Ten Holiday Decorating Projects and Tips

The holidays are the time of the year when you bring family and friends together and entertain in your home, and there are some great ways to make your home more festive the natural way with berries, herbs, poinsettias and seasonal greenery. Learn about ten holiday decorating projects and tips in this P. Allen Smith video:

1. Holly: While commonly associated with the holidays, holly is also a large and interesting family of plants. The Nellie R. Stevens variety is an evergreen holly that we mostly associate with the holidays, but deciduous hollies can make stunning displays as well. Other varieties include the American Holly, Needlepoint Holly, and the Yaopan Holly which has edible leaves that contain caffeine.

2. Holiday Hanging Basket: Start with a hanging basket with soil. Stick pine or cedar branches into the soil along the edges of the basket for the spiller. Add a filler of fir, spruce or boxwood along the edges and center of basket. Then add a thriller of ilex branches.

3. Rosemary: This popular herb is used for cooking, but it’s also been used as a stress reliever and memory booster for thousands of years. It has a distinct flavor and aroma. If you want to grow rosemary, plant it in well-drained soil and in a location with full sun. If you live in a climate where temperatures drop below 14 degrees, plant it in containers that you can bring indoors to protect them on very cold nights. Because rosemary is an ancient herb with so many traditions and is evergreen, it’s the perfect herb for holiday decorating. Here’s how to make a rosemary wreath:

Start with a grapevine wreath and an arm load of fresh rosemary.
Cut stems to 12 inches.
Weave in 4-5 stems and secure with 12-inch floral wire. Repeat until no gaps remain.
Pro Tip: Use smaller stems to hide wire and create a finished look.

4. Mini-Christmas Trees: You can make these by taking a container, stacking pieces of floral foam inside it, and inserting branches like pine, boxwood, and berries. In addition to keeping the foam moist, spraying them with an anti-transpirant will help them last through the holiday season.

5. Pet-proofing your Christmas Tree: If you choose to get a real tree, remember that needles tend to be sharp and toxic to your pets because of the chemicals used to keep trees fresh longer. Whether your tree is real or artificial, keep your pets out of the tree and make sure they don’t chew on the needles. When decorating the tree, don’t let your pets get the idea that ornaments are toys. Don’t decorate the tree when they are in the room, and don’t tease them with ornaments. Don’t use tinsel as it can be a choking hazard or artificial snow as it can be toxic. Place more delicate decorations higher up in the tree. Use wire to hang your ornaments securely to the tree. Check light strings regularly for signs of chewing. Spray light strings and needles with citrus spray to deter your pet from chewing. Don’t use edible ornaments like popcorn or candy canes.

6. Poinsettia Arrangements: Poinsettias are a traditional part of the holidays. You can add accents of natural materials in the front to add more visual interest using spray millet, berry branches, sponge mushrooms and pine cones, attaching them with floral wire.

7. Mini-Wreath Gift Toppers: You will need grapevine wrapped wire, floral wire, wire cutters, greenery, and ribbon. Cut the grapevine wire longer than you need, round out the wire and wrap the ends around. Anchor greenery with floral wire; wrap the wire to secure greenery. Fill in to desired thickness. Attach to gift box with ribbon.

8. Snow Globe: A great project for kids, snow globes are easy to make. Make or buy a little winter scene and superglue it to the underside of a fruit jar lid. Let dry for 24 hours. Make a solution of water and glycerin (about 2-3 tbsp) and pour it into the jar. Add 1 tbsp of glitter for the snow. Put the lid back on the jar, immersing the scene, and twist down the screw ring.

9. Christmas Terrarium: Start with a glass terrarium, preserved moss, Christmas figurines, and fake snow. Glue the bottoms of the figurines using a glue gun and attach to the bottom of the terrarium. Glue in the moss, then cover with the snow.

10. Christmas Tablescape: Decorate your dining table using candles, greenery, ormanents, pine cones, ribbon and construction paper.