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The holiday season is fast approaching, and many of us are getting ready to decorate our homes with festive cheer.
But have you thought about how those shiny plastic ornaments affect the Environment?
Believe it or not, they can take up to 450 years to decompose. So, why not change things up this year and craft your own eco-friendly, biodegradable Christmas ornaments?
They’re much kinder to our planet and add a personal touch to your tree. Also, it’s a fun way to embrace creativity while celebrating the season!
Every Christmas, my family and I go for eco-friendly decorations. It’s become a tradition for us.
If you wanna go green this holiday season, keep reading for 10 easy DIY ideas for biodegradable ornaments you can make right at home.
Materials You’ll Need for DIY Biodegradable Ornaments
No fancy stuff is needed for these sustainable decorations! Many of these materials are probably already lying around your house or can be picked up outside.
- Wood: Try twigs, cinnamon sticks, or wooden beads.
- Paper: Use recycled paper for snowflakes or other shapes.
- Natural Fibers: Jute, hemp, & cotton make sturdy ornaments.
- Kitchen Staples: Flour, salt, and fruit work great for edible or compostable crafts.
Whenever I can, I grab materials from local places like farmers’ markets or craft fairs right here in New Jersey. You won’t believe what you might find!
More about Christmas:
– How to Celebrate Christmas in an Eco-Friendly Way
– Eco-friendly Christmas Gifting Ideas
– Sustainable Christmas Tree Ideas
– Eco-friendly Lighting Ideas for this Christmas
– Natural Wreath Ideas for Christmas
10 DIY Biodegradable Christmas Ornaments You Can Make
Here are 10 DIY eco-friendly ornaments you can make in an afternoon:
1. Salt Dough Stars
What You’ll Need: Flour, salt, water, cookie cutters, rolling pin, string, natural paints (optional)
Mix 1 cup of flour, ½ cup of salt, and ½ cup of water until it forms dough. Roll it out to about ¼ inch thick then cut out star shapes (or whatever shapes you want) with cookie cutters.
Before baking, poke a hole for the string at the top. Bake them at 200°F for 2-3 hours until hard. After they cool down, paint them with natural colors or leave them plain for a rustic look. Tie them with jute or twine & hang them on the tree!
2. Cinnamon Stick Reindeer
What You’ll Need: Cinnamon sticks, twine, hot glue gun, tiny twigs (for antlers), small red beads (optional)
Take three cinnamon sticks—two for the reindeer’s body & one for the legs. Glue those two sticks in an “X” shape & add one on top horizontally for the head.
Glue little twigs at the top as antlers. Wrap some twine around to hold it all together! If you want an extra cute touch, glue a tiny red bead as a nose—makes it look like “Rudolph”! Plus, your home will smell so cozy.
3. Dried Orange Garland
What You’ll Need: Oranges, baking sheet, parchment paper, twine, needle
Slice oranges into thin circles (about ¼ inch). Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet & bake at 200°F for 2-3 hours; flip halfway through.
Once they’re all dry and see-through cool down then thread a needle with twine to string them together! You can even add cinnamon sticks or bay leaves between slices for an extra flair.
4. Wooden Bead Snowflakes
What You’ll Need: Wooden beads, thin wire, pliers, twine
Cut some thin wire pieces (around 5 inches) and thread wooden beads onto each piece to form lines. Twist them together in the center to make snowflakes and space out the beads evenly.
Add smaller beads in between if you’d like more detail. Attach some twine at the top so you can hang these sturdy beauties!
5. Twig Christmas Trees
What You’ll Need: Twigs, twine, scissors, hot glue gun
Grab some twigs from your backyard or nearby park and cut them into different lengths—small ones go on top & larger ones below so they look like a tree.
Use hot glue to attach horizontal twigs onto a vertical one—you need about 5-6 horizontal pieces total. Tie twine at the top so you can hang them up happily. These trees have that rustic vibe perfect for eco-friendly holiday cheer.
6. Paper Snowflakes
What You’ll Need: Recycled paper, scissors, eco-friendly glitter (optional), twine
Fold recycled paper into a square then fold it again into a triangle; do this once more! Cut small shapes along those edges then unfold it to reveal a unique snowflake.
For a sparkle effect sprinkle on some eco-friendly glitter before attaching twine to hang them wherever you’d like.
7. Pinecone Angels
What You’ll Need: Pinecones, small wooden beads (for heads), jute string, hot glue gun, craft paint (optional)
When you’re out walking—collect pinecones (I do this every year!). Glue a little wooden bead on top of their head then tie some jute string on it for hanging.
If you want fun faces or wings painted go ahead; but natural looks fine too.
8. Felted Wool Ornaments
What You’ll Need: Wool roving, felting needle, foam block, twine
Using biodegradable wool roving forms small shapes like hearts or stars by pressing wool on foam and then poking steady with a felting needle till it holds well.
This takes time but feels so nice—once firm attach some twine loop so they’re ready to hang! I made some last year that still look great!
9. Cork Reindeer
What You’ll Need: Wine corks, hot glue gun, small twigs, jute string, tiny red pom-poms (optional)
Start with one cork as the body & cut another cork in half turning them into legs; use little twigs as antlers now too.
Stick ‘em all together using hot glue—and you can also add a red pom-pom nose.It’s a fun way to reuse wine corks.
10. Popcorn and Cranberry Garlands
What You’ll Need: Air-popped popcorn, fresh cranberries, needle, thread
Air-pop some popcorn and let it cool off first though—then thread with string alternating popcorn and cranberries while making traditional garlands.
This is such fun during family time around the holiday spirit. After Christmas, you can leave the garland outside for birds or compost it.
Sustainability Tips for Holiday Decorating
If you’re embracing an eco-friendly Christmas don’t stop just at ornaments! Check out these other ways to help the environment:
Cut down packaging waste: Try using local materials & buy products without extra wrapping when possible!
Compost your ornaments: After the holidays toss any full-on biodegradable ones in compost—or save ‘em for next year.
Stick with natural fibers: Cotton, jute,& hemp are gentle on Earth yet tough enough year after year.
Get Kids Involved
Making ornaments is awesome family fun too. My niece and nephew love crafting salt dough decorations or threading popcorn & cranberries—it teaches ‘em about taking care of our planet while keeping ‘em busy during cold December days.
This holiday season let’s celebrate more mindfully together by creating our own biodegradable decorations. From salt dough stars to cork reindeer—the options go on forever—and they mean much more ’cause they’re made from love!
