Christmas is the perfect time to get cosy at home - and what could be more personal and sustainable than homemade Christmas tree decorations? With simple natural materials and a little creativity, you can conjure up festive decorations in no time at all that not only look beautiful, but are also kind to the environment. Whether aromatic spices, colourful fruit or delicate flowers: sustainable DIY decorations bring warmth, naturalness and individual charm to any home. At the same time, crafting is great fun and offers a wonderful opportunity to get creative together - whether with friends or family.

Decoration ideas

  • Dried orange slices: Particularly popular, as they not only add colour but also a wonderful fragrance to your home.
    How to do it: Cut the oranges into slices, place on a baking tray with baking paper and dry slowly in the oven at 70-90 °C for several hours. Turn over from time to time. Keep the oven door slightly open during the drying process so that moisture can escape.
     
  • Cinnamon sticks and star anise provide a wintery flavour: Simply tie two or three cinnamon sticks together with natural twine or raffia and decorate with star anise.
     
  • Popcorn and cranberry garlands: Thread the popcorn and cranberries alternately or on separate strings.
     
  • Homemade tags made from salt dough or paper can be individually designed and painted.

    For the salt dough:
    Mix 2 parts flour, 1 part salt and 1 part water, roll out, cut out with cookie cutters and bake in the oven or leave to air dry for one to two days. 
    In the oven: Dry for approx. 60 minutes at 50 °C. Keep the door slightly open. Then bake for another 50-60 minutes at 120 °C. Leave to cool before painting.
    For the paper tags: Solid paper or cardboard is suitable for this. Simply cut out, paint, cut out holes - done!
     
  • Pine cones, small twigs or branches
     
  • Dried flowers: They add colour to the tree and create delicate accents. 
    Simply stick the dried flowers into the empty spaces on the Christmas tree. For a simple look, gypsophila, for example, is suitable; straw flowers can be used for a few splashes of colour.

How to store your decorations

Dried fruit and salt dough tags can be used for several years without any problems if you store them in a dry and airtight place. Natural materials such as cones or branches also last a long time. This way, you avoid waste - and can reuse your favourite pieces year after year.

Get creative together

Make it yourself. Whether it's cutting orange slices, threading garlands or painting salt dough - crafting is a real highlight for children. At the same time, it creates a shared Christmas tradition that is not only fun, but also raises awareness of natural materials and sustainability.