Decorating With Pinecones At Christmas: The Festive Ultimate Guide

Decorating with pinecones is Christmas decorating gold. They come in many shapes and sizes and fit almost every decor. Here are easy, creative, and smart ways to use pinecones when you decorate for Christmas.

The crunch of dry leaves accompanied me as I walked to the car after a stroll in the woods with Bobby. My pockets were full, and my hands were chilly and sappy. The slightest grin of satisfaction spread across my face, thinking about how pleased I was with the stash in my pockets!

Do you collect anything? Most of us do. I collect something a little bit quirky and unexpected. Pinecones! I collect them like some people collect shells as they walk on a beach. And no wonder pinecones are decorating gold, especially when decorating for Christmas.

It would almost be impossible to decorate our home for Christmas if it weren’t for these funny little conical naturals! They are often behind the decorating scene, helping to create Christmas magic. And this year’s Christmas decor at our house is showcasing pinecones front and center.

I’ve collected pinecones for years! And honestly, they are the workhorse of so many of my arrangements and other Christmas decorations!

This post is packed with idea you can use to decorate your Christmas home using the funny, humble pinecone.

Benefits Of Decorating With Pinecones

• Pinecones are easy to find.
• They are cost-effective: free or inexpensive.
• Pinecones add an organic layer to seasonal decor.
• They can be used in so many different ways.
• They are eco-friendly because they are natural.
• And pinecones work with almost every style of seasonal decor.

Pinecones come in all shapes and sizes! So you can find the perfect pinecone you need to decorate with for Christmas. Make sure you check out the bottom of the page to see how to de-bug, and de-sap found pinecones if you are like those of us who have full pockets and sappy hands.

Use Pinecones In The Bottom Of Arrangements

Pinecone’s different shapes and sizes make them perfect to add to the bottom of arrangements. Instead of filling up the bottom of a Christmas arrangement with precious decorations like greens, ornaments, or other embellishments, why not fill it with pinecones and sit the pretty decor on top of it? Pinecones can take up lots of space! I use this tip for so many things I arrange during any season.

Keeping a stash of not-so-perfect pinecones, especially the long slender Easter white pinecones. Their arms or scales are flexible, making them easy to fit together and position at the bottom of arrangements. Some of my pinecones look rather motley, but they work great!

Isn’t this a cute and sassy Christmas arrangement? Guess what I used to fill up some of the space between the bowl and the greens?

Pinecones! You can see how I used them in the bottom of each bowl below.

To see this sassy and pretty Stackable Christmas Bowl arrangement. This is an old post with a very fun Christmas idea!

Decorate A Christmas Tree

Pinecones and Christmas trees are a true match! So why not offer them back to your tree and use them instead of or alongside of ornaments. Pinecones offer so much texture and are a nice contrast to shiny, smooth Christmas balls.

Use different kinds of pinecones and turn some of them so their bottoms face out. The bottom side of a pinecone is so attractive and reminds me of a flower!

Pinecones are cheap or free and so pretty! What could be better than cheap, free, and pretty? Think about using them in your tree!

You might like to see How To Decorate A Tabletop Tree.

Pair Pinecones With Christmas Greens

I just need to say it again, greens and pinecones are a fabulous pair. So combine them liberally! I love to use snippets of greens (mostly faux) with pinecones.

Did you know that you can easily make scented pinecones? They absorb essential oils wonderfully! And make a room smell so good! The pinecones in the white ceramic basket above are scented! It is so easy to scent pinecones, so they smell like Christmas. You might like to make Scented Pinecones for your home this holiday season.

Pinecones In Arrangement

Arrangements are the backbone of Christmas decorating. Adding just one attractive Christmas arrangement to a room makes it instantly festive. Make pinecones part of those arrangements. Put them on the bottom of the arrangement as filler, as we talked about above, and use these textural organics along with greens, ornaments, ribbons, or anything else you use to create an arrangement.

The arrangement above was made by centering a candle in a glass hurricane in a pretty shallow bowl. And then arranging greens, velvet leaves, and pinecones around it! An instant centerpiece for a table! The pinecones help to physically hold the arrangement together and add a contrasting color.

It’s just so easy to use greens and pinecones to make something Christmassy!

Pinecones And Dishes

I love to create a pretty Thanksgiving and Christmas table! Scattering pinecones across a table is one way to make a table look so festive. They add a natural organic feel to a table! One of my favorite things to do is to add one very pretty pinecone to each place setting! The tablescape above has a woodland theme, and snow-kissed pinecones work so well with a tablescape like this one.

Other ideas for using pinecones on a table…

• Scatter pinecones down the center of the table.
• Or use pinecone garland down the center of your table.
• Put the prettiest pinecone on a napkin at each place setting.
• Fill a shallow bowl with pinecones and greens and use it as a centerpiece.
• Prop a name card up on a pinecone at each place.

Decorating With Pinecones On The Mantel

The mantel is the perfect place to scatter pinecones. Use different sizes and colors and arrange some standing up and some grouped lying down. Remember to show some of the stem and bottom ends of the prettiest pinecones.

The mantel below does not have pinecones scattered across it, but the white ginger jar vase has a stunning frosted sugar pinecone that adds a bit of depth to the arrangement. Sometimes one big, beautiful pinecone is all a mantel needs.

