Thanksgiving has now passed, and for those who celebrate Christmas, it is time to put up a Christmas tree. Christmas trees are a beautiful way to bring the holiday spirit into your home; however they may not be the best fit for everybody. They take up a lot of space, are bad for the environment, and they may be more hassle than what they worth especially for those who travel for the holidays. For those of you who have limited room and time or simply want eco-friendly options, we have put together a list of our 5 favorite ideas to replace a Christmas tree and still deck the halls.
Our 5 Favorites:
1) Winter Floral Arrangements
Photo from On Sutton Place; http://www.onsuttonplace.com/
For those of you who still want the pine smell permeating through your home and dislike the idea of a fake tree, creating a fun and festive winter floral arrangement might be your best bet. We, at Seattle Staged to Sell, live in the Evergreen State where evergreen tree branches are everywhere outside. Simply walk to the nearest park, or even your backyard, to collect some branches and pinecones and put them in a vase. This choice is much better for the environment rather than chopping down a whole tree. For those of you who do not have easy access to pine tree branches, you can still create a beautiful arrangement using other plants. Winterberry (shown below) and Holly are great options as well. Feel free to add small Christmas ornaments to your miniature Christmas plant!
Photo from The Lovely Drawer; http://thelovelydrawer.com/
2) Wine Glass Candle Display
Photo from Around the World Christmas; http://christmas.365greetings.com/
The purpose of a Christmas tree is to have a focal point in your home for everyone to gather everyone around. Instead of having a tree, why not try creating a shrine of these DIY candleholders? Chances are you already have all of the materials at home: Christmas ball ornaments, wine glasses, and candles.
3) Gingerbread Ornament Hanging Display
Photo from Lovely Little Kitchen; lovelylittlekitchen.com/
This option is perfect for those of you who enjoy baking (or snacking). Bake a batch of gingerbread cookies and create your own ornaments. You can leave them simple, or decorate them with frosting for extra pizazz. Once cooled, string them together and hang them up on your mantel, chandelier, windowsill, etc. The best part: your home will smell like cookies through December!
4) Mason Jar Christmas Tree
Photo from http://clv.h-cdn.co/
We love this creative substitute for the Christmas tree! Save your jam and salsa jars and stack them to create this mini glass ‘tree.’ Instead of hanging ornaments, simply fill up the jars with the colors of your choice. For extra “wow” factor, wrap garlands around the jars and add a star. You can place this mason jar tree on the floor, on the coffee table, the fireplace mantel, etc.
5) Wall Tree
Photo from Martha Stewart; http://www.marthastewart.com/
Last but not least, we have this perfect option for those who have extra wall space, but little physical room to fit an actual tree. Just pin Christmas lights to the wall in the shape of a tree and add paper-cut decorations for the full effect. You can keep your tree monochromatic as sampled in the above photo, or you can add color by using different shades of construction paper and cutting out different shaped ornaments. If you want a greener option, you can also use yarn instead of strings of Christmas lights as pictured below.
Photo from Good Housekeeping; http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/
We hope you have fun decorating!
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