The evergreen wreath is a prominent decoration for the Christmas season.  It has been used symbolically for centuries in all parts of the world.  The circular shape represents eternity–no beginning and no end.  Evergreens, which battle the forces of winter and remain green, symbolize growth and everlasting life.

Chris had gathered evergreen boughs before our November 10th snowstorm and made our front door arrangement in a large clay pot after the annuals were pulled from it.  The weather over this past weekend had warmed above freezing, so I went to the screened-in porch to make a wreath with the left-over boughs.  The snow melted and dripped, dripped, dripped from the roof.  Our Black Lab circled the table while I worked, sniffing for the dog treats I placed in the middle of the materials.  Garrison Keillor told and sung his stories on the radio.  And all the while, the heady smell of evergreens filled my nostrils with the smell of Christmas.

I started with a circular metal base and an assortment of pine, fir, and blue spruce boughs.

I opened up the wire clips with pliers and laid pine branches of about 10 inches around the wire circle.

I added fir branches of the same size, making sure they stayed between the metal clips.

After the second layer of branches, I folded the clips over the evergreens with the pliers.

I put on my boots, hat, and coat and carried the pruners outside to gather some white pine, red cedar, and arborvitae boughs.

I added shorter (5-6 inches) branches of blue spruce, white pine, red cedar, and arborvitae to the wreath by pushing the end of the stem under a clip or securely under other branches, going in the same direction around the circle.

The day before the snowstorm, as we scrambled to put up plastic and put things away, I had cut a couple of handfuls of bluestem and prairie dropseed grasses from my prairie garden.  The prairie dropseed has long, fine leaves that cascade outward, forming round tufts.  They have beautiful fall color and are very pliable.

I made a ‘pony tail’ of the prairie dropseed by wrapping a twisty tie around the cut end, then braided it.  At the end, I knotted it on itself to hold the braid in place.

I tied the braids onto the wreath with green tie tape, but you could use craft wire or jute string.  After looping the braids into a bow, I tied it again.

I put a small branch with two cones and a sumac seedhead into the wreath to cover the tie of the grass bow.  And the wreath was finished!

Evergreen wreaths symbolize the unending circle of life, and each of the greens represent a specific theme.  Pine represents eternal life, and spruce gives us hope in adversity.  Cedar stands for strength and healing, while juniper represents protection.  The fir boughs symbolize a ‘lifting up.’  Cones and seedpods represent new life and resurrection.  From a distance, a Christmas wreath is a sign of welcome and holiday cheer.  In this season of gathering and giving, may you experience all things Evergreen.