Edible Holiday Decorations for Birds

It's the time of year again when we're thinking about or already putting up those holiday decorations outdoors. Why not keep the birds in mind when hanging your holiday decorations this year? These edible holiday decorations for birds are homemade, inexpensive and nature inspired. Children love to help make them and best of all . . . it's a beautiful way to feed the birds and wildlife with attractive and edible holiday decorations.

Edible holiday decorations for birds require more time than money and are a great way to get the family involved in doing something environmentally friendly for the birds. Maybe you were fortunate enough to share family activities such as stringing popcorn and cranberries when you were a child. This holiday season might be the perfect time to slow things down and make the same edible holiday decorations. More important, you'll be making memories with your children

Some of the steps for these edible holiday decorations for birds can easily be done while the family is watching television in the evening. The next day, hang these pretty and edible holiday decorations on an outdoor Christmas tree. It's perfect if you have an evergreen tree near a window where you can watch the birds and wildlife enjoy the edible holiday decorations and ornaments.

It's a good idea to make extra edible holiday decorations for evergreen wreaths and swags. These traditional holiday decorations aren't just for doors. Hang them on privacy fences, fence posts, shepherds' hooks, outside walls, garages or other structures. Simply lay a wreath with edible holiday decorations on an outside patio table for a centerpiece. Wreaths or swags covered with edible holiday decorations can always be put on a large tree trunk where the birds can easily find them.

Edible Holiday Decorations and Ornaments for Birds

Peanut Butter Pine Cones: This edible holiday decoration for birds is a traditional favorite. Put crunchy or creamy peanut butter in the crevices of pine cones and then roll them in bird seed. Wrap the cone with wire or thick twine and hang it on a tree, wreath or swag. These are definitely one of the easiest edible holiday decorations.

Apple Flowers: I admit that I was playing with my own snack food one day when I came up with this edible holiday decoration for the birds. It's an easy to make flower ornament with apple slices, peanut butter, sunflower seeds and nuts. Spread peanut butter on a slice of apple and glue almond, pecan or walnut slices in a circular pattern. These are the flower petals. Press black oil sunflower seeds into the peanut butter in the middle of the apple slice. They become the center flower seed head. Poke a small hole in the apple slice and hang it on the tree. I used raffia for my apple flower ornaments.

Popcorn and cranberry garland: Since young children and needles don't mix, you'll have to do the popcorn and berry strings, but they can help by handing you the pieces of food. Older children can handle this part though and it's a big time saver. It needs to be a thick needle with an eye large enough for a thick thread or thin waxed dental floss.

The popcorn should be plain, unsalted and stale. Fresh popcorn crumbles too easily. The cranberries can be fresh or dried. The fresh berries are larger and showier on the tree. Put a large knot on one end of the thread or floss and start threading the popcorn and berries in the pattern of your choice. Finish the garland with another knot. The garland doesn't have to be long. Put shorter garland pieces near another one to look continuous on the tree.

Citrus cup hanging feeders: Another option is using the skins of orange or grapefruit halves as miniature cup feeders and use these as edible holiday decorations. Scoop the pulp from the citrus fruit and enjoy it yourself. Then put three holes evenly spaced around the rim of the orange/grapefruit cup and tie thick string or twine through the holes to form a hanger (in much the same way the wire is formed in hanging flower baskets) Fill these little cups with bird seed or other bird treats. Put these on the outdoor Christmas tree for the birds and wildlife to enjoy.

Bagel wreaths: Check bakeries for stale bagels and sometimes they're dirt cheap or even free. Slice the bagels and spread them with peanut butter, shortening or lard. Put paper plates full of colorful bird seed or wildlife seed mixes. Wildlife mixes usually contain sunflower seeds, cracked corn and other kinds of seeds. Let the kids dip the peanut butter/shortening-covered bagels in the seeds. Then hang these edible holiday decorations with raffia and watch the hungry wildlife and birds quickly devour them!

Bread cookie-cutter ornaments: Use whatever holiday cookie cutters you have on hand. These edible holiday decorations are a good way to use stale bread. Check bakeries again for cheap or free stale bread. Use the cookie cutters to cut shapes from the bread slices. Save the crusts and scraps and put these outdoors for ground feeding birds, ducks and other wildlife.

If the bread is too soft, allow it to harden a little more or toast it for a short time. Make a small hole in the top for hanging the ornaments with raffia. Spread a layer of peanut butter, lard or shortening on the bread shapes and press into bird seeds just as you did with the bagels. Don't be surprised if a few ornaments get carried away by squirrels or other wildlife. They get hungry in the winter, too!

Fresh and Dried Fruits: Large chunks of fresh fruit such as orange slices, apple slices or even dried fruits can easily be wired onto the evergreen branches. They also make a colorful garland alone or with popcorn.

How to Make an Edible Holiday Berry Wreath for Birds

Purchase an inexpensive straw wreath base. These are readily available at craft stores in various sizes. Use wooden tooth picks to secure fresh cranberries, cherries or other berries to the entire front surface of the wreath, pushing one end into the wreath base while the other end holds the berry. Grapes can also be used on part of the wreath. Although this can take time to finish if the wreath is large, it's well worth the effort for the joy of seeing the birds get to feast on this festive winter decoration. As the wreath becomes bare from the daily feasting, just bring it in and fill in the gaps with additional fresh berries.

How to Make Evergreen Wreaths or Swags

Outdoor holiday decorations can be bird friendly feasts and still be pretty at the same time. They can be any size you want when they're homemade. An evergreen wreath or swag is perfect for hanging edible holiday decorations outdoors for the birds. Evergreen wreaths or swags can always be purchased where live Christmas trees are sold. Artificial materials shouldn't be used as they can be toxic to birds or wildlife.

Wreaths: A wire clothes' hanger is a good option for the base of a small and simple winter wreath. Just bend the wire to form a circle and leave the hook for hanging the wreath. Snip evergreen boughs and wrap them around the wire base, securing the evergreens with florists wire.

An option for a larger evergreen wreath is to start with an inexpensive grapevine wreath as the base. These are available in large sizes for small prices. Simply wrap and secure fresh evergreen pieces onto the grapevine base. When finished with the wreath, store the grapevine base until next holiday season in a garage or shed.

Swags are even easier to make. Simply secure a bundle of greenery together at the top with wire. The swag will have a more natural appearance if the longest branches are placed in the center and the shortest on the outside, similar to a narrow triangle. Tie a large bow on the top of the swag from an all natural material such as cotton, burlap, raffia or thick cord.