My previous post on this subject garnered so many excellent suggestions that I decided to condense all the suggestions into one big list for easy reference. In addition, I’ve added a new board to our Pintrest account called Compostable, Recyclable Homemade Holidays.  I’ve started gathering projects which reflect this list.

A big thank you to Bellen, fishbee, Hazel, Indigotiger, rainey, Michael and Practical Parsimony for offering suggestions!

I know–the last thing Pintrest needs is yet another board devoted to holiday decorations! But I figured my standards are a little sterner than most, so it is a worthwhile project. I really want these decorations to be able to return to the earth. This means I’m avoiding paint, glitter and Styrofoam (not to mention plastic and batteries!)  and I prefer things which don’t feature glue, or can use a simple non-toxic white glue.

Why this obsession with natural ornaments?

I like the idea of ephemeral decorations–decorations which are meant to last only for the season, maybe only for a week or two. It is more work to make decorations afresh every year, but gathering materials and making simple ornaments is an act of meditation and appreciation.

This kind of work helps us slow down and reconnect with nature. This alone can be enormously calming at a stressful time, and may help us back into a more expansive state of mind. The holidays can be so loud and jangly and rushed. Just stepping back and spending some time admiring the geometry of a pine cone or the cleverness of an acorn helps cleanse the mind of all that noise.

Seasons come and go. Holidays come and go. Ornaments which reflect the seasons should come and go, too. The fact that they don’t last, that they have to be savored in the correct season, is what makes them special.

Also, this kind of decorating also saves on storage space, and saves the labor of packing up ornaments once the season is over.

Most of these things can go to the recycle bin or the compost pile–or just to some obscure corner of nature to return to the earth.

But, more romantically, they can be hung outside for the remainder of their lives: ornaments for the fairies. This makes it easier to part with them at the end of the season.

Finally, these ornaments are light–they don’t burden our earth with yet more plastic and toxins. They aren’t made in some far off factory by an underpaid laborer. They are not helping the bottom line of some soulless big box store.

The List

This is broken down into two parts: the first list includes ornaments that come straight from nature, and which will only last a short time. Collect them on walks around the neighborhood, collect them as mementos of trips to the mountains, the beach, or grandma’s house. Bring them home and hang them straight up! At the end of the season, they can be returned to the earth.

The second list is more crafty, requiring more input from you, and creating ornaments which you may or may not decide to keep.

Straight from nature:

• Sturdy winter berries
• Rose hips
• Dried herbs and flowers
• Moss
• Feathers
• Cool looking seed pods ( milkweed pods, thistle heads,  sweet gum tree pods, sycamore pods, star anise, Indian cigar tree pods, magnolia pods–keep your eyes open in the autumn and you’ll find lots) If you want sparkle, sugar them instead of getting out the glitter.
• Nuts
• Clusters of acorns
• Sticks covered with pretty moss and lichen
• Curls of bark
• Seashells
• Dried hops
• Fresh ivy
• Fresh holly
• Dried citrus peel spirals
• Dried citrus slices
• Wild grapevines made into tiny wreaths
• Pine cones
• abandoned or human-constructed bird nests, filled with moss, pine cones, quail eggs, candy…
• Succulent rosettes–should last a week or more after cutting

Some assembly required

These projects require some crafting, and some are not as ephemeral as the ornaments above–you may want to keep them from year to year. Or, they are made stuff you find in your house, instead of out in nature.

If glue is necessary, use non-toxic glue. Make the yarn and cloth projects biodegradable by choosing cotton or wool yarn, and natural fiber cloth. Making little cloth ornaments is a great way to use up scrap cloth and yarn. Save colorful scrap paper for the paper projects.

• Popcorn/cranberry strings (pro-tip: stale popcorn threads better)
• Gather a few evergreen branches by the branch ends to make a broom or fan shape, decorate with a spray of berries, tie with a ribbon. Much easier than a wreath!
• A few cranberries strung in a circle= mini wreath
• Re-purpose old jewelry directly as tree ornaments, or use pieces in making other ornaments (loose beads, pins, chain, etc.)
• Tie scraps of pretty cotton ribbon into bows on tree limbs
• Make paper chains
• Sugared flowers, leaves, berries, etc. White sugar adds a little natural bling to things
• Milkweed pods glued into star shapes
• Bay leaves glued into wreaths and stars.
• Paper cones with raffia hangers filled with…sweets? berries?
• Blown eggs, especially quail eggs
• Origami birds, stars, boxes, wreaths, etc. (use up scrap wrapping paper!)
• Paper birds
• Paper snowflakes
• Gingerbread figures
• Bundles of cinnamon sticks
• Homemade rock candy
• Orange peel roses
• Citrus pomanders (you know, clove-studded oranges)
• Oranges with decorative carving of the peels  (see this, scroll down)
• Stars made out of twigs
• Creatures and whatnot nestled in walnut halves
• A tiny boat made of a walnut half and a paper sail
• Make little creatures out of teasels, acorns, milkweed pods, etc.
• Make cookie-type ornaments out of a simple dough made of applesauce and cinnamon–add applesauce to cinnamon until it forms a dough. Just leave to dry–no baking, or maybe try drying in a very low oven. These smell great, and their scent can be revived by sanding them.
• Tiny God’s eyes
• Hollow an egg and cover surface with beans and seeds and rice. Can dip the finished egg in wax to seal,  can also swirl some wax inside the egg to strengthen it
• Make tiny felt dolls, dressed with scrap cloth
• Crochet tiny stockings
• Cardboard stars wrapped with yard
• Bird seed ornaments, either to hang outside right away or after the holidays
• Needle felted creatures
• Hang up corks from special bottles of wine or champagne
• Slice a loofa into rings and add natural fiber bows to make little wreaths
• Goats made out of straw (Yule Bocks)– a Finnish custom

If you want to add to this list, speak up in the comments and I’ll move your suggestions into the list.