Every year after the winter festivities, piles of discarded holiday decorations are left in dark corners of attics, basements or closet corners, unable to see the light of day until the autumn months. If you’re like me, seeing these twisted muddled piles of lights and tinsel worn boxes full of kitschy ornaments left forgotten in the accumulating dust will squash any sort of left-over holiday cheer. Why fall under the societal norms of taking down your holiday decorations once the season has ended? There are a surprising number of things you can do with leftover holiday decorations to keep the cheer all year round. You just need a little bit of that holiday spirit and sprinkle of imagination.
One of the easiest things you can do is take the route of The Christmas Palace in Miami and keep your decorations up year-round, or at least longer than usual. It may be a nonconventional way to beat the winter blues, but leaving up your lights and garlands up for a couple months longer could be your best bet.
No matter what you celebrate, lights are always an important part of any winter holiday decorations. The versatility of lights can help you keep things fun and fresh as the year progresses. Depending on what color lights you have you can change them out as the seasons change, and if you have outside decorations a simple matter of keeping them up will spruce up your house with minimal extra effort. Keep in mind that energy bills are unfortunately things one must consider, so it would be wise to invest in battery powered lights instead of seeing how high your energy bill can get. If you don’t want to keep your entire set up all year round, but still want to leave some of the spark, those twinkling Earth made stars are right for you.
Leftover Christmas trees or real pine wreaths can be hard to take care of after the season ends, but if you have access to a fire pit or are willing to dry some leaves, then there’s actually a few fun things to do with left over pine. The first and best use is for any sort of kindling for future bonfires. It may take more effort to cut up the tree, or at least some parts of it, but your future pine scented s’mores will thank you all the same. If you aren’t able to be a lumberjack for a day is to take off as many branches as possible and set them off in a cool dry place to dry. Want your house to keep that delicious pine smell? Put some pine needles, and other spices you think may complement the leaves, into a small pot of water and set it to boil. Once the water is boiling keep it to a light simmer and let the wintertime aromas envelop you and your home in their brisk, comforting embrace.
The end of the holiday season can be a disheartening time for some, but just because the new year is ringing, and spring is well on its way doesn’t mean your home has to go back to its drab way of living. These are simply a few things to do with your decorations, but there can be so much more to explore, you just need to hold onto that holiday spirit just a little while longer and let your imagination run wild.
