Recycled Christmas Decorations

Before you throw out what appears to be useless ornaments and Christmas cards, think about how they can be reused for another year of celebration. Get the kids involved and turn the quest for recycled materials into a treasure hunt through the house. There are a lot of items, whether originally Christmas-themed or not, that can be reused for creative Holiday decorations this season.

Re-purpose your Christmas cards. We get them and after the holiday is over we throw them away. Instead of throwing them away, use them to make new decorations for the house. Christmas cards, and those photocards we get of family and friends can be used to create a collage. For a wooden coffee table, have a piece of glass cut to match the dimensions of the table top. Underneath the glass, place a piece of thin cardboard the same size and cover it with the fronts of various Christmas cards. Cover with the glass.

Old tree ornaments can be given a new look with some non-toxic paint, or glitter. Instead of throwing older glass ball ornaments away, come up with other ideas to save them by covering with ribbons, colored buttons, or sea shells you may have saved from the summer at the beach.

Used light bulbs can be turned into ornaments. Cover a light bulb with a brown sock or stretchy material. Fashion ears out of felt and use felt pieces for eyes, nose, and mouth and you’ve got a reindeer ornament. Tie a string around the top to secure the brown fabric and make a second loop to hang the ornament on the tree.

Bring the outside in by gathering pine cones, branches, acorns and nuts. The tree branches can be weaved together to form a natural wreath, and garnished with the pine cones. Pieces of discarded wood from household projects can be fashioned into nativity scene figures, crosses, wooden angels, and toys by someone who is skilled in wood working. Cut shapes of wood with a jigsaw and have the kids paint to decorate them.

Gather inspiration from local artisans who use soda cans, bottles, and cardboard boxes to make ornaments for Christmas. Around the holidays, several local artisans will showcase their craft shows around your area. You’d be amazed at the wonderful things they can come up with from items most people have thrown away. Purchase these items to support your local business people, and help the planet at the same time.

We all want our homes to look nice for Christmas. But, we envision that the only way that we can do this is to buy new stuff each year. New items are not the only ones that shine and make an impression on your visitors. Learn how you can create recycled decorations from things lying around the house.