Page 168 - NT 2022 Almanac

The tradition of hanging a wreath on the door goes back a long way. The Romans hung them as signs of victory and rich Roman women wore them as headdresses. Today’s Christmas wreaths come from the German tradition of making Advent wreaths to celebrate the lead up to Christmas.
You can make your own wreath easily from
things you find outside. Remember to wear gloves
while gathering what you need and while making your wreath.
Make a Winter Wreath You will need:
Gardening gloves
Moss
Wreath ring (you can buy one from a florist)
Green garden string Scissors
Small conifer branches Ivy leaves and berries
Dried leaves
Herbs such as sage or rosemary Cinnamon sticks
Floristry wire
Fir cones
Dried clementines or orange slices A wide piece of ribbon – red, gold or silver works well
1 Stuff lots and lots of moss into the wreath ring until it is tightly packed.
2 Fix the moss in place using the green string.
3 Make a loop of the string on the back of the frame for hanging later.
4 Take small bunches of the branches, leaves, berries and herbs, mixing
them up as you go.
5 Attach these bunches to the moss using the green string. Overlap them
to avoid gaps and continue until all your moss is covered.
6 Stand back and look at the wreath to make sure you have kept a good
circular shape and to check for gaps.
7 Tie cinnamon sticks together with the floristry wire and then use more
wire to tie them on to the wreath. Do the same with the pine cones and the dried clementines or orange slices, too.
8 Tie the ribbon into a bow and attach it to the wreath at the bottom using the string or wire.
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