Two years ago, finding myself frantically arranging heaps of festive plastic before our holiday party, I vowed that in the future I would decorate with simple, natural materials one day at a time. This year, I'm taking ques from a trip to Williamsburg, mecca of natural Christmas decor inspiration.

While I don't plan on sporting the colonial garb this season, I find the beautiful natural decorations absolutely magical. Each door and many windows in the historic section dawn unique mixes of fruit— dried and fresh— greenery, shells, and other items from nature that have been creatively formed into wreaths and garlands. Homes have the opportunity to participate in an annual Christmas decorating contest in which decor is judged on creativity and adherence to the rule of only using materials accessible to colonists as well as other factors such as symmetry, complementarity to the home's exterior, and color combinations. It's fascinating to see the endless variations of the relatively small number of natural materials.

Images: Leah Moss