Decorate with Christmas Tree Branches

It’s not unusual for live Christmas trees to need to be trimmed a bit before they’re decorated. Whether it’s to help fit the tree through the door and into the house or merely to tidy up the branches, clipping some boughs leaves you with a pile of heavenly-scented tree trimmings. Before tossing them into the compost pile, consider these five fun and festive ways to decorate with Christmas tree branches. If you have an artificial tree but still want to incorporate live evergreen branches into your décor, bundles of trimmings can be purchased at most tree farms and garden centers.

1. Window Boxes If you have a particularly large tree, excess branches can be cut to size and used as window box fillers. Add a few sprigs of winterberry and holly for a simple and elegant finish that can be enjoyed all winter long. 2. Swags Tie a handful of branches together and secure the cut end with floral wire. Cover the wire with festive ribbon and hang with the bow on top. The branch tips should be fanned out and pointed downward. These little sprays look great on small shed doors and outbuildings or tied at intervals on fence posts. 3. Holiday Centerpiece You can easily make an indoor or outdoor holiday arrangement by inserting branches into wet floral foam placed in a decorative vase or pot. Accent with pine cones, berries, Christmas balls or even tiny white lights. For indoor arrangements, periodically add water to the floral foam to prevent the greenery from drying out. 4. Gift Toppers Use sprigs of evergreen tied together with red ribbon or twine and a miniature candy cane as a seasonally-scented alternative to a traditional bow on gift wrapped presents. 5. Table Runner Instead of using a fabric table runner, arrange a thin layer of tree boughs that have been cut to size, rinsed and allowed to air dry down the center of square or oblong tables or in a doily fashion on round or oval tables. Place groupings of chubby Christmas candles or battery operated votives throughout the greens. When warm foods are placed on the greenery it will release more fragrance into the air for added holiday ambiance. Never leave lit candles unattended.