Maybe you’re used to getting that one decoration each year and adding it to your tree, probably something with the year on it to celebrate and/or remember everything that brought you to this holiday. Maybe you just put up the traditional decorations that have been passed down through your family for years. Or, perhaps, you’re the kind of person who decorates with new stuff and just chucks it out – we don’t know! Here are five fun ideas for new decorations, no matter your style.
The Photo Tree
Sometimes a decoration is meant to evoke a time and place or even an entire year, but what if you don’t want to mince any words, and there’s that one moment you want to remember every time you decorate your tree? Printing out small photos with frames (or crafting simple frames) and putting them on your tree lets you represent all the people, places and events you care about in one festive spot.
Recycled Decorations
Why throw it out if it still looks good? As long as you clean something that you’re otherwise done with, you’re probably going to be faced with plenty of plastic options to turn into fun, colorful decorations that – since they won’t biodegrade – will last just about forever. Research the kinds of paints best for that kind of plastic, and you can make anything from a milk-bottle snowman to a soda-bottle tree.
Collage Ornaments
Maybe you can’t print out any new photos, or maybe you’re not a photo taker. Take a tip from your elementary school art class and put together mini collages – cutting out pictures from catalogs and magazines and gluing them together – and hang those up wherever they make it more festive. Pick images and color schemes that put you properly in the holiday spirit.
Fabric Garland
Instead of going with dried food, or ribbon, why not use some old, perfectly functional fabric as your garland? As long as it goes with the decorating themes you’ve already set up in terms of color, you can make a fabric garland out of just about anything with a nice design and with enough heft to hold up. And if the fabric is weaker than you expected, you can iron on some stronger backing to make it last longer.
Christmas Cornucopia
This fun tradition is yet another way to provide a surprise for the holidays. Sure, you’ve got stockings, and they fill boots in Germany, and then you have presents under the tree, but this little cones with handles on top sit in the tree until you’re ready to fill them with delicious candy.
Summary
It doesn’t always have to be handmade, but of course the memory of making something and receiving something handmade is always a warm one. Simply shopping around, even out of season, you might find something that will stand out perfectly on a mantle, a tree, or strung across the ceiling. Whatever it is, use it to express your love for the season and those around you.