Being part of a military family has enabled me to live in many parts of the US and Europe. One of my favorite places to live was Germany. For three years, we lived in a small village surrounded by rolling farmlands that had paved walk paths that went on for miles.
While living there in general was surreal, living there over the winter was magical. Germany has many old and beautiful Christmas Markets… there are food vendors, amazing crafters, and spiced wine (not my favorite, but it would warm you up in a pinch). Many of the crafts I saw there were unique, like smokers shaped like people and fragrant smoke puffed out of their mouth and wooden spinning pyramids (huge ones were at some of the Christmas markets).
One thing I noticed about the holiday decorations in the area we lived in was the use of natural elements. Many doors had fresh cut greens tied with a ribbon and dried oranges and cinnamon hanging inside their homes. I can almost smell the memory. When we moved back to the States, I tried to recreate the magic I saw in Germany. It’s a great low cost, eco friendly way to decorate for the holidays.
Since moving back to the States, I have bought a large of oranges to dry for my holiday decorations. I cut them up and slowly dry them in the oven. Your house smells amazing during this process! Once they are sufficiently dried, I string them up on twine to make a garland for my fireplace. You can also intersperse the oranges with cinnamon sticks to add to the aroma.
Where we lived in Germany, I didn’t see many completely round wreaths on doors, but there were many that we call “swag” or even partial wreaths. I loved the look and wanted to recreate it. I have some evergreen trees in my backyard and each year I cut some branches to create my own swag or wreath. If you don’t have evergreens, you can usually pick up extra branches from your local Christmas tree dealer or even a florist. I add a ribbon, dried berries, or a pinecone to complete my door swag.
Instructions for making your own orange garland:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice oranges 1/4inch or 1/8th inch thick. Try to cut them all evenly and place on parchment paper. Don’t overlap the orange slices.
3. Press oranges between paper towels and gently press to get out the extra juice.
4. If 1/4 inch thick, bake for 4 hours. If 1/8th inch thick, cook 3 hours. FLIP HALFWAY THROUGH!
5. Use a toothpick to poke holes in 2 sides of the orange and thread with twine.
(some Etsy shops sell dried oranges, if you want to skip this process, but want the same great look)
Community Connections:
Find dried flowers/berries for door swag/wreaths at Meraki Market and Home on Haddon.
When finished with your oranges and greens, don’t forget to compost them with Garden State Composting or One Compost Can. Save the dried flowers for next year – or your next wreath!