Christmas Wreath Traditions

Christmas wreath traditions date back to at least the 17th century. Displaying a wreath on the outside of your door symbolized that your home was one that was celebrating the birth of Christ.

Wreaths were originally made of holly, which has several religious meanings. The sharp leaves symbolize the crown of thorns worn by Jesus during the Crucifixion. The red berries symbolize the blood of Christ. Another story tells how the berries were thought to have been originally white. They were offered to the newborn Jesus by a child. The holly pricked the finger of Christ and then the berries blushed red in shame. Wreaths decorated with red and white berries are popular for this reason.

Today, Christmas wreaths are used to decorate and celebrate the holiday season in a lot of ways. They are made of all kinds of things from fresh balsam fir to teddy bears and are used as corporate Christmas gifts, retail holiday decorations, home door decorations, and more. Wreaths can be seen all over the world during the holidays and to most people symbolize peace and giving during the season.

Many people are concerned with the commercialization of Christmas, but still wish to give meaningful gifts to friends and family. Fresh wreaths and table decorations make wonderful gifts for the holidays. They can be given as thank you gifts, hostess gifts, corporate gifts, and more. They can be decorated with pine cones and berries to maintain the natural look and aroma that makes a real Christmas wreath so desirable. Fresh centerpieces for the table are also very popular. Unlike flowers, an evergreen centerpiece can last for months if properly cared for.

Fresh Christmas table runners and wreaths can be enjoyed all through the holiday season. Customers, visitors and passer bys will all be asking where the beautiful wreath or table accent came from. You can be proud to give a real wreath knowing that it will help get people in the holiday spirit. Living gifts are a unique and beautiful way to show your appreciation, love or gratitude for someone.

Another holiday tradition related to the Christmas wreath is kissing underneath the mistletoe. One story says that mistletoe was considered sacred by the Druids and was not allowed to touch the ground. Therefore, the mistletoe was hung, and in recognition of its sacred status, people meeting underneath it must kiss. Others think that the tradition was started by the Scandinavians, who believed that mistletoe was a symbol of peace. Enemies meeting under the mistletoe had to declare a truce and seal it with a kiss.

This is a fun tradition to follow and many people do. Mistletoe is pretty small and sometimes unnoticeable. Another option is to hang a kissing ball. A kissing ball is bigger and is decorated with bows, berries and pinecones, like the wreath. It is made from fragrant evergreen foliage. Kissing balls go great with matching wreaths and make an excellent gift choice for the holidays.

Traditions can be spread through cultures