way is to use a hand-me-down faux tree...year after year. Both of these have worked for us in the past.) :)
Our holiday decorations this year will include ::
-tiny lights + fairly made brass bells added to our everyday front door wreath
-waxed candles all over the house + in the windows (operated by timers + rechargeable batteries)
-a small fresh tree in a steel bucket, decorated with lights + handmade clay stars made with the girls years ago
-a spruce scented candle for lighting
-a handmade fresh eucalyptus wreath (from the branches pictured)
-a handmade nativity
-handmade (by Julia) paper stars
-tinsel draped over windows
-an advent calendar that the girls + I stitched together years ago
-gifts under the tree (wrapped in reused brown paper + twine and starry baggu bags)
-holiday tunes
and maybe:
-vintage Christmas postcards I collected years ago, clipped onto some yarn garland-style
-hand-cut snowflakes in the windows (I often like to have these up in January/February)
Much of these decorations can be composted or recycled at the end of the holiday, + the rest will pack neatly into a couple of boxes for next year.
Here is where the decluttering part comes in. Right now is when the holiday decorations we no longer need...are useful to others. Our tribe doesn't have many decorations...but even so...I'm pulling them all out...unwrapping + considering each piece. Anything that we don't need is getting donated...pronto. (Faux Christmas trees can be listed on Craigslist or other local sharing site. Listing them for free will offer the greatest possibility of getting them reused + will share a little Christmas cheer as well.)
Each of us gets to choose how sentimental to be about saving + passing things on. As a girl, I loved pulling the same few decorations out of the boxes to decorate the tree each year. If my mom had saved all my childhood creations + offered them to me as a teenager, I definitely would have wanted to save them. I would have imagined pulling out the box with my children. The thing is that the reality of a situation like that would have turned out differently. My girls are not very sentimental in that way. Having pictures of them with their own creations + at the age they made them is enough (+ wonderful!). Not having to move + store mountains of decorations is nice too.
I say this only to remind us to think about who we are saving things for (for ourselves or for their future selves). If I had saved my childhood ornaments, I may have ended up picking a special one to keep. The rest would be a burden to pack + move + store. I've enjoyed choosing my own themes to decorate with + may have felt stuck or guilty if expected to hang all of my (or my husband's) childhood collected ornaments. On the other hand, if a family loves to pack that tree full of every ornament of the year every family member has collected...have a blast! It's just my hope that we don't have to feel obligated (+ choose not to place obligation in our sphere of influence), if there is no joy for anyone in that tradition. :)
One final note on those precious glittery, gluey, childhood ornaments :: no decluttering advice here...just a memory that I love. When one of our girls came home from kindergarten on her last day before Christmas break, I couldn't wait to see all of that bright, crafty goodness. Instead of a collection of popsicle stick frames + googly-eyed pinecones, she proudly produced one extremely long length of paper chain. She had just gotten so into making paper chain that she never visited any of the other craft stations! :)
What are your favorite simple Christmas decorations?
Love,
Jane
A few simple, non-clutter holiday decorations ::
-a jar or two of red + white candy or cinnamon sticks
-oranges with leaves still attached
-dried orange slice, popcorn +/or cranberry garland
-a fresh green wreath or tree
-a beautiful branch or potted plant strung with snowflakes (made from sneaky junk mail)
-a tray of sage bundles, pretty crystals + candles
-meaningful scripture verses, poems or carols written
-forced bulbs
-cozy blankets + pillows
-candles
-found pine boughs tied together with twine
-a bowl of pinecones or pinecone garland
-received Christmas cards
-fairy lights (because they are lovely all year) :)
I mentioned last week that the decorations I really love for the holidays are lights + greenery. I'm happy that I figured this out early in the season, because now I have a plan.
I've decided to acknowledge + accept that simple does not necessarily mean free. I would like to indulge in a little live greenery...because it is compostable at the end of the season... it has less tendency to create visual clutter...it doesn't become stuff to store...and it is beautiful. This live greenery is not free (for me). I'm keeping my budget in check with my edited choices. I decided that I would like to purchase a small real tree + some greenery to make a simple wreath. These cost me $30. I'm accepting that these costs are part of the holiday experience that I'm giving my tribe as well, so the gift budget will respond appropriately (shrinking a bit). (A great way to gather a little free greenery is to pick up the fallen pieces around the fresh cut trees...or to gather them from an outdoor space where permitted. Another way is to use a hand-me-down faux tree...year after year. Both of these have worked for us in the past.) :)
Our holiday decorations this year will include ::
-tiny lights + fairly made brass bells added to our everyday front door wreath
-waxed candles all over the house + in the windows (operated by timers + rechargeable batteries)
-a small fresh tree in a steel bucket, decorated with lights + handmade clay stars made with the girls years ago
-a spruce scented candle for lighting
-a handmade fresh eucalyptus wreath (from the branches pictured)
-a handmade nativity
-handmade (by Julia) paper stars
-tinsel draped over windows
-an advent calendar that the girls + I stitched together years ago
-gifts under the tree (wrapped in reused brown paper + twine and starry baggu bags)
-holiday tunes
and maybe:
-vintage Christmas postcards I collected years ago, clipped onto some yarn garland-style
-hand-cut snowflakes in the windows (I often like to have these up in January/February)
Much of these decorations can be composted or recycled at the end of the holiday, + the rest will pack neatly into a couple of boxes for next year.
Here is where the decluttering part comes in. Right now is when the holiday decorations we no longer need...are useful to others. Our tribe doesn't have many decorations...but even so...I'm pulling them all out...unwrapping + considering each piece. Anything that we don't need is getting donated...pronto. (Faux Christmas trees can be listed on Craigslist or other local sharing site. Listing them for free will offer the greatest possibility of getting them reused + will share a little Christmas cheer as well.)
Each of us gets to choose how sentimental to be about saving + passing things on. As a girl, I loved pulling the same few decorations out of the boxes to decorate the tree each year. If my mom had saved all my childhood creations + offered them to me as a teenager, I definitely would have wanted to save them. I would have imagined pulling out the box with my children. The thing is that the reality of a situation like that would have turned out differently. My girls are not very sentimental in that way. Having pictures of them with their own creations + at the age they made them is enough (+ wonderful!). Not having to move + store mountains of decorations is nice too.
I say this only to remind us to think about who we are saving things for (for ourselves or for their future selves). If I had saved my childhood ornaments, I may have ended up picking a special one to keep. The rest would be a burden to pack + move + store. I've enjoyed choosing my own themes to decorate with + may have felt stuck or guilty if expected to hang all of my (or my husband's) childhood collected ornaments. On the other hand, if a family loves to pack that tree full of every ornament of the year every family member has collected...have a blast! It's just my hope that we don't have to feel obligated (+ choose not to place obligation in our sphere of influence), if there is no joy for anyone in that tradition. :)
One final note on those precious glittery, gluey, childhood ornaments :: no decluttering advice here...just a memory that I love. When one of our girls came home from kindergarten on her last day before Christmas break, I couldn't wait to see all of that bright, crafty goodness. Instead of a collection of popsicle stick frames + googly-eyed pinecones, she proudly produced one extremely long length of paper chain. She had just gotten so into making paper chain that she never visited any of the other craft stations! :)
What are your favorite simple Christmas decorations?
Love,
Jane
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