Green Balls – A Different Kind of Christmas Decoration

"Christmas is just around the corner, and it's time for festive decorations. As every year, the dusty boxes are retrieved from the attic, and the Christmas decor, which finds its usual place year after year, is brought out.

If that's become too boring, you can easily bring fresh and modern Christmas decorations into your home with just a few simple steps. The list of materials is manageable and quickly gathered:"

• Floral foam spheres (with netting)
• Various conifer branches (e.g., pine, spruce, or fir)
• Red berries
• Twine
• Gold ribbon
• Hot glue gun

Floral foam can crumble very easily when dry. That's why the spheres should be soaked in water beforehand. It's important that the spheres absorb water on their own; they shouldn't be forced underwater. This ensures the water reaches the inside of the spheres, preventing them from breaking apart during decoration. Once the spheres are fully saturated with water, a piece of twine can be threaded through the netting and tied securely. This will be used to hang the spheres later.

The spheres can then be hung over a bowl. The bowl will catch any water that the spheres might lose from soaking. Then, the branches can be inserted into the spheres. The branches should be cut to a uniform length beforehand to ensure the spheres look even. It's best to start at the bottom of the sphere and insert the branches closely together into the floral foam. Cutting the branches at an angle will make them even easier to insert. Alternating different types of branches will bring life to the green spheres.

To make the green spheres look truly festive, they are now decorated. Simply glue some red berries onto the green spheres with hot glue. Holly (Ilex) has particularly beautiful red or yellow berries this time of year that work well for this. If you like, you can then attach a gold ribbon to the top of the spheres, near the twine, and then hang the spheres in a window or by the front door.