DIY Navidad
Let me say that not having a traditional Christmas is nothing new for our family. When we lived in Saratoga Springs, NY we went to a HUGE Christmas tree farm and cut down our own however, when we lived in Honolulu, HI that wasn’t an option. Our ‘Christmas’ trees have been comprised of green tinged photos arranged in the shape of a tree as well as a potted 24 in tall tree. Last year we began exploring with more sustainable options. We went to a thrift store and created a tree out of green fabric, old bicycle tires, a fishing pole, and music stand. It was amazing and was re-donated to the same store the following month. Naturally this year, a real Christmas tree was out of the question. A few of the department stores had artificial trees but our issue with those was, what are we going to do with it after Christmas? I decided to get creative again.
My initial inspiration came from all our extra boxes. As with all of our moves, there are just some items that you have to purchase. (Like the air cooler because we didn’t know that our place doesn’t have central air before we rented it). The sizes worked out perfectly to create a tree shape as they went from large to small. Thankfully we live near a small craft store, and I was able to get some green tissue paper to complete the look. I got both light green and dark green to create a bit of depth and interest in the shape. I cut strips of paper and wrapped them around the boxes. Then I cut vertical slits in the paper, giving the strips a bit of fringe. I then scrunched them up to give even more ‘tree-esq’ shape to the items formerly known as boxes.
A major department store here already had their Christmas items 70% off. I snagged two sets of lights that I’ll reuse as kitchen lights by placing them in wine bottles at the end of the season. I wrapped these around the tree and tacked them in place with gold and silver pins. Several years ago I took up sketching and recently begun playing with watercolor. I did a simple drawing of the nativity to place on the front - reminding us about what the season is about - as well as a simple ornament drawing and tacked them to the sides. At the Christmas fair my husband purchased a traditional Chilean horn and placed it near the top. The two Santa hats were purchased at a supermarket - mandatory ware for the Zoom calls - and are the only item that we will have to re-home at the end of the season. The hardest part about not having a real tree is the smell. I absolutely LOVE balsam and would permanently have my house smell like that if I could. Plan B - find the earthiest smelling herb and add it to the tree. What smells better and more appropriate than rosemary? I added sprigs of rosemary in between the lights to add the extra holiday touch. All that was left was the star.
In years past our star has always been a photo of a person that was important to us that passed away that year. This year we don’t have a printer, so I decided to get creative again. Using some gold paper from the craft store as well as some bamboo skewers left by the previous residents, I decided to make an art deco inspired star. I covered the cardboard in the same gold paper and popped the skewers in at difference heights and angles. This gave it a fan effect with the final touch of a little gold star on the very top. With the star safely secured on top, our tree was done.
I knew for the rest of the house I wanted to keep it minimal and sustainable. Using the rest of the gold paper I cut out rectangles and taped white paper from my sketchbook on the top. I then took a black marker and wrote out Feliz Navidad. I used an additional bamboo skewer to punch a small hole in the top of the paper, and I strung them on some red yean. For the final touch I added some rosemary wreaths to the ends. (Note: I got this idea from A Piece of Rainbow’s blog and adapted it for my tiny wreathes. Click here for her tutorial).
Underneath, I added some Ukrainian socks that I have as our stockings. They are absolutely wonderful but they aren’t getting much love right now as most days have an average around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The sock design is a traditional Ukrainian design and they are 100% wool (see more designs here). On the top I attached little tags with our names.
The only area that was left was an open white wall by our door. Going along with the theme of creativity and sustainability I searched Pinterest for inspiration for the space. I loved the look of a dried orange garland from The Ginger Home. After drying out my oranges, I threaded them with some kitchen twine that I had. I decided to use some cinnamon sticks that I had on hand and to make a few more tiny rosemary wreathes to complete the look. Not only is this garland 100% made from items that you can get at a grocery store, but they are all biodegradable and smell AMAZING! Once Christmas season is over I will leave the twine up to display some of our art.
The final count of all items used came to only four items not being able to be recycled (the two light strings and two Santa hats). I have to admit I’m pretty proud of that number. It took a bit of planning but when the end of January comes - I normally keep our decor up till then - it will be such a great feeling knowing that we aren’t stuck with more items to carry to wherever we are at for Christmas 2021.
I hope this helps give you some ideas for your home for this season or the next.
Where ever you are in the world may you have a safe and happy Christmas.
FELIZ NAVIDAD!
