Here at YES HQ we love crafting, especially at this time of year. Making your own Christmas decorations, such as a wreath, is a fun activity to do with your family or a group of friends.
Read on for our tips on how to make your own wreath.
What is a wreath?
According to our online library, a wreath is a “circular arrangement of flowers, leaves, and stems used for decoration, especially at Christmas”. They’re often made with evergreen foliage and can be set with advent candles.
But that’s not a rule – you can make wreaths from anything (within reason!), especially if you’re hanging it up inside your house or using it as a table decoration.
Tips for traditional wreaths
Evergreen foliage is best for a wreath on your front door as it will withstand the winter weather better. If the conditions are good enough, make the wreath outdoors because it is a very messy activity!
Remember gloves to protect your hands. If you’re indoors, use paper or an old sheet to protect your work surface.
You’ll need:
- Green leaves – could be holly, ivy, laurel, conifer, whatever is available if you’re tidying your garden
- Twigs or garden wire and string
- Scissors or secateurs (be careful with kids’ fingers)
- Decorations – berries, pine cones, orange slices, cinnamon sticks
Wreath making materials
If you don’t have real holly berries, you can buy fake ones that you can re-use year after year. You can also make your own dried citrus decorations. Slice an orange, spread the slices on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper, then put them in the oven on a very low temperature for a couple of hours (you want to remove the moisture, not cook the orange). Turn them over halfway through. If you use an air fryer, it will be much quicker so check they’re ready after an hour.
Don’t have a garden? Try foraging for materials, but make sure you follow the law and any local restrictions that are in place to protect the environment. Don’t take more than you need. Generally it’s legal to collect wild foliage, flowers, fruits and fungi for your own personal use on common land, but there are exceptions. Never pick anything in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, never pick protected species, and don’t uproot plants because that’s illegal. On private land you need the landowner’s permission first before you forage anything. Although you cannot forage on the countryside sites we manage, you can find a list of local woodlands and more advice at Woodland Trust foraging guidelines.
Step-by-step guide to make your wreath
- Lay out all your materials on a sheet. Make a circle from the garden wire or tie together your twigs in a circular shape to make your wreath base.
- Start weaving or tying your green leaves onto the base. Garden wire is best for attaching holly, and you can wrap long pieces of ivy around the wreath. Make sure the base is fully covered and everything is secure before adding your decorations.
- If you’re adding lights, put them on first before your other decorations. Use battery-operated lights with up to 30 bulbs to avoid any trailing cables. You can hide the battery pack in the wreath. Make sure the lights are suitable for outdoor use if you’re hanging the wreath outside.
- Place the remaining decorations around the wreath and decide where they will look best. Think about how you will hang it up and which way the decorations will hang.
- Finally tie on your decorations securely with wire, string, ribbons or decorative cord. Fake holly berries are usually made with wire for tying them on. You might want to use safety pins to attach any bows.
Quirky wreaths
Recycling old decorations is a great way to make a festive wreath. Cover your wreath base with old tinsel and then add baubles, ribbon or beads, maybe some stars.
If you’ve got some spare wool, make a fluffy pom-pom wreath. Make your pom-poms by wrapping the wool around cardboard circles (or your hand), tying the ball tightly around the middle, then snipping the wool loops until you have a pom-pom. Glue or tie the biggest pom-poms to your wreath base first, then fill the gaps with smaller ones.
Do you have lots of old toys that aren’t played with anymore? You might be able to stick them together in a circle to make a table top wreath to remind you of Christmases past.
Don’t forget our feathered friends. Make them a bird seed wreath. Melt some suet or lard, then mix in seeds, possibly cranberries for Christmas colour, then let it set in the shape of a circle. Hang it up outside as a tasty treat for the birds to enjoy.
Display your homemade wreath
You’ve finished your crafting. Now it’s time to hang your Christmas wreath up on a door, wall, over the mantelpiece. Or place it on a table with an LED candle (or Santa) in the centre.
Here are some photos of wreaths made by the YES team. We’d love to see your creations too! Tag us on Instagram @your_east_sussex and we will share your pictures.
