I was thinking today about what makes Christmas time so special. Is it the presents, the decorations, the hot cocoa, the tasty treats, or the Christmas carols?
No...I have decided that none of those things are what makes this time of year so special. I think there are two very important things that make this holiday season so magical.
The opportunity to believe in something and the hope of new things to come.
This time of year encourages us all to believe in the good in people, in a real life fairy tale, our family and friends, the power of words, memories, and true joy. This time of year allows us to believe in our own ability to make a child smile, to show a friend know how much they are loved, and show our family how much we cherish them.
This time of year helps us hope for the new year and what it might bring, what it might mean, and the possibility of a new or better beginning. This time of years shows us where we have come from and where we can go. It shows us that we have accomplished something and are strong enough to make through the hard times and that the good times keep us going.
This time of year is a magical, enchanted time of year because of something much deeper than gifts and Christmas trees. This time of year is sprinkled with fairy dust because we take time for gifts and Christmas trees because we believe in the delight of the season and in the hope of the year to come!
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- Wide Ribbons
- Wire Wreath Frame
- Floral Wires
- Garden Shears
- Holly
- Pine Cones
- Small Apples
- Craft Wire
- Cut a large shopping bag full of holly (Ilex) from your garden in 6-inch-long trimmings.
- Use a wire wreath frame or make your own frame from a wire coat hanger. (Simply unbend it from the familiar shape into a circle - you can use the hook to hang your finished wreath.)
- Attach number-24 floral wire (sometimes called paddle wire) anywhere along the wire wreath frame.
- Select several stems of the 6-inch holly pieces and place them together in a bunch with the stems at one end.
- Place a stem that has some berries on top of the bundle of holly.
- Place the bundle on top of the frame where the floral wire is connected.
- Hold the bundle in place and wrap the floral wire around the bundle and frame. You will need two hands for this: one to hold the bundle in place against the frame and one to wrap the wire.
- Wrap the floral wire around the bundle a second time and then pull it tight. Make sure to leave the wire attached to the frame - you have a long way to go.
- Gather another bundle of holly and place it so that the leaves overlap the first bunch and cover the stems. Make sure that the stems on both bunches face the same direction.
- Continue overlapping the bunches of foliage and wiring them to the frame until you complete the circle.
- Lift the first bundle that you wired onto the frame and tuck the last one under it.
- Twist the wire tightly around the last bundle. Knot the wire onto the frame, leaving 1 inch of wire to hang the finished wreath.
- Cut the wire with scissors or pruning shears when you're finished