Will stringing lights, making door wreaths and decorating the tree truly make you happier? For me, it brings out the nostalgia of childhood, my creative side and allows me to promote the use of horticulture during this season.

Whether you are buying a live Christmas tree, poinsettias and phaleonopsis as gifts or harvesting from the outside and bringing in, let nature be your guide to stay on trend this holiday season.

Vase of twigs:Everybody has that one vase. It is large and when you were in the store, you had to have it. It either stands empty in the corner or holds a dusty fake hydrangea flower. Well, give it a facelift for the season and make it the focal point by using it to hold branches or evergreen boughs. Use lower limbs from the holiday tree, cut a few lower limbs from your landscape, buy a few boughs from your local greenhouse or cut some red twig dogwood. Treat them as you would a cut flower, placing them in warm water and removing any foliage that may sink below the water.

Wood slices to decorate the table:In the horticulture world, we call them tree cookies, and we have been allowing the young ones decorate them, drill a hole and perch them on the tree. The latest trend is to use the larger, chunkier ones on the table and set candles on them. It may be hard to find these in nature unless you have recently cut down a tree and have a chain saw. However, the industry will have them for sale if you find this trend appealing.

Evergreen letters:Instead of a traditional circular wreath, buy monogrammed evergreen letters for the front door or perch them on the fireplace mantle. Treat them the same as a wreath, spritzing with water to keep foliage healthy and intact. If outside, temperature and humidity will be appropriate.

Citrus and eucalyptus:Use citrus and eucalyptus as your theme this year. Vases of lemons or eucalyptus wreaths can adorn your home for a trendy feel. Last year, we dried orange slices in the dehydrator and used needle and thread to connect them to cinnamon sticks and beads. They really were beautifully translucent in the glow of the lights.