The English word wreath comes from the old English word, writhen, meaning to writhe or to twist. Holiday wreaths have long been made by twisting or bending evergreen branches into a circular shape. The ancient Greeks, and Romans, used evergreen leaves and garlands to make headdresses that were awarded as prizes to Olympic athletes, military hero's, kings and others. Athletes received wreaths of Laurel, military hero's received wreaths made from olive branches. Members of the aristocracy began adding jewels and precious metals to these headdresses, creating what became the Crown. The word crown comes from the Latin word corona which means wreath or garland. The bible associates wreaths with joy, triumph and honor. In Christianity the holiday wreath represents the circle, and likewise is given as a symbol of eternity. When made of evergreen leaves and branches the wreaths symbolize everlasting life with the green color symbolizing hope and new life. It was somewhere during the 15th century that the wreath began to be used as a hanging decoration. Select this link to see our line of Artificial Christmas Wreaths and Pre-lit Christmas Wreaths. Some believed that hanging a wreath was a sign of victory, be it political, personal or religious.
Collect Your Evergreens
Evergreens can be purchased or you can use the evergreen materials from your own property. You can ask friends or neighbors for a snip of their evergreens. The folks at Christmas tree lots usually offer extra Christmas tree trimmings for free.
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You can use several types of evergreen or use all the same kind for a more uniform or formal look. I prefer a natural look (some may even say a bit frowzy). A variety of material adds interest and texture. You can create a tidy look by cutting all your materials the same size and by snipping off protruding pieces.
In this wreath, I used fir, juniper, and arborvitae. Many other evergreens are attractive as well - holly, Japanese holly, cypress, japonica, pine, boxwood and variations of these.
After you've gathered your greens, cut off the bottom of each branch at an angle and soak for 24 hours in a bucket of water. That will freshen up the foliage and make your wreath last longer.
How to Keep an Evergreen Christmas Wreath Looking Fresh
The cool weather of December will help keep your evergreen Christmas wreath looking fresh. Christmas trees are often cut down in September and October and placed in cold storage until the Christmas season because the cold keeps the greens in good condition. The same goes for cut evergreen boughs.
Hang the wreath out of the sun in a cool, shaded area. The north side of a house works well.
If you want the wreath to look its best during the holiday, don't make it way ahead of time. It will dry out. Make the wreath a week or so before Christmas so that it will be attractive for the holiday.
How to Make a Wreath
Trim the evergreen boughs into small, managable pieces. Remove bare twigs.
Lay the form on a flat surface, concave side facing up to cup the greens. Twist a couple pieces of florist's wire around the cross pieces of the form (so they won't slip around).
Lay a piece of evergreen on the form. Use large needled evergreen (like pine) first. Or, if all the same size, use the pieces that you have the most of.Loop wire around woody stem then loop around wire wreath form to attach.
Lay another piece of evergreen, overlapping the cut part of the first piece. Attach with wire. Keep overlapping the cut pieces as shown in the illustration. Lay the pieces all in the same direction.
If you don't have floral wire, you can just shove the evergreen pieces into the form, using the form to anchor them. Then you can add more by 'weaving' them in.
Follow the wreath form, attaching and wiring evergreen material.
Occasionally, turn it over while wiring. Make sure that the wire is attached tight enough to secure.
After a while, you can just tuck the evergreen pieces into what you already have attached.
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