You Can Decorate An Outdoor Edible Tree For The Animals

Edible ornaments for animals are a great idea for outdoor Christmas trees

If you’re looking for a way to get outside with the whole family this season, creating an outdoor Christmas tree is the way to go. And not just any outdoor Christmas tree, but one that’s eco-friendly, too. It’s simple and a great way to celebrate the season in an ecological way.

Nicollete Sowder, the blogger behind Wilder Child, shares how her family worked together to create the perfect outdoor Christmas tree.

They make biodegradable, edible ornaments for the animals to eat during the winter every year.

“We started by gathering pinecones from around our property,” she writes. “You can also just use this time to choose the tree you’ll be decorating. If you’re in an urban environment or don’t have trees, you can also use a branch with lots of smaller branches on it.”

She recommends animal-watching with the kids to get them pumped up for making the perfect edible snacks to use in decorating the tree.

There’s really no limit to the creativity when it comes to these decorations — lots of fruits, nuts, even some berries and peanut butter can be used. A lot of the items are things we have lying around the house anyway, which makes this incredibly doable.

She uses peanut butter pinecones and creates homemade birdfeeder ornaments with sliced open oranges and birdseed.

And if you’re feeling extremely adventurous and tedious craft-making is your jam, try making a cranberry popcorn garland.

What’s really great about this idea is not only its simplicity in execution (hallelujah for those of us with young kids who have short attention spans for any organized activity), but the fact that it’s actually helping animals. During colder months, it’s harder for them to find vegetation and food — one of these trees is like a smorgasbord for local wildlife!

A lot of people seem to be catching onto the idea. A simple search through Instagram shows a lot of adorable trees with eco-friendly adornments.

SO CUTE and you just know the deer are like “Score!”

The orange slices are truly the perfect festive touch.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B50tRV0JzXr/

This is truly the perfect tradition to start this year for families everywhere. The best part is watching the birds and other wildlife enjoy the (literal) fruits of your family’s labor. Enjoy!