Go (South African) green this Christmas

CHRISTMAS table decorations need not be too expensive if you use your imagination, avoid the glitzy consumerism trap and go the green route.

Recycle and reuse your junk to create imaginative table decor. Discarded tins, cardboard boxes, plastic containers, glass jars and bottles can be turned into festive containers with the aid of spray paint, ribbons, bows, sequins, shiny buttons, baubles, recycled greeting cards and other crafty goods.

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Younger family members would love to help with this holiday project.

Fill your pretty recycled containers with gifts of homemade sweets and biscuits or use them as vases for your festive table floral decorations or as cutlery holders for a Christmas buffet table.

Recycle tins by removing labels and punching holes in them then adding a tea light to transform them into instant lanterns. They look particularly good in a rustic, outdoor setting, placed on the dinner table or hanging from trees.

Instead of decking your halls with boughs of European holly, use proudly South African greenery.

Did you know that South Africa has its own holly? The Ilex mitis or Cape holly tree occurs naturally in KwaZulu-Natal. I have one in my garden and although it has so far failed to produce the small red fruits that are supposed to appear in summer, a bunch of the leaves look very festive in a pretty glass container.

We also have a KwaZulu-Natal plant, Senecio macroglossus, to go with the holly as it closely resembles ivy. It is even called Natal ivy although it is not related to this popular English climber.

Ours has glossy green ivy-shaped leaves but its dainty yellow daisy-like flowers give the game away. The Senecio genus belongs to the Asteraceae or daisy family.

Daisy or ivy, our own Natal ivy is still very useful as a table decoration as tendrils of this plant not only look good draped along the centre of the Christmas table but they will last quite a while out of water.

With its shiny leaves, white star-like flowers and red fruit, Carissa macrocarpa (Natal plum or Amathungulu) has a distinctly Christmassy look. It works well as a floral decoration in shallow containers or you can pick big bunches of the plant, place them in large vases and use them to add festive season greenery to a room.

Carissa is a bit of a prickly customer but, with care, you could even twist it into an Advent wreath, adding some ribbons and the traditional four candles for festive flair.

Small, inexpensive glass tea light containers look good scattered around a table with lit tea lights but you can also use these containers as miniature planters for small succulents. Add thin top layers of fine white gravel or sand to the potting soil and tooth picks with labels bearing the guests’ names.

These attractive little table decorations serve a dual purpose as place markers and as inexpensive but imaginative take-home gifts for guests.

If your guest are travelling by road to spend Christmas with you, plant sprigs of spekboom in these glass containers or in planters made from recycled cans and hand them out as take-home gifts. Spekboom is an amazing absorber of carbon so ask your guests to plant their gifts when they reach home to counteract the carbon footprint of their holiday journey.

Interesting old bottles make lovely vases for single blooms. You can group them together for a stylish centrepiece or march them down the middle of your festive table.

Finally, if you live near the beach or are spending the holidays by the sea, send the family out on a beachcombing expedition to gather interesting bits of drift wood, pretty shells and pieces of that sand-blasted sea glass you often find on the beach. Use them, perhaps together with some blue and green sparkles, to create casual seaside chic.

There are no rules about having to go the traditional Christmas red, gold and green route. Ditch this formal theme this year and create an informal Christmas table with a cool, watery aquamarine colour scheme and a casual, holiday look.

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