Getting the look together for the holidays can make almost anyone give up and go shake the dust off the old reliables in the decoration box.
But no one has to be stuck with retro paper turkey centerpieces or spend a lot of money to make a great impression with home holiday decor. Fresh, free ideas may be waiting underfoot just outside the door and in nearby parks.
But you’ll have to hurry before the rich colors of freshly fallen leaves lose their brilliance or turn crunchy. Fallen leaves, pine cones, tree bark and tall grasses await a second act as the star of holiday decor.
“I recall taking pine cones and arranging them in a large shallow bowl, then stacking them together, letting their ridges interlock in rings to form a tree,” said Carl Cox, who likes to rely on nature as his supplier. “The design takes some finessing, but it works without glue.”
Timing is important in keeping leaves brilliant and pliant. Although they have been down a few weeks there are still some to be harvested with their brilliant colors intact. To extend their hue and flexibility, Jan Gannon at Valley View Farms recommends “soaking the leaves in glycerin to keep them pliable, so they don’t turn crunchy.”
Glycerin can be found in drug stores, but the best source is health food stores that carry an edible vegetable glycerin, a point noteworthy if children and pets are about.
If picked from the trees, some pine cones will open up later and take on a different look though they will not fall apart, Gannon said. If maintaining the look is important, it may be better to harvest the already-dropped cones. Then when it’s all done, said Cox, you can use them as kindling for the fire.
Tall grasses and sea pods are other nice touches from nature if the desire is for height on the table. A spritz of hairspray on the grasses will keep them from falling apart, Gannon said.
As you think about the decor, know whether the table will be used to present a buffet meal or if guests will be sitting around it.
A good plan for the decor is to “stay low if guests will be seated around the table,” said Melissa at Pier 1 Imports in White Marsh. Then, punch it up with short tower candles and ribbon. Done.
