On the 9th Day of GreenChristmas, my true love gave to me…Eco Christmas Decorations!

While most people celebrate peace on earth during the holidays, many others are also trying to celebrate peace to the earth by adopting eco-friendly Christmas practices. If you’re dreaming of a green Christmas instead of a white one, here are a few tips to help you out with eco decorating!!  These easy ideas will make your holiday greener and spread peace to earth, goodwill to all.

Christmas decorations can easily be created and made from recycled materials, scrape pieces, and organic gear. Items such as cinnamon sticks, homemade gingerbread, holly, ivy and evergreen branches, pinecones, popcorn, and dried indian corn can easily store year to year, and look great, too.

An easy way to start off the decor is using items form the garden and seasonal fruit. Think of fresh, bright clementines, rosy apples, and vibrant pears. Decorate with these alongside greenery from your garden – simply twist it into wreaths and garland, make table arrangements, or add a little outdoors.

If you have a real tree, purchase the tree from a sustainable, local grower. Choose a tree that still has its roots intact so you can replant it. If that isn’t an option, see what your region or city has for a Christmas tree recycling program. Wrap the roots with hessian, and decorate it with organic, nature-inspired decorations that are both good for the environment, and budget-friendly, too. Pare these alongside storebought favorites that you’ve collected over the years for a perfect balance.

Instead of wasteful tinsel, start decorating with handmade paper chains, strings of popcorn (not buttered!), and cranberries. All will be traditional, without the glitz and glam (and mess) that tinsel delivers.

Easy decorations can be made with cardboard, cardstock, and paint. Just draw and cut out shapes from recycled materials, and use natural paints, foil, or scraps of giftwrap to cover.

To make baubles, use old tennis balls or other balls of a similar size. Wrap in colorful twine, focusing on the colors of your holiday decor, or reds, greens, golds, silvers, and white. You can also purchase inexpensive foam balls, and use material or cord to cover them.

Other Christmas ornaments can be made from just taking a look around your house! Thread spools wrapped in ribbon or recycled paper can be threaded together to create garland, or hung one by one for a single ornament. Old costume jewellry can also be painted or strung along the try. Gift cards can be revamped to turn into a simple tree decoration.

For those who are a little more crafty, you can also make origami figures out of scrap paper. Birds (which can be made from white and resemble doves) are pretty easy to do. Here is a great step-by-step for making origami cranes. Just round off the beak and the wings to make it a little more dove-like.

Bows are another easy form of decoration that can be made from nearly anything. Make simple bowls out of old material or ribbon, and check out local fabric shops for discounted (or free) scraps.

Pine cones are another easy option. It’s a fun project for the kids, too. Go pine cone gathering together, then get ready to do some crafts! Dip the pine corns in a soy, beeswax, or natural-based candle wax, or splatter them with some white paint so they appear frosted. Finish them off with a bit of glitter. When the cones are dry, tie a festive ribbon around the top.

Pipecleaner is one of those craft supplies that goes a long way. Use beads threaded onto pipe cleaner, alternating between red and white. Bend into a candy cane shape and hang directly on the tree! You can also take colourful pipe cleaners and create shapes to wrap around the Christmas tree or to hang from branches, adding beads or another items that you might find around the house.

Another fun and easy craft is using a homemade dough that you can bake and paint to make ornaments. These are perfect gifts from your kids to others. The basic salt dough includes 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1 cup water. Mix together the flour and salt. Add just enough water until you have a firm dough. Knead for about 8 minutes, then roll and form into shapes and bake at 325 degrees F for up to 90 minutes, depending on thickness.

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