Homemade for the Holidays

Take a break from the madness - celebrate simple inspirations this season

By Dave Waldon
CTW Features

In 2005 Jenna Woginrich was living a contented life, with a good job at a television network and a nice apartment in Knoxville, Tenn. But Woginrich wasn't content, and knew that the window to do something about it was limited. So when a job offer based in northern Idaho came up, she headed west and started completely over, renting a retired cattle farm and learning how to fend for herself when it came to basic needs. That "intensive year-long course in beginner homesteading" is the subject of Woginrich's new book, "Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life," (Storey Publishing, 2008) which she says is "part inspirational, part instructional" and proof positive that "anyone can take control of the things that you need ... at the most basic level." Woginrich - who today lives on a farm in Vermont with her two dogs, 16 chickens, two breeding Angora rabbits, a duck, a turkey (for holiday dinner) and a hive of honeybees - shares her tips for celebrating a homemade Christmas, reflecting on her first Yule in Idaho, when she had to start from scratch all by herself.

Go Vintage

That first Christmas in Idaho, Woginrich found a trove of decorating treasures at antique and second-hand stores - an offbeat form of recycling, she says. "You can find some really cool, different and already-made Christmas decorations from the '50s and '60s and '70s. ... You're saving stuff from going into the trash, and you get something a little bit more unique and different." By the time Woginrich had finished her old-school shopping run, "It looked like the kind of decorations you would see in an Urban Outfitters when people are trying to make new stuff that looks old," she says. She's also used vintage ornaments to jazz up a door wreath.

Log In

Woginrich is, of course, all about the natural Christmas tree. But she's also for getting as much out of it as possible. When considering what to do with it after the ornaments have been removed and New Year's Eve approaches, she offers the option of sawing off the trunk of the tree and saving it for the next holiday season, when it can be used as a Yule log, "It's actually tradition to use that part of the [tree] for next year," she says. The log can be placed in the fireplace, or can serve as a festive centerpiece candleholder.

"You get to remember and be grateful that you had that tree the year before, and it brings back memories of the year before as well," says Woginrich, who also advises that the rest of the tree can be donated to local nature centers that would convert the used timber into animal habitats for our furry neighbors.

In the Basket

In addition to decorations, Woginrich also goes simple when it comes to her gift giving. Among the presents she distributes are "farm baskets," filled with clean straw and an array of home-style products such as jam, honey and fresh-baked bread. For those with knitting skills, Woginrich also suggest putting a spin on the idea of giving a homemade scarf or hat.

"Go to a local wool producer take a picture of the sheep you're going to get the wool from, and then you keep that for the Christmas card," she says. "And then when you give this handmade gift, you can also put the photograph on the card. It can be, like, 'Meet Wally - you're wearing him this season!' "

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