Natural Christmas decorations
What are they?Making Christmas decorations from natural materials can mean anything from placing sprigs of holly around the house to making your own Christmas wreaths, Yule logs and stars. The impetus to bring parts of the natural world indoors during the darkest time of the year dates back to pagan times. The addition of candles and lights to the finished piece is also a celebration of light over darkness.
How do you make them?Steffi Otto runs workshops in making Christmas decorations from natural materials with adults and children in schools and at the National Organic Centre. An environmental-awareness teacher, she says part of her aim is to get people outdoors to gather materials. "We use everything from acorns, beech nuts, chestnuts and pine cones to berries, lichens and moss," she says.
Her Christmas wreaths are made on a circular willow frame. “Everyone who comes to the workshops makes a different wreath. We build it up with evergreen branches and then add pine cones, oranges slices and cinnamon sticks,” she says.
The Yule logs are made from dried logs of willow, elder, birch, beech or ash. “I get everyone to drill the holes for the candles using a woodworker’s bench brace and then we glue the natural materials on,” she says.
The stars are woven from willow and then hung in a window or put on a stick in a flowerpot. The centre of the star can be decorated with holly or slices of orange.
How long does it take?Once you have gathered all your materials, it takes about an hour to make a Christmas wreath, or between 20 and 30 minutes to make a Yule log or willow star.
Where can I sign up?Steffi Otto will lead a workshop in making Christmas decorations with natural materials from 10am to 5pm next Saturday at the National Organic Centre, in Rossinver, Co Leitrim. It costs €79; call 071-9854338 or e-mail info@theorganiccentre.ie.
The Owls children’s nature club will host workshops in Christmas wreath-making using natural materials on Sunday, December 18th, from 10am to 11.30am at Turvey Park, Donabate, Co Dublin (€4 for members or €10 for nonmembers), and from 2pm to 4pm at Marlay Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 (free); call 087-3299936 or e-mail info@owls.ie.
The Irish Seed Savers Association, in Capparoe, Co Clare, is hosting a workshop in Christmas decorations made from natural materials next Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. It costs €30; call 061-921856 or e-mail info@irishseedsavers.ie.
You can watch demonstrations of making Christmas wreaths and Yule logs at the Christmas markets at Sonairte, the Ninch, Co Meath, on December 4th, 11th and 18th, from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Call 041-9827572 or e-mail sonairte.ie.
