Advent decorations also grow outdoors
Homemade Advent decorations are attractive, affordable, and totally on trend! «You can find all sorts of decorative pieces right by the wayside during a walk,» says Eva Goris, spokeswoman for the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung. «There's nothing wrong with collecting, as long as you don't go trampling across open terrain, stripping the forest floor bare, and disturbing wildlife,» says Goris.
Homemade Advent decorations are attractive, affordable, and totally on trend! «You can find all sorts of decorative pieces right by the wayside during a walk,» says Eva Goris, spokeswoman for the Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung. «There's nothing wrong with collecting, as long as you don't go trampling across open terrain, stripping the forest floor bare, and disturbing wildlife.»
That said, not everything needs to be bought at a price. Gnarled pieces of wood, pine cones, bark lying on the ground, individual grasses, and broken, rustic branches are all perfect for decorative purposes.
Decoration dos and don'ts
«Crafting enthusiasts should refrain from tearing or cutting off branches and shoots, or digging up mosses or roots,» says Goris. Taking animal accessories such as shed antlers from red deer or feathers from woodland birds is also prohibited and even constitutes the offence of poaching.
«Anyone who goes out to collect natural Advent decorations should always keep in mind that many plants and seeds are an important source of food for songbirds in winter. Bark and deadwood also serve as protection from the cold and as winter quarters for wildlife such as beetles, amphibians, wild bees, and small mammals,» says Eva Goris.
