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3 Sustainable Ways to Decorate Your Home for the Holidays

Hands decorating a wreath with pine branches, dried fruits, and cinnamon on a wooden table.

The holidays don’t need to mean plastic garlands, glitter, or waste. This season, let your home reflect the beauty of the natural world—simple, sustainable, and deeply intentional.

At Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary, we believe the most meaningful decorations are the ones made by hand, sourced from nature, and returned gently to the earth when the season passes.

Here are three sustainable ways to decorate your home for the holidays using elements you can forage, gather, or compost afterward.

🍊 Sun-Dried Citrus Garlands (Orange, Lemon & Lime)

A bright, fragrant twist on traditional holiday décor!

Hand arranging a wreath with dried oranges, pinecones, and berries on a wooden surface.

How to make them:

  • Slice citrus into ¼-inch wheels.
  • Lay on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at the lowest temperature (around 200 degrees for 4+ hours), or air-dry in a sunny window for a few days
  • Weave onto natural twine with a needle, alternating citrus slices with cinnamon sticks, wooden beads, or sprigs of rosemary.
  • Hang above doorways, on your tree, or across your windows to let the light glow through them.

Why this is sustainable:

Made entirely from food and natural fibers, this garland will decompose beautifully. The citrus scent also elevates holiday energy without synthetic candles.

🌲 Foraged Leaf & Pine Branch Wreaths

A celebration of the forest, made from materials already falling to the forest floor.

Rustic wreath making materials on a wooden surface with greenery, berries, twine, and vine wreath.

How to make them:

  • Gather fallen leaves, pine branches, eucalyptus, or sturdy fronds (only what the earth has offered—no cutting needed).
  • Form a circular base from flexible vines or branches.
  • Layer your greenery using twine, raffia, or even strips of old fabric instead of wire.
  • Add accents like seed pods, dried flowers, or star-shaped leaves.

Why this is sustainable:

Every material is organic, compostable, and collected with care. When the season ends, scatter it back into the soil as nourishment.

🎁 Nature-Weaved Gift Wrap Alternatives

Hand holds a banana leaf-wrapped package tied with a string.

Transform your gifts into tiny nature altars.

(Photo credit: https://www.stormwaterhawaii.com/tips/ti-leaves-3-ways/)

Ideas:

  • Wrap boxes using old cloth, scarves, or bandanas (furoshiki style).
  • Tuck in a leaf, small fern, pine cone, or dried flower as the finishing touch.
  • For paper wrap, use old maps, kids’ drawings, or kraft paper stamped with potatoes and natural pigments.
  • Create your own “ribbon” by weaving thin stems, grasses, or long leaves like ti leaf or pandan into simple braids.

Why this is sustainable:

You avoid single-use wrap, celebrate creativity, and gift something that feels personal and grounding.

Holiday décor doesn’t need to burden the earth. When we choose natural, biodegradable, or repurposed materials, we reconnect with the land and create rituals rooted in gratitude. Nature has always offered everything we need—beauty, abundance, and a reminder that simplicity is sacred.

 

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