Although tinsel, artificial snow, and plastic balls are attractive decorations, often they last only one season and are not biodegradable. There are many substitutions that can be made:
- Purchase a living tree with roots in order to plant it in the yard or garden later.
- Instead of tinsel or artificial snow, substitute sprays of tiny white flowers such as baby’s breath to insert among the green limbs.
- To reduce the number of electric lights on the tree, make decorations of foil and use strings of beads that reflect the lights.
- Prepare small nosegays of dried herbs or flowers tied with ribbons to hang from the limbs.
- Make a garland of popcorn or dried cranberries to encircle the tree. You can also use cookies, pretzels, crackers and other crisp snacks. They can be used as birdfeed at the end of the season.
- String popcorn on mid gauge wire to bend into all sorts of shapes and hang as ornaments.
- Recycle old plastic lids into ornaments by glueing a picture from old Christmas cards or old magazines to each lid. Add beads, buttons, lace, or greenery and hang them with yarn threaded through a hole punched in the lid.
- Bake or purchase cookies in the forms of gingerbread men, snowmen, angels, etc. to string as a garland, hang individually on the tree or use in wreaths. Later put them outdoors for the birds and squirrels.
- Use photos of family and friends to hang on the tree.