How to Make a Williamsburg Wreath
Mixing Christmas greens with fresh fruits in holiday décor did not actually appear in Williamsburg, Va., until the early 20th century. Mary Miley Theobald and Libbey H. Oliver wrote in the December 2005 edition of the Colonial Williamsburg Journal, "The custom of affixing fruits, vegetables, dried flowers, herbs, and other plant life to basic Christmas forms like wreaths, swags, and roping traces its roots to the early years of the twentieth century, a time when Christmas was growing in significance and the Colonial Revival was pulling decorative impulses back toward the eighteenth century."
However, though the name may be historically incorrect, creating a Williamsburg Christmas wreath is not a complex undertaking, especially if you use a mixture of fresh and artificial materials.
Things You'll Need
- 24-inch artificial evergreen wreath
- Medium-weight green florist's wire
- Wire cutters
- Fresh greenery boughs
- Assorted fruits
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun with glue
- Green wired, wooden floral picks
Instructions
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1
Attach an 18-inch piece of floral wire to metal armature of back side of wreath for hanger.
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2
Shape boughs of artificial wreath, fluffing branches that have been flattened in storage.
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3
Weave fresh greenery among the artificial branches of wreath, and secure with floral wire and/or hot glue. It is not necessary to completely hide the artificial wreath. Trim as needed.
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4
Decorate wreath with fruit. Stick a wooden pick into the back of each piece of fruit and use attached wire to secure fruit to metal armature of wreath. Stabilize with additional florist's wire if needed.
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5
Hang wreath, indoors or outdoors, using wire placed in Step 1 and appropriate nail, screw, or picture hanger.
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Tips & Warnings
Use fresh greenery that was common during Colonial American times and is indigenous to your geographical area. Varieties could include pine, cedar, ivy, juniper, magnolia, fir, mistletoe, holly and boxwood. Do not use ribbons, poinsettias, pyracantha or nandina as these materials were not available in the 18th century. Fruits (real or artificial) could include green and/or red apples, oranges, pears, pomegranates and miniature pineapples. You could also add dried materials such as seed pods, hydrangeas and pine cones. Wreath decoration can be used sparingly -- one cluster of fruit affixed at top or bottom -- or the wreath can be heavily embellished all the way around. Expect fresh materials (greenery, fruit) to last about a week. Replace as needed. Keep extra greenery outdoors, with stems in water, for up to three weeks.
