Growing Up Green

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s not about presents or holiday hoopla, it’s about being with friends and family to give thanks for what you have and who you have in your life. It can also be a time to show your children that holiday decorations don’t have to come from the store to be beautiful or meaningful. Here are a few tips for creating thanksgiving decorations with items you have around your house that will be fun to create, save you money and could create a new holiday tradition.

1. A Thankful Tree – Here’s what you need. A flower pot, some dirt or sand, a tree branch with no leaves, paper, scissors and colored markers. Here’s how to build a Thankful Tree. Fill the flower pot with the dirt or sand; place the tree branch in the sand so it looks like a tree. Next have your children color the paper in fall colors and then cut leaf shapes out of the paper. The number of leaves you need will depend on the number of guests you will have at your holiday dinner. Here’s what to do with the leaves. When a guest arrives, give them a leaf and a marker and have them put their name and date on one side of the leaf and one thing they are thankful for on the other. Then using an ornament hanger or a straightened paper clip, attach the leaf to a tree branch. You now have a “Thankful” tree and hopefully a new Thanksgiving tradition.

Tips – make sure the tree branch has several smaller branches, enough to hold the total number of leaves you need.

1. Apple Candlestick – Create a unique center piece for your Thanksgiving table with 3 – 6 large Rome apples, 3 – 6 holiday colored candles, wax paper, a potato peeler and lemon juice. Use an apple corer and make a hole about halfway through the apple (make sure it is straight) and remove the core. Place the candles in the hole and if it does not fit tightly, wrap the bottom of the candle with the wax paper. Decorate the outside of the apples with the potato peeler by carving designs in the apple. You can make any design you want and to keep it from turning brown, rub it with the lemon juice. Voila, you now have candles for your Thanksgiving table!

Tip – make sure the apples stand up straight on the table to insure your candle stick will stand up straight.

Thank you to Gary Hillary for writing this article and who generously allowed us to post it. You can see more of Gary's writings at www.thegreenpathcompany.com