The sweet smell of Christmas

Thought I’d have a go at making a foliage garland – maybe for above the doors into the garden, maybe for the fireplace outside. First revelation: a door garland has to hang, whereas a fireplace garland only has to rest, which is much easier to achieve. Plus a garland in the damp cold air of the garden is likely to look good much longer than one in the centrally heated air of the house.

I only had foliage… various evergreens but no berries or flowers or sprayed bits, so the finished article is not the most exciting garland ever. But it was quite therapeutic to make, even though I left it until Christmas Eve morning. And doing it filled the house with a heavenly fresh, botanical smell (that was quickly usurped by the gingerbread biscuits we made in the afternoon).

I used a lot of wire. My method was to make bunches of 3 or 4 different bits of foliage and wind the wire round them onto a long doubled-over length of twine covered wire, overlapping them as I went. It’s easier to handle a shorter garland – probably a meter is ideal. Mine was a bit long and unwieldy so it didn’t hang very well. But resting on the mantelpiece it was fine. And actually I could have poked in some dried flower heads when it was in position. I might need some practice before next Christmas.