Décor for the Door

Make your own wreaths that last through the yuletide season and into the new year

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY MATTHEW MEAD

Besides the Christmas tree, there is no more iconic symbol of the season than the wreath. A prominent focal point for your doorway or mantel, the holiday wreath is a celebratory sign of unity, joy, and the full circle of another year coming to a close. Green wreaths of myrtle, laurel and bay originated during the Greco-Roman era, and were worn as status symbols, which were later adopted as a Christian tradition to signify and welcome the Christmas season. It’s then they became fashionable accessories for the front door.

Today, wreaths have morphed beyond the simplistic, becoming a welcoming representation of individual style. Gather some basic wreath forms at craft stores and garden centers, and personalize them with ornaments, nuts and fruits, berries and dried botanicals.

NUT STAR WREATH > Craft an everlasting star wreath with a wire wreath form and a mix of whole nuts. Hot-glue nuts directly to the wire form and edge border with sprigs of boxwood.

WOODLAND WREATH > New Hampshire twigs and berries are a classic way to dress up your front door. Purchase the wreath at a garden center and anchor the botanicals with hot glue.

BERRIES AND MOSS WREATH > Try an oval wreath shape woven with a mix of white tallow berries and red marsh berries. Fill in any open gaps with reindeer or sheet moss.

EVERGREEN AND ANEMONES WREATH > Add some chartreuse berries and faux purple anemones to a traditional green wreath. Everlasting blooms will defy the winter elements.

SPARKLE ORNAMENT WREATH > Steal a mix of ornaments right off the tree to make this sparkling wreath in coastal colors. New or vintage ornaments can be glued onto a wreath form of silvered greens.

SUCCULENT WREATH > Faux succulents lightly sprayed with glitter look festive with greens and red berries. Touches of evergreen add a holiday flourish.

NEW HAMPSHIRE IS DOTTED with charming stands to find beautiful wreaths to embellish. Here are some favorites:

House By The Side Of The Road in Wilton, housebythesideoftheroad.com

Black Forest Nursery in Boscawen, blackforestnursery.com

Tendercrop Farm in Dover, tendercropfarm.com

The Rocks in Bethlehem, forestsociety.org/the-rocks NH