What to make of a Christmas tree after the holidays: 8 non-standard solutions

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Do not rush to throw away the natural Christmas tree. She can still serve you.

1. Make natural soap

If the tree is dry enough, it is better to first soak the needles in water, and then grind them in a blender or coffee grinder.

Melt a special soap base or regular baby soap in a water bath or microwave and add 1 teaspoon of needles for every 100 g. Stir well until the base begins to harden a little: this will distribute the needles evenly over the soap. Then pour the mixture into a mold and let sit for a couple of hours.

The essential oils found in spruce and pine are relaxing, relieve headaches and prevent colds.

For beautiful streaks, buy a special thick swirl base and split it in two. Add needles and 3-5 drops of food coloring to the first, and leave the second white. Carefully pour both parts into the mold, and then use a stick or spoon to draw the stains.

You can use both spruce cones and unmilled needles to decorate handmade soap. The possibilities of using this natural remedy are limited only by your imagination.

How to make natural homemade soap: instructions for beginners →

2. Add to bath

The same spruce needle paste can be added to warm water or mixed with sea bath salt. Another way is to pour 500 g of pine needles with boiling water, let it brew for half an hour, then strain and pour into a filled bath.

Vitamins C, E and group B, contained in spruce and pine needles, saturate the skin and hair, and a pleasant aroma will cheer you up, relax and improve sleep.

3. Make a broom for a bath

Bath brooms from a Christmas tree only at first glance seem to be an instrument of torture. If spruce branches are left in hot water for an hour, they will soften and turn into a good massage tool. But for these purposes, it is better to use fresh branches, and not a half-dead holiday decoration.

Therefore, for the manufacture of a bath broom, it is better to take fir branches: they are not so prickly and do not crumble, and they contain no less useful essential oils than pine and spruce. You just need to select the large branches, tie them together, and the bath accessory is ready.

Bath List: A Comprehensive Guide to Russian Bath →

4. Put in a sachet

The smell of the holiday will always be with you if you put spruce needles in a beautiful fabric bag and tie it with a ribbon. You can also add cinnamon, orange peels, or lavender to the sachet. For bags or pillows, it is better to take a small canvas: the sachet will smell stronger, and it will be possible to make a cross stitch on the fabric beforehand.

Ready-made sachets can either be hung in the bedroom or placed between stacks of bedding. The main thing is not to forget to knead them from time to time so that the essential oils come out and the aroma remains.

5. Use in the country

Spruce needles are perfect for mulching the soil. By covering the ground around the plants with needles, you will rid them of weeds and parasites. In addition, this will allow you to water the garden less often and loosen the soil, protect it from washing out and weathering.

Mulching with spruce needles for strawberries will help especially well: the berries will rise above the ground and will not get to anyone but you. Suitable for needles and crops that love acidic soil.

And peeled branches can make good homemade supports for climbing plants.

6. Decorate the house

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Compositions of spruce branches and dry or artificial flowers in a vase or basket look good. To prevent the needles from crumbling, you need to pour hairspray on the finished decor abundantly.

The second option is to put spruce branches and dried berries in a transparent glass and fill with a jelly base for candles. You can buy it at a craft store.

DIY interior: 10 sites with DIY furniture and decor →

7. To please the cat

A tree trunk can make an excellent scratching post for cats. Just first you need to clear it of unnecessary branches.

One of the easiest ways to make the trunk stable is to find a plank that will serve as the base of the structure and attach it to the tree with anchoring angles. After that, all that remains is to wrap the trunk with a thick rope and attach a toy on a string to the top to make the cat more fun.

25 ingenious life hacks for cat lovers →

8. Plant in the forest

This option is only suitable if you bought a small potted Christmas tree. As a rule, such plants are intended for planting in the soil. So after the holidays for your tree, everything is just beginning. Until spring, it is worth taking care of it, and as soon as the snow melts, plant it either in the country or in the forest.