If you’re in an area with wild holly, you can get some cuttings and put them in vases, or even make a wreath or garland of them. Very festive, surpsisingly long-lasting (three weeks or so without water, months in a vase). This is only safe if you don’t have pets or children that might eat the toxic berries, as they do fall off eventually.

I always like to create my own designs through crafting.

Example: I made a great wreath for my apartment door which is a custom to do so here.

I looked online for ideas and found Putz houses ( and online templates) and another using coffee filters and made one year the puts houses on a wreath mafe of springs of spruce..

Last year I easily made the full coffee filter wreath with the edges dipped in in silver metalic glue.

I placed a long wide ribbon around the door frame and glued on pinecones about 8 to 12 inches apart.

Both times I gor raves and loads of questions on how I made it.

Showed them how to make there own.

This year I want to still use large coffee filters to glue onto a Christmas tree shaped cardboard as a base.

When gathered these filters look like a professional made it.

Here is an example showing how easy it was crafted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1bvRlT5sOs

My mom would collect pine cones, spray paint them gold and use them in wreaths and other arrangements.

If you have a mantel or a table you can take Christmas tree lights and put them under some greenery (real or fake) and then place some decorative items in with that (houses, figurines, pine cones, ornaments). When the light strand is on, it will illuminate the whole thing and look magical.

Are you getting a real tree? If so, when they trim the bottom branches for you, ask if you can have the cuttings and some others from the pile. You can make a wreath, a mantel decoration, and a centerpiece from the cuttings. A string of shiny beads draped over the cut and arranged branches lights them up and makes them festive.

Dim the lights and have sparkly things. Even glitter glued on paper can look marvelous if the lights are low.

Have some real candles. Tall red ones. Or tea candles in little glass jars, about $7 or $8 for 50 of them.

Just to add to what @kneesox wrote, sometimes if you go to the place where they sell real Christmas trees, they will have cuttings that they’ll let you take for free, and you can take them, bind the stems with wire and then a nice ribbon, hang them on the door. They will smell great, very holiday-ish.

https://minihooo.com/collections/sales-craft-kits-tools-diy-dollhouse/products/miniature-christmas-forest-hut-diy-art-craft-kit?variant=40726351937725

I saw this interesting miniature project.( watch the video, makes it look easy).

I like the bookstore one and the Christmas ones are flying off the shelves but etoo expensive for me at this time.
I wonder if one needs small hands to work on these projects.
Many out there that I would like to work on but hesitant of costs and time required not to mention patience needed.
But thought that you might like this.( also ship building projects on line).

@Inspired_2write: That looks really cute. My problem with all of these things is that then I have to store them, and i have storage space, but just so much stuff. Stuff I can go through and get rid of, and then to put more stuff on top of it, it’s just overwhelming.

@jca2
Thats why I use things that can be thrown away or reused every year.

The only things left over are a string of lights and craft supplies of which I use periodically when aristially inclined.

I take photographs every year and that is all I need.

No need to store every year.

As for the Acquaium..used it as a terrianium then later gave it to the Thrift shop.

Everything is repurposed if I need it or not I give it away..its the creating that is fun.

I see every year, one idea that I think is realy pretty and not too much “stuff.” People either take a bell jar or a hurricane vase and put cotton puffs or sparkles and then small houses and trees inside, or you can fill it with pretty ornaments or painted pinecones or whatever looks suitable.