7 DIY Natural Christmas Decoration Ideas

Updated: 23rd November 2023

Here are seven DIY natural Christmas decoration ideas that I’ve personally made for us and our home and that I plan to use year after year. They make our home a little bit more special and each year I can’t wait to put them up again.

I really value the importance of bringing the outside in, to keep us connected to nature, and using what we have around us and what is available. These decorations honour that idea.

Why Use Natural Decorations?

We’ve become less and less in tune with nature and I find that Christmas is the perfect time and excuse to close the gap a little between us and the outside world. There are so many wonderful, natural, beautiful things to use from outside that, in my opinion, standard decorations can’t compare.

About Collecting Materials

Before we head off into the wilderness to collect our materials, it’s important to say something about how to go about doing this without causing any damage. First and foremost, we need to be mindful of how we collect.

Try to find materials that are already fallen to the ground. We can almost always create our decorations solely from items that have already fallen like leaves, acorns, pine cones twigs, branches etc. Collecting them through the year when we see them is the best thing to do, this way there is no need to cut anything that is growing.

What To Do With Old Decorations

If you have old decorations that you don’t want to use anymore, like an artificial tree or a plastic ornaments, please don’t throw them away to replace them with natural decorations. The best thing to do is give them to someone else who will use and love them.

List them on your local buy nothing groups or give them away to family or friends. The best thing about plastic is that it lasts and can continue to give joy to others for many years to come.

A couple of years ago, whilst preparing to move countries we gave away a lot of our plastic Christmas decorations, including the tree, to families who wanted them and who will use them, as we were trying to minimise the amount of boxes we were storing. We used FB marketplace and local gifting groups to give our items away.

7 Natural Christmas Decorations

Orange slices

Of course natural, dried orange slices are top of the list. They’re easy to make, oranges are in season, they smell amazing and add some colour which I love!

They can be used every year if you make sure to dry them thoroughly and keep them separate from your other decorations, wrapped in paper.

Last year I made a garland of oranges to hang across the mantlepiece (which you can see one of the photos below) and also hung a few separately from the banister. Here are the instructions for how to make a dried orange slice garland.

Bringing The Outside In

As already mentioned, I love the idea of connecting with nature during Christmas and bringing items in from the outside helps me do that.

At the moment we don’t have room for a fallen branch but that is what I would love to use as a replacement for a tree. Last year I brought in some pine cones and dried red berries but there is so much out there that we could use.

As mentioned above, aim for anything that has already fallen, that is local to your area or that you are growing outside.

Some ideas are acorns, conkers, holly, conifer leaves and herbs likes lavender and rosemary.

Eco Friendly Christmas Tinsel

I really wanted to make something that was like tinsel but not so environmentally damaging so I designed my own eco friendly Christmas tinsel using hemp yarn.

It looks pretty similar to standard tinsel but natural and I love how it drapes across the chimney breast and wraps around the banister. Combine it with some hung pine cones and lights and it looks really wonderful.

Natural Circular Wreath

Last year I made a Christmas wreath using what I have available from the garden and I absolutely loved the process of choosing the plants, collecting all the foliage I wanted to use and putting it together.

I used dried rosemary stems bent into shape and tied together with hemp yarn to make the circle and then tied all the leaves and flowers to the base. I think next time I will collect more and make it a bit fuller.

Crocheted Snowflakes

This snowflake pattern is a favourite of mine and I’m hoping to make more when I can.

It was designed by Petals To Picots and I used sport weight hemp yarn to make them.

They look lovely hanging from a tree or a branch or even along the mantelpiece. They go really well with my other natural decorations from outside. I use a lace weight piece of hemp yarn to hang them up with and that piece is hardly visible.

A Hunch (Hanging Bunch)

If you’re not keen on a wreath or just don’t have anything to make the base with you could opt for a hunch instead.

Simply put, it’s a bouquet of whatever you like, hung upside down. So simple but so gorgeous.

I chose dried fallen pine needles to add some rust colour, some lavender cuttings and some lavender-cotton leaves and flowers. It was perfect!

Crocheted Christmas Trees

These cute little trees are one of the first Christmas decorations I made and they’re still just as lovely as when I first made them.

I sit them on top of the mantlepiece and hang a few from the banister too. You could even make them without the loop and place a few in the centre of the dinner table or anywhere you want some Christmas spirit. The pattern is by Yarn Society and of course I used hemp yarn to make them too.

Do you have any DIY zero waste Christmas decorations that you love making and love using? Let us know in the comments so that we can inspire each other to create alternatives to the norm.