If you use a garland or swag made of greens on your mantel, wire pinecones to the greens. This adds such a pretty natural look.

Another attractive way to add pinecones to the fireplace is to string them on twine to create a garland!

Attach Pinecones To A Wreath

Are the Christmas wreaths you put on the door dotted with pinecones! They are a natural fit for an evergreen wreath and make a faux evergreen wreath look so much more authentic. Here’s a little trick. Pinecones are dark and can get a bit lost on a wreath. Try adding something light and/or brightly colored to the wreath, like white berries, lights, metallic items, or a pretty bow. Snow-covered pinecones will stand out on an evergreen wreath and look extra Christmassy.

I’ve never made an all-pinecone wreath, and every year I say this is the year! I would love this year to be the one!

Use Pinecone Christmas Ornaments

Pinecones also come in faux versions like pinecone candles, lights, and ornaments, to name a few. If you are a fan of pinecones, add a few of the faux kind to your Christmas decor. I have a collection of various pinecone ornaments that usually adorn at least one of our Christmas trees.

Make A Christmas Ornament

Even if you are just a little bit crafty, you can make your own pinecone Christmas tree ornament. Or make a pinecone statement decoration to hang on a hook in your foyer or over the newel post of your stairs. I used a big sugar pinecone to make a one-of-a-kind oversized ornament. It is so super easy to make. Here’s how I made it…

• Make a large bow and hot glue the bow to the top of the pinecone with hot glue.
• Make a hanger loop with a piece of the same ribbon and glue it under the bow on the back side of the pinecone.
• Glue sprigs of greens and berries under the bow so they stick out from under the bow.
• Hot glue Christmas ornaments to the pinecone.
• Done!

Fill In With Pinecones

Pinecones have the almost magical ability to complete Christmas decor. When I feel that the Christmas decor I’m styling just needs a little something, I reach for a few pinecones. Pinecones can be added to make decor look more full and lush. And when there is a space or hole in something I’m decorating, I add a well-shaped pinecone.

You can see why pinecones are my go-to add-ins.

Paint, Flock, Bleach, And More

To create a unique pinecone look, why not try painting them or bleaching them? Or flocking them or frosting them? Here are a few easy tutorials for enhancing the look of the humble, brown pinecone!

Paint Pinecones

It’s so easy to paint pinecones. Give pinecones a snow-tipped look by painting white acrylic paint to the tips of the pinecone scales. You can also add glitter to the arms for lots of sparkle.

If you want to paint the whole pinecone to work with your Christmas color story, you can either use a bigger paintbrush and paint the entire pinecone or dip the whole thing in acrylic house paint. Before dipping, use a length of strong wire and wrap it around the fattest end of the pinecone and have enough left over to make a hanger. After you dip the pinecone, hold it over the paint tipping the pinecone in different ways to let the excess paint run off of it. Suspend the pinecone and let it completely dry.

Bleaching Pinecones

You might also like to bleach pinecones! They turn a beautiful blond color that is natural looking and so striking. This is my favorite pinecone treatment! I’m bleaching another batch of pinecones to decorate with this Christmas.

How To Bleach Pinecones will give you step-by-step directions about how to make these beautiful pinecones.

Other Treatments

Here are other pretty ways to spruce (pun intended 🤣) up the humble pinecone…

• To create a frosted pinecone look, paint the ends of the pinecone scales with Mod Podge or Elmer’s glue and dip them in Epson salt or glitter.
• Flock pinecones by painting the tip of each scale with Mod Podge or Elmer’s glue and then liberally sprinkle them with faux snow.
• You can also gild the tips of pinecones for an elegant look.

Pinecone crafts are fun to do with kids of all ages!

Other Ways To Decorate With Pinecones

Here are a few other ways to use pinecones in your Holiday decor…

• Make a Christmas tree topiary by gluing small pinecones to a styrofoam ball or tree shape.
• Put pinecones and fairy lights in large jars with lids.
• Make pinecone ornaments by coating a pinecone with glitter, attaching a thin velvet ribbon to them with a dot of hot glue, and tying them on your Christmas tree.
• Put large pinecones upright on top of candlesticks. Tie a bow around the candlesticks.
• Make a pinecone tree by gluing a large pinecone to a wood slice so it stands up. Glue small Christmas ornaments or beads between the scales. Top with a gold paper star and add to a little terracotta pot.
• Wire pinecones to holiday garland.
• See how to make easy Pinecone Fire Starters. Great for a Christmas fire and for gifts!
• Add little pinecones and jingle bells with twine to a Christmas package instead of a bow.

Debugging And Getting Rid of The Sap

As promised, here is how to debug and de-sap found pinecones so they can be used as Christmas decor…

1. Start by knocking off any excess dirt from pinecones that are found outside.
2. Preheat your oven to 200°. Put the pinecones single-layered on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake them for about 30 minutes. Check them to make sure they do not burn. The goal is to kill any bacteria, get rid of bugs, and melt the sap away.
3. Cool completely and use or store.

How do you use pinecones? Please let us know in the comments. I hope you make them a part of your Christmas home decor.

After writing this, I can’t wait to go on another walk in the woods with Bobby. Next time, I’m using his pockets!

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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DECORATING A TABLETOP CHRISTMAS TREE

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST CHRISTMAS ARRANGEMENT