December 6th, 2009 Holiday Decorations ….. Naturally
“Nature gives to every time and season a beauty of its own.”
~ Charles Dickens
Sometimes when life gets a little too hectic, I remember ‘Little House on the Prairie’. Days were long and hard but life was simple then, especially the holiday decorations. So after a very hectic day (yes, I am 12 hours behind in posting todays blog!) I decided to honor the Ingalls family with simple and natural holiday decorations. All of these decorations have graced my house at one point or another, not to mention they are fun to create!
Clove oranges.
- wash and dry oranges
- create a design on your orange by poking holes in the orange with an awl.
- fill newly made holes with whole cloves
- add a second layer, and create an additional design by scoring and peeling away a section of the orange peel
- Display these in a large bowl as a center piece, wrap with thin ribbon in two different directions and hang them from your chandelier, window locks or in your Christmas tree.
Pinecones
- Using brown embroidery thread create a garland with pine cones. Drape these along stair railings, over door casings, around mirrors or over drapery rods
- Fill a large glass hurricane
- Using thin satin ribbon (color of your choice) hang pine cones as ornaments on a tree, on a door handle, or drape over a lamp as a natural tassel.
Popcorn
- Popcorn balls. Use these as ornaments, create a wreath, or stack and create a ‘tree center piece’
- String popcorn into garlands for the tree or for the birds.
Fresh Holy and Other greens
- Fill a large basket with holy and greens, slide this under a sofa table or table for a terrific punch of color and great aroma
Apples, limes and lemmons
- Fill a large bowl with the fresh fruit and highlight with greens for a easy center piece
- Using a foam form covered with Spanish Moss, stack fruits into a tree shape.
You will be so pleased with the wonderful aroma these natural decoration will fill your home with. Pa Ingalls is an awesome character! He reminds me of my own dad, gentle, kind and stern only when he really needed to be……..but Pa also enjoyed the simple things in life, just like my own dad.
So as I wind up the intense day, I think of my own dad reminding me to get back to the basics and slow down just a little bit………. I wonder if I can find a re-run of ‘Little House on the Prairie running tonight.
