This post is #100! Thanks for celebrating this milestone with me. Enjoy!

Nothing screams “It’s Christmas-time!” quite like the fresh boughs of the humble pine tree. Green, needle-y and great-smelling. I used to buy a big box of cut mixed pine boughs every year. They are beautiful, but pricey. Last time I checked a box was $40, and that’s wholesale! I swore to forgo the greens this year…

Problem was, I missed them. Then it hit me. The tree lots all over town are always cutting off the bottom branches. What happens to them? They usually go in a big box and get tossed out or composted. But if you bat your big eyelashes and ask real nice-like, they will probably let you have some. Do note that not all lots will give away the boughs. Some sell them as well, and some just aren’t so nice, but it’s worth visiting a couple lots if you have to. I got lucky at my local Whole Foods. They had a big bin of boughs and told me I could have as much as I wanted. I went back twice 😉 (Note: this was the Cap Hill Whole Foods. I asked at the Cherry Creek store and well, they weren’t as nice). The WF trees are locally grown (at least here in Colorado) and so are very fresh and long-lasting. (Do be warned that, just like a fresh tree, as they dry out they drop needles!) I’ve got boughs all over the house. It smells great and is, obviously, rather festive. Here are some ideas for using fresh pine boughs:

Use in flower arrangements instead of or in addition to regular greens.

Tuck into plants.

Tie a few together with a pretty ribbon and hang on your door, on the backs of dining chairs, or any vertical surface that needs some cheer.

Lay a few along your dining table, bar or buffet.

Is your holiday tree a little thin? Tuck in a few boughs to fill it out.

Wrap them around vases, candles, & plant pots.

Make your own fresh wreath or garland.

Weave around a chandelier (just keep it away from the sockets).

Lay along window sills with pine cones and lights.

Here’s what I did with my free pine boughs…

In flower arrangements.

Tucked into houseplants. (This one also has a couple bird clip ornaments, a few feathers, and a little velvet deer.)

Hung on the curtains.

Boughs tied together with ribbon. (This one is on our back porch door.)

In a vase, here with some peacock feathers.

Under a candle.

Laid along the dining table.

An unexpected spot, here tucked into a tall lamp.

Get some boughs and get creative! Happy Holidays!