Gather as much lichen as possible. The best kind of lichen are ones that are, for lack of better word, "spongy" The best kind of Moss to get are likewise "spongy" and appear green-white or light yellow -green/brown in color and generally hang off of tree branches in long hair-like looking clumps. Make sure it's DRY, if not set it somewhere air-tight and warm ("room-temperature")  Unravel it so it's a tangled mess of fibers, then add it to the lichen/moss lump. Thoroughly scramble/mix/toss/combine them with each other. It's your choice but it works better as one large mass.  , etc.) Loop it around and through the ball multiple times finishing with both ends next to each other. This is optional but for added measure you could spray or "mist" the tied up LMTF (lichen/moss/twine fiber) with bug spray or an aerosol  deodorant as both of these are equally flammable. Make a small opening in the LMTF ball that goes straight to the center of it, light a matchstick it into the opening, and drop it inside it. Now step back and wait a little, as it takes the moss and the lichen a little bit to ignite.  If it works properly it should start sending up huge thick gusts of white smoke. There exists a chance however that the twine will actually catch fire eventually turning the whole thing into a fireball. This one is much less noxious then the ping-pong ball one because moss and lichen do NOT burn naturally, it just smolders and makes nothing but minimal heat and LOTS of smoke. (They can burn if drenched in lighter fluid or if the fire is ridiculously hot.) Therefore the smoke it makes smells just like that; smoke. Not a nasty smelling smoke or a pleasant campfire smoke. Just smoke-smoke it's completely neutral smelling, but that does NOT mean you can just stand there and smell it all day! Smoke is still bad for you lungs regardless of smell.  The twine also doesn't burn but it still smolders and generates more heat then moss or lichen does, plus it goes up in minute flames in a matter of seconds.

Summary: Go out to a densely wooded area. Gather as much Moss as possible. Lump the dry lichen and moss together. Get some twine of any length over 5 inches (12.7 cm), give or take. Bundle it into either one large loose ball shaped mass or multiple small ones. Get some more twine in a length of 10+ inches and this time only "loosen it up". Take the loosened twine and soak small parts of it in a flammable liquid (lighter fluid, gas, oil? Use the loosened twine to gently bind up the loose ball shaped lichen/moss/twine fiber mass. Tie the loose twine ends together in a Square Knot. Set it outside somewhere.


If you want to decorate without a wreath but don’t want to stray too far from the look of seasonal greenery, you can use evergreen branches to spruce up your door. If you live in an urban area, you can purchase artificial branches; or if you have access to trees, snip off four or five branches that are each around three feet in length. Use ribbons or push pins to fix the evergreen branches to your front door. If you like, tie a red ribbon around the branches to give them the look of a seasonal bouquet. If you’d like to spell out a word on your door, you can purchase large, wooden letters at a local craft-supply store. Paint the letters in green and red for Christmas, or in blue and white for a wintery look. Use pieces of seasonal ribbon to attach the letters together. Consider spelling out a seasonal or holiday-related word: “JOY,” or “THANKS.” If you’d like to spell a longer word—e.g. “CHRISTMAS,” “NEW YEAR,” or “GOD BLESS,” purchase smaller letters. If you’re angling for a Christmas-specific theme but want to avoid using a wreath, use durable Christmas ornaments to decorate your door. Hang a few candy canes over push pins in the door, or use a ribbon to secure a large Santa doll to the front door (you could also use an over-the-door hanger like you’d use for a wreath to hang the Santa).  If you’d like something simpler, hang a bow over your front window. To complete the look, hang a stocking or a sleigh-bell from the doorknob. A craft-supply or holiday themed store will likely also sell other doorknob-specific decorations, if you prefer to hang your stockings on the mantle inside. To avoid cluttering your door, use a small number of ornaments, probably three or fewer. You can also add cohesion by theming the decorations: for example, homemade ornaments or snowflakes. If you’d like to decorate your front door for winter but not necessarily have a Christmas-specific decoration, plan to shy away from ornaments—which naturally connote the Christmas holiday—and focus on natural winter decorations. Options include snowflakes (including those cut from notebook-sized sheet of paper), pinecones, holly, or mistletoe. Hang these items directly over your door using ribbon, or visit a craft store and look for ways to incorporate multiple natural items into a single cornucopia-like door decoration.  Consider spraying gold paint or a spackle / faux-snow color on the pinecones. Depending on where you live, natural winter decorations may be appropriate for about five months of the year. Natural winter decorations may be especially helpful if you do not celebrate Christmas, but would still like to decorate your door between November and March.

Summary: Use evergreen branches. Hang lettering on your door. Decorate with ornaments. Incorporate natural decorations.


Reading at different paces helps you read both efficiently and quickly. Some articles will be more complicated than others. Read fluffier material quickly, and slow your pace when you reach something more complicated.  Some articles can be skimmed or read very quickly. A local interest story about a new restaurant, for example, is probably not very complex. You can breeze through this article quickly and still learn most of the necessary information. An article that's covering, say, a recent political debate is probably more complex. You will have to slow your pace to read articles of this nature. Even though you are reading slowly here, you will still get through the paper faster having skimmed less complicated articles. News can be a bit redundant. Sometimes, information will appear in more than one section. For example, an op-ed about a current event may include facts you already read in an article. Another article may contain basic information about ongoing current events you already know.  If you start reading something that sounds familiar, skim or skip over the paragraph. If an entire article seems like information you already know, it's okay to skip it. If you read news online or watch the news, information in a newspaper may be repetitive. Many people have a tendency to talk to themselves when reading. You may whisper the words out loud as you read them in your head. This habit can actually greatly slow down your reading pace.  Pay attention to your mouth when you read. Try to be aware of mouthing the words out loud. If you catch yourself whispering or talking, stop. You will finish the paper quicker if you're not talking out loud. You may also find you're talking to yourself silently in your head while you read. You may be repeating the words in your head a second time or adding commentary. Try to silence your internal monologue when you're reading. Contrary to what many believe, reading a phrase over and over again does not improve comprehension. It can also slow down your reading speed. If you're reading a complex article, it's more effective to slow down and read carefully. This will get the job done quicker and help you better retain the information.
Summary: Vary your reading speed. Skim or skip over information you already know. Do not talk to yourself when you read. Avoid re-reading phrases.