The holidays can set allergies off like nothing else. Between the food, drinking and stress you’re allergies are just one small push from kicking in. Christmas trees have long been a serious problem for allergies but there is another way.
Many enterprising individuals have taken it upon themselves to preserve the Christmas spirit but without dragging a mold-covered, sneeze-inducing tree from the forest or lot into their living rooms.
Check out these 10 great ideas that’ll let you enjoy the festivities without setting off your allergies.
#1: The Book Tree
If you’ve got a full bookshelf collecting dust, it’s time to make use of it. Any bibliophile has plenty of these laying around and with a little creativity they’d make a great tree.
Remember to keep the lights off when not at home and opt for lower temperature lights. Books aren’t exactly heat resistant!
Check out the book tree on creative parenting inspiration website, familysponge.
#2: Family Picture Tree
Who said a tree has to be a tower of things? One of the most sentimental things you can try is to structure a tree-like shape of your family’s best moments. All it requires is a bit of hanging, some wall space and some creativity.
The picture tree is illustrated wonderfully by the talented and creative Mindi Freng Designs. Get your family together and turn your most precious moments into the centrepiece of your living room!
#3: Food Tree
What better way to turn your allergies than by making a tree you can eat? Not exactly the best solution if you’re looking for something to pile presents under but great for festivities or get-togethers.
Kelly Senyei from meal inspiration website Just a Taste has incredible Christmas Tree cupcakes that make a delicious substitute for the real thing. Just make sure you don’t eat them all before the 25th!
#4: Ribbon Tree
As fun as putting up a tree is, it isn’t as artistic as it could be. You could choose to opt with elegance this year and make a ribbon tree.
A little finesse and patience is required but with something as simple as ribbons and a cone you could have an art piece and Christmas tree all in one.
Carrie Higgins from family project site Making Lemonade shows you how and how you can step it up a notch too!
#5: Lego Tree
More involved than the last option, you can truly build a tree to be proud of. Build is the operative term here as you’ll have to put together the bark, branches and needles. Ornaments are a bonus.
This is a great way to get friends and family involved and you can really take it as far as your imagination (and ceiling) will let you!
The Daily Mail shows a perfect example of how far you could take it. This example is made up of 350,000 blocks at the Trafford Center in Manchester!
#6: Beer Bottle Tree
Getting together to play with legos is fun but one can argue that getting together to drink is better. This next idea requires a whole lot of that.
The building materials you’ll need are beer bottles and it’s up to you to make sure they’re nice and empty to become the building blocks of your bootleg tree.
Just a tip: Don’t drink them and then try and build. This is best done sober. Check out this awesome video from channel Beer Loves You.
#7: Ladder Tree
Fancy yourself a handyman but don’t want to get too handy? Well we can’t blame you for not wanting to do extra work during the holidays. Luckily, there’s a solution that’s perfect for a situation like yours.
The ladder tree only involves tools in the most basic sense – as decoration. A-Frames work best and by following these simple instructions you can have a quick and nifty Christmas tree solution.
Modern home design site CB2 walks you through the simple but effective way to turn a ladder into a Christmas tree.
#8: Wine Cork Christmas Tree
This is another project that has as much potential to be fun as the beer bottle tree. The wine cork tree involves cutting the corks from wine bottles and sticking them onto a cone in a tree-like pattern.
We usually throw wine corks out so this is a perfect excuse to have a party and hang onto them! Check it out at DIY site Marvelously Messy.
#9: Egg Carton Tree
We generate all sorts of waste but never find good uses for it. Up until now, you may have never thought that anything good could come from hanging onto your egg cartons but with a little paint and some patience you could have some festive building blocks that are every bit as functional as Legos – except you won’t need hundreds of thousands to make a tree.
The Egg Carton Tree can be stacked high and made to last. Head on over to DIYandCrafts to get ideas for decorations and other things you can add to it!
#10: The Cardboard Tree
The ultimate example of simplicity is the cardboard tree. Not only does it look clean and modern – it’s easy to build! This simple tree has endless possibilities and you can take it as far as you’d like.
If you’re one of those people who’s known for not being overly festive, this great find will make a statement and go well with other decoration ideas from Instructables.