Decking the Halls
Nearly every year, I’m scrambling until Christmas Eve getting the last minute presents or wrapping presents. I decorate the Christmas tree throughout the holiday month, so by the time December 25th is here, my tree is half dressed (sorry, tree!)
However, this year, Ben and I decided to play host and hostess for an annual Christmas party, and it was the perfect excuse to deck the halls and help kick Christmas into full gear in our home.
Here’s a little glimpse into our home.
The only money I spent on this was buying the oranges! Trust me, I would have happily spent it on garland, but everywhere I checked, it was all sold out. Alas, I spotted some Christmas Tree trimmings and a kind man at Lowe’s sent me home with a bundle and wished me luck.
I’ll include my pro amateur tips to making garland and how to dry oranges.
DO’S AND DON’TS OF GARLAND MAKING 101
First, let me caveat, this is my first time making garland, ever! So this was a lot of trial and error, and thank goodness for some Instagram friends who gave me pointers.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do start with a framework on the bottom, whether that’s a piece of twine, or some limber larger sticks.
Don’t keep running in and out of the house to see if the garland is long enough. If you use a twine and measure out the space and use that as the framework, you can save yourself that trouble.
Do work in small bundles and use wire to add them on to the framework.
Don’t just keep adding one branch to the next. It’ll look v sparse.
Do use paddle wire instead of just string. It made it go so much faster.
Don’t use your regular scissors, trust me, they will not like it. Use garden trimmers! But have another scissor handy for your twine and wire.
Do use multiple kind of greenery, different shades and different textures, if that’s to your liking! I honestly didn’t have much in my garden so the Christmas trimmings were perfect and adding the dried orange slices helped add some interest.
ON DRIED ORANGE SLICES
This year was also, my first time drying oranges! My best friend makes dried orange slices every holiday, and she’s been persuading me for years that its the easiest thing. And she’s right! Not only is it simple, but it makes your house smell amazing!
Buy a bag of oranges. I got naple oranges because I love eating them. I believe you can get any kind, and maybe you can get a variety for different sizes.
Slice them up into 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch slices. I used 5 oranges, but I burnt half of them and it was still plenty. So maybe just use 3 oranges.
Preheat your oven to 200F, and while the oven preheats, use a paper towel and blot dry the orange slices. You don’t have to dab them dry, but it will speed up the process
Lay orange slices in single layer on top of parchment paper and plop them in the oven!
Bake for 2 hours and flip them halfway.
Let them cool overnight or longer.
There you are! Super simple, and I added them to my garlands and a few gifts. But you can make ornaments, string them up as garland, or even use it to garnish drinks!
I hope this post can inspire you to make your home a little cozier and make things with your hands. I know it can feel like a mad dash a lot of times during the holiday season, but I hope you will be able to find some time to just enjoy the little things in between the busyness.