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Celebrating the Holidays & the Seasons - the simple way

Celebrating the changing seasons and decorating for the holidays can been done simply and inexpensively by decorating with elements from nature. In our home, we celebrate the changing seasons and upcoming holidays with a dining table centerpiece display. My mom has always said “less is more”: in holiday decorating that couldn’t be more true. Simple, festive, fun!

Here are some tips for decorating with the changing seasons while keeping it simple:

Spring

  • Have fresh cut spring flowers in little vases.

  • Bulbs sprouting in a vase in your home is not only a beautiful way to experience spring, the fragrance is delightful.

  • Tree branches with fruit tree blossoms.

Summer

  • Using the edible fruits of the seasons for decoration is a great way to make the fruits available to your family while embracing the season.

  • My favorite bouquet of flowers is a simple Mason jar filled with sweet peas!

  • A strainer filled with fresh heirloom tomatoes has a great farm table look while filling the room with the quintessential smell of summer.

  • A ceramic fruit basket filled with summer berries is something I always look forward adorning our counter.

Fall

  • One of my favorite seasons. The mornings are crisp and the days are warm. The kids are excited about school! The smell of pomace fills the air in the wine growing region I call home. It is a smell that I love.

  • I love to decorate with beautiful heirloom pumpkins. This is the one holiday in which I really splurge because it compliments our house particularly well! We have a white board and batten home and the pumpkins just pop against the white back drop.

  • Since we have a nice long fall season our house is adorned with pumpkins all the way through November. As Thanksgiving nears we add some dried corn to make it look more festive. When the season is ending you can use the squash to cook or bake with and compost whatever is left.

  • A simple display with leaves or a branch with fall color.

Winter

  • For the winter I love decorating with pine cones, berries and natural wintery elements.

  • A big branch in a large vase is one of the easiest, yet effective decorative items.

  • My mom and dad once found a special old Manzanita branch that they secured to a wood base to look like a small tree, then decorated it with tiny, red glass balls.

  • For the winter holidays we have a living evergreen tree in a big pot in our yard that simply bring indoors each December.

  • Be creative with gift giving. Give homemade consumables. Gift experiences rather than items. My personal favorite is make a donation to a charity in honor of friends and loved ones.

  • Candles are a wonderful element to enjoy especially as the days are getting shorter and we begin settling into winter.

  • In the late winter after the flurry of holidays have past I love the bright pop of yellow lemons in a bowl.

FUN WITH KIDS

Spring

  • We save little jars for flower bouquets. Our kids diligently collect little wild flowers which we place in the jars with water and enjoy for several days.

  • Create a scent. Kids love making fragrant potions from flora found in the garden.

  • Purchase little wooden eggs from an art supply store and dyed them. They will last forever and are a beautiful simple decoration that can be enjoyed for many years to come.

Summer

  • Homemade popsicles - let your kids get creative. We checked out some books from the local library on popsicle making!

  • Sunprint Paper Kits - I remember these from my childhood - a great project for kids.

  • Send them on a treasure hunt to collect rocks, leaves, fruits and nature’s treasures.

  • Summertime is exploration time. While doing so, we love to collect beautiful rocks, especially heart shaped ones.

  • Create a tadpole habitat. Each year the local creek dries up before many of the tadpoles grow into frogs. My daughter decided to use her own saved money to buy four huge water bowls in order to save as many tadpoles as she could. It was a lot of fun setting up the habitat with living water plants and rescuing the tadpoles. This is also an endeavor which teaches responsibility as the kids must refresh the water daily (let it sit for 24 hours before adding it to the habitat). Watching the tadpoles grow into frogs is exciting for kids to experience.

Fall

  • Fall is all about decorating with pumpkins!

  • The kids love making their own table displays with gourds. Since we live in a mild climate they will decorate our back picnic table with a harvest theme of gourds and dried corn.

  • Carving pumpkins - it is fun for all ages!

  • Making artwork with the leaves.

Winter

  • Oranges with cloves is a festive project for kids.

  • Making your own ornaments from elements found in nature, Pinterest has many great ideas. One of our favorites was making ornaments with sticks and twine.

  • Stringing popcorn and cranberries.

  • Baking Cookies.

  • Making your own wrapping paper.

GIFTING

Since many holidays follow with the tradition of gifts and gifting, click here for tips on Gifting.

ARTICLES | RESOURCES

Eco Friendly Efforts at the Holidays | Erin Boyle | Reading My Tea Leaves | December 11th, 2017

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Celebrate the seasons and holidays with your loved ones - these will be the memories that you will keep.