Decorate with Wine Bottles This Christmas

Wine lovers often find themselves with a recycling can full of bottles after a few weeks or several weekend gatherings. Instead of just letting the garbage truck wheel them away, use those empty bottles to add some fun holiday decor to your home this Christmas. All of the bottles should be washed thoroughly with very warm soapy water and allowed to dry before creating any of these suggested holiday decorations. The label can be removed with a bit of vegetable oil before washing the bottle clean.

Make a Wine Bottle Centerpiece with Christmas Lights. Set two empty wine bottles on a silver or gold tray. Wrap strands of holiday lights around the bottles, starting from the top and working down. Plug in the lights for a magical holiday display. The outer edges of the tray can be spruced up with a garland, sprigs of evergreen and holly, pine cones or bunches of red holiday berries.

Use a Row of Bottles to Brighten up a Windowsill. Fill clear empty wine bottles with plain water and a few drops of food coloring. Color the water red or green for a pretty Christmas decorating piece. When the winter sunlight shines through the window, the colored water will be illuminated in a gorgeous way. This windowsill decoration will surely brighten up even the most drab and dreary of winter days.

A Wine Bottle Makes a Lovely Flower Holder. Do you love to decorated your home with seasonal flowers such as poinsettias? Instead of displaying the flowers in bunches, insert just a single stem into an empty wine bottle. A very elegant bottle with just a single holiday bloom in it will look very sophisticated and festive. This very simple decoration is perfect for brightening up a skinny space or unexpected corner. Switch out the flowers as needed. Leave the bottles in place for Valentine's Day, to be used to display red roses and white carnations.

Use a Bottle to Hold a Single Taper Candle. Don't like the look of fussy holiday candle holders, but still want to add a glow to a mantle or table? Wrap gold or silver wired bows around the necks or base of the wine bottles. Insert a single white or red taper into the neck. A bit of wax may need to be melted and then adhered to the rim to make the candle stay in place. Turn the lights down low, light the candles and watch the faces of your guests light up as they take in your gorgeous candle display.

Shred Festive Colored Paper for a Unique Decoration. You can finally get that bin of paper to be shredded out of the way to create this fun and unique Christmas decoration. Spend some time shredding paper in traditional holiday colors such as red, white and green. Fill the bottles with the shredded paper, layering the colors if you wish. The shredding can be dumped and replaced with silver or gold to ring in the new year. A very thin ribbon can be tied around the necks to finish them off. This fun holiday decor item can be displayed on an office desk, a bookcase or on top of the refrigerator to add a dash of cheer to the space.