Kids still home? Leftover fruits or cereals from Holiday Cooking? Think about turning you Christmas Tree into a habitat ornament tree. It is easy and funny, check out some ideas below.
Recycling the Christmas Tree Might make for a new Fun Family Tradition
The needles may be falling off, and there may be a stray strand of tinsel here and there, but that Christmas tree isn’t done working for you yet. Before you toss it on the curb, think about starting a new fun family tradition by making a wildlife tree completed with ornaments made for your featherd friends to enjoy!!
Provide Shelter for Backyard Wildlife
You can leave the tree right in its stand, and set it out in the yard for the rest of the winter. It can fill in a bare spot, giving you something pretty to look at, but, more importantly, it can provide winter shelter for birds. Or how about involving the family, use some of the less than perfect fruit or left over crackers & cereals to make some special treats for your feathered friends. Try creating some:
Raisin Icicles by using a needle and waxed dental floss, thread raisins to form 1.5 to 2-foot lengths. Start with a knot at the end of the string or tie and
knot the floss around the first raisin and continue stringing raisins. Tie the top end with raffia or a colorful ribbon to hang.
Or maybe a Crackers or Cheerios bracelet – Using left over pieces of yarn, string together crackers (think Ritz, or the types that have small holes) or Cheerios or Fruit Loops in the shape of a bracelet to slide over the tips of branches.
How about a Popcorn party by stringing together popcorn — but make sure that it’s all natural; no butter or salt added. And maybe add a few cranberries for color.
Or use up those Apples and Oranges by slicing them in thin slices, string through a bit of thread in each, and hang each piece separately from branches.
Or, you could always go on the search from pinecones and roll them in creamy peanut butter and bird seed for an extra special treat and hang them with bits of colorful yarn.
Hopefully this new tradition will become another great way to get back to the basics of spending time some family time together, especially when you watch your new feathered friends find their tree with their specially crafted ornaments. Bird watching can be great fun and very relaxing too!!
If creating a habitat tree is not something you want to try think about recycling the Christmas tree in your garden. Cut long branches from your Christmas tree with loppers or pruners, and lay them over perennials. This is especially useful for perennials that are susceptible to frost heaving, as well as those that are only marginally hardy in your zone. A covering of evergreen branches could be the difference between losing a plant this winter and seeing it bloom again next year