Repurpose before you compost

Before you go shopping for holiday bric-a-brac, check out what Mother Nature has left in your yard. Yesterday's pruning debris can quickly be transformed into today's seasonal décor. Many people spend money buying real or artificial pinecones, twigs and branches for decoration. Save a trip to the craft store and simply scavenge them from your yard—or from a neighbor who is willing to share. 

Place pinecones with trimmings from evergreen shrubs in an empty porch container that's been cleaned of annual flowers. Use natural branches and twigs for texture in arrangements. Leave them looking natural to enjoy as simple, minimalist elements. Or paint them gold or silver for holiday glitz.

If you have a wood-burning fire pit, fireplace or stove, make bundles of fire starters by wrapping twigs and pinecones with twine. These little bundles are an easy craft for kids, and they can be an attractive, useful gift to share when arranged in a basket. 

Whatever yard waste you can’t reuse can then be composted to enrich your garden next year.