Deck the halls with piles of fir cones ...

Christmas fir cones

On a very soggy stir-up-Sunday two weeks ago we went collecting fir cones from the sandy woods near my parent's house.  (We looked out for Peter & the Flopsy Bunnies but we think they were safe in their rabbit hole because it was so wet.)  We collected an enormous bag full of them, (cones that is rather than rabbits), but they were very small and closed up.

By Friday this week the fir cones had all dried out and opened up and so we spent a happy hour decorating them.  (We didn't have to resort to this in the end but apparently they will open up if you put them in the oven on a very low heat).  Littl'un - almost three - really enjoyed this as an activity, both because she had collected them and because she had free rein to splodge white poster paint all over them and then sprinkle them liberally with loads of glitter.

It was also another opportunity to sing our stir-up-Sunday song - "Stir-up Sunday, It's not a Monday, It's a fun day, Stir! Stir! Stir!" (copyright us).  Interference from mummy and grandma was only required to tie on lengths of thread, which was peskily fiddly, so that we could hang them on the Christmas tree where they do look incredibly pretty.

And yet more Christmas fir cones

After out trip to collect cones we stumbled completely by chance on the way back from nursery on what I think are enormous scotch pine cones.  We managed to cram a whole load of them into my bag, which did provoke rather strange looks on the number 3 bus!  They were absolutely crawling with spiders - who were gently shooed and then vigorously shaken out - but again they look lovely covered in gold spray paint and shoved carefully arranged in the fireplace with some rather dubious looking 1990s gold decorations.


For more nature based Christmas activities visit Friday's Nature Table