50 Christmas Decorating Ideas

CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS

1. The More Decorations the Better: There’s no such thing as too many decorations on your tree. If your ornaments are carefully selected and evenly spaced, the more decorated the better looking the tree.

2. Silk Flowers: Silk flowers are a great way to add color and beauty to your tree. You can choose different colors, or make them all white for a beautiful snowy effect.

3. Metallic Spray: Paint pine cones, leaves and seedpods with metallic spray. Then you can evenly space them on your tree for a great new look.

4. Miniature Wreaths: You can find all kinds of miniature wreaths at craft stores. Add greenery, ribbons or berries with a glue gun, and tie a ribbon for hanging, and you have a great home-made tree/wall decorations.

5. Ribbon Streamers: Instead of garland, try using ribbon streamers. All you do is attach Christmas colored ribbon or raffia to the top of the tree, then wind them down and around the tree until you get to the bottom.

Christmas Lights May Contain Lead

In fact, most of the ones I've looked at on the shelf bear a warning disclosing that handling the wires exposes you to lead. Interestingly, virtually all of the Christmas lights I've looked at were made in China. Along with 90% of everything-else-Christmas.

Easy solution: Wash your hands, very thoroughly, after handling Christmas lights. And it's probably not a good idea to let the kids help with the lights, unless they wear gloves, or unless you're certain that your lights are lead-free.

The following article comes from the Children's Health Environmental Coalition:

Holiday Lights and Christmas Trees May Contain Lead

Children's Health Environmental Coalition

If you've been shopping for holiday lights this season, you may have noticed a warning label on some of them stating that they may contain lead.

The warning is required by the State of California's Proposition 65. This law requires a warning label on any product containing a substance known to cause cancer or birth defects that is sold in California. Lead is listed as a carcinogen, but it's more widely associated with neurological damage.

Wire coating and cords are usually made of PVC plastic that may contain lead. Lead is used in PVC for several reasons. For wires and cords, lead makes the plastic more flexible and reduces the risk of fire. Lead is also used in many PVC products to stabilize the color. Lead in PVC products can disintegrate into lead-laced dust.

The labels began appearing on holiday lights, as well as on electronic equipment and cords on other consumer products such as hairdryers, after a number of lawsuits were filed by an environmental advocacy organization in California.... (read more)