Natural Decorations
October 15, 2021
What makes this time of year so magical? It can’t just be because of the big gatherings, parties, and availability of baked goods. We believe that the holiday seasons are so special because (especially in our household) our whole lives are transformed from the ordinary day to day to the extraordinary of holiday festivities. For us, this starts in the home. We think holiday decorating is an opportunity to express your creativity. We believe your holiday decorations should reflect your tastes, living style, culture, and where you are from. For us this means that every year is different. Although the decorating process starts with the bins of holiday decorations lovingly stored since last year, it also includes multiple visits to local shops and farms for our favorite decorations, the natural material ones.
Although we love a glittered pumpkin or a joyful blow-up lawn character, we find that for the majority of our decorating we are inextricably drawn to the materials that nature provides us. This approach has turned out to have some surprising benefits. First and foremost, utilizing natural materials is generally much kinder to the environment. They are almost always free of plastics and packaging that the store-bought decorations come in without fail. They are also generally compostable, recyclable, or reusable in some way. The natural decorations also save tremendously on storage for holiday decorations. The majority of the decorations such as plants and produce will be used up in some way by the time the season is over which eliminates their need for storing year-round. We will never be fully rid of our holiday bins but in pursuing natural decorations we have cut our holiday storage in half.
Choosing decorations that are natural in material can also be done in a way that is more affordable than outfitting the home in store bought decorations. No matter what path you choose, you can always spend more than you would like but natural decorations provide an opportunity to use what you have around you or buy smartly to save money on making your home holiday ready. Lastly using natural decorations allows you to support the local business around you. Most of our natural decorations are bought from vendors in and around our hometown and supplemented with traditional decorating items from antique stores or fairs. We do our best to support the small businesses in our area and this is an easy and affordable way to do so.
For all these benefits we have found, we also just can’t get enough of the warm, classic feel that natural decorations bring into the home. Not to mention the incredible beauty that never seems to go out of style. This excitement leads us on an annual adventure to find new, and inspiring decorations to add to our home. We found that there are general categories that we buy from to decorate. These are applicable to any season and when combined are able to bring texture, color, and style to your home for the holidays.
Produce: Decorating with produce is one of the most affordable and fool proof ways to decorate for the holidays. We rely heavily on this not only for the produce’s incredible beauty but its ability to be reused. Especially in the fall we use pumpkins in all manner and form for front porch scenes, tablespaces, and around the home. If you don’t want to spend time hunting through bins of specialty pumpkins, you can easily get pumpkins at the grocery store. A group displayed simply in a bowl can give an instant fall feel to the home. This goes for other produce such as a big bowl of apples or a platter of pears.
A note on other food decorations: If you are looking for an easy centerpiece for a party or a holiday get together, don’t be afraid to use the food you are already preparing. A cheese plate, bowl of apples, loaf of bread, etc. can be stacked in the center of the table or presented on a platter as a centerpiece.
Grasses: Dried grasses are seemingly commonplace in stores these days and come in all shapes and forms. We love using dried grasses for their height and texture. They come in an incredible variety and can be used as such. Throw a big bunch of wheat into a jar, make or buy a dried grass wreath, or lay down as a base to a centerpiece. It fills the space and can also smell wonderful if freshly dried. The benefit to this type of decoration is it does not need to be disposed of. It will last for years if properly dried and stored. Keep in mind, this is also something that can be foraged if your area has tall grasses that are unused! We have foraged dry grasses from areas that were bound for mowing and used this. Helps the process and is free!
Wood and Leaves: This category doesn’t speak to just decorations made from wood. We always keep our eye out for the odd wood pumpkin here and there, but this also refers to the use of wood in general. Dried vines, wood garlands, or foraged branches are another easy way to add height, texture, and visual interest to your displays. Whenever we forage for wood, we keep our eye out for branches that have already fallen but are in good condition. This goes for fall leaves as well. We take advantage of the season and forage plenty of fall leaves that are still brightly colored but already served their purpose. These can be pressed easily if you want to preserve the color, or you can allow them to dry naturally and store in a glass vase or bowl.
Glass: Although generally glass can’t be foraged in our backyards, we consider glass to be a natural material. Like wood, glass is enduring and everlasting product. We generally use clear glass because it adds another dimension to the decorations. Glass pumpkins, bowls, vases, apothecary jars, etc. can be displayed as is and can be both classic and striking. We don’t even believe you have to use a filler item such as lemons or a string of lights. They can be used on their own or incorporated into other decorative arrangements as needed. We get a lot of our glass from antique stores because of its unique qualities and classic shapes.
