Christmas For The Birds

Have you ever thought of including the wildlife of your neighborhood in all the feasting and merriment of the season? Begin a tradition that will charm the children and your gathered friends. Prepare a special treat tree for the birds and squirrels of your neighborhood. Plan a party to decorate it with small squares of suit tied with ribbon, strings of cranberries and popcorn, small net sachets filled with fat or butter, and roping of tiny pretzels strung on paper ribbon. Decorative crackers placed among the pine branches also make endearing ornaments. Use paper ribbon to attach the decorations. Make the colors festive. Make sure too, that it is easy for the birds and squirrels to loosen and remove food gifts tied with the ribbon. You won't have to worry about food. Serve the snacks you'll be using to decorate the tree, popcorn, pretzels, crackers and cranberries. Add some steaming hot chocolate as the finale, and you should have a satisfied crew.
 

Gathering the Greens

Those who would gather nature's bounty of Christmas decorating materials must do so early, often by mid November. Fallen cones, tiny evergreen ground covers and other treasures of the woods are all hidden by the first snow. So, make a late fall walk in the woods a Christmas shopping trip.

A variety of containers make gathering easier. Paper grocery bags are best for cones, but tiny green plants need to be wrapped in plastic to protect their delicate roots from drying out. Plastic sandwich bags are also good for carrying seed pods which damage easily. Place these in the bag blown up like a balloon, and seal it tightly. This air cushion will prevent heavier materials from crushing the seeds as you collect more.

Partridge berry and checker berry, also known as tea berry, are the two most popular plants for berry balls. They are easily seen in the late autumn and winter, when other ground level plants have died. Their rich green leaves and showy red berries are easily distinguished from the leaf mold on the forest floor. The very qualities which make these plants winter hardy, their waxy leaves and woody upper stems, give them longevity as decorations. Gather them carefully, taking some moist earth and pine needles to protect their roots. Of course, be sure to leave plenty of plants untouched, to regenerate in each area.

Look also for thick clumps of green mosses to use for wreath bases and to form the bottom lair of berry balls.

 Cones of all types can be used for wreaths, and a variety of other decorations. Large cones can be made into centerpiece's by decorating each cone as an individual tree. Tiny hemlock cones fill in spaces in wreaths and are an ingredient of Christmas popery. All sizes in between are useful as well. Even the coarse cones of the white pine make sturdy wreath bases, and are the best choice for fire starters. Store the cones in paper bags until you are ready for them. Some people prefer to bake them in a moderate oven to dry them first, and to be sure they are uninhabited by bugs.

In addition to the cones of evergreens, there are nuts and seed pods to look for. Beach nuts are lovely and delicate, and are good for creating miniature ornaments, as are all the catkins, which look like tiny tight pine cones. Hickory nuts, acorns buck eyes and the polyps from the sweet gum tree are handsome additions to pine cone wreaths.

The Pods of many flowering plants are easy to find at this time of year, and can be used in cone and herb wreaths, or even as individual ornaments. Milkweed, iris, Queen Ann's lace, teasel, bergamot and many grasses are found in fields and along roadsides, as well as in flower gardens.

As you walk, Note the location of good trees for greens, such as the balsam, spruce and the white pine, for cutting live green wreath and roping decorations. It is not too early for gathering berries such as bitter sweet, since the berries will remain on the vine after they have dried, but leave the holly closer the Christmas. Fresh greens, even long lasting ones like balsam and white pine should also be picked as close to Christmas as possible. This is especially important for those which will be cut into short sprigs for wreaths and roping, since this causes them to dry out more quickly. Hemlock, which looses its needles within a few days, should be picked at the very last minute, and used only in vase arrangements where it can be removed or replaced easily.

Cut all greens in long branches and place them in a bucket of luke-warm water as soon as possible after cutting. Store them in water in a cool place until they are used. Be careful to cut them neatly from the trees with clippers. Never rip or pull them off, since this damages the trees.

Each region has special things to contribute to traditional decorations of Christmas. No matter where you live, a walk in the woods and fields will yield a surprising collection of materials for your own Christmas workshop. As well, be sure to ask friends in other areas to collect different kinds of cones for you. They are light, durable and easy to ship. Likewise, friends in other places are sure to welcome a box of specialties from your local.

Hot Mulled Cider

1 / 4 of a cup of whole cloves
1 / 4 of a cup of broken cinnamon sticks
1 / 4 of a cup of allspice
1 / 4 of a cup of dried orange peel in small bits
6 cups of apple cider

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large jar and set aside. In a large pot, combine the cider with six tablespoons of the mixed spices. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Reserve the rest of the spice mix for other batches. Strain and serve hot. Garnish with a whole cinnamon stick.

Verses Versus Verses

What fun this game will be when you have assembled a group that loves to sing, especially if it is a gathering peppered with Mitch Millers, Carol Aficionados, children and someone who plays a musical instrument.

Materials needed: people who love to sing, a collection of Christmas music and one or more musical instruments (optional)

The object is to discover who can out sing whom correctly in an evening of caroling. It's a fairly non competitive project until you reach second and third choruses. Begin by assembling the group in a room. Appoint a choir master who will hold onto the written verses. Each carrel begins with everyone singing, but people have to stop if they forget the verses or melody as the song continues. You'll be surprised to discover who out lasts whom. A nice party gift for this crowd would be copies of Christmas sheet music with verses.

Special thanks to Paul Manning for putting together this page for us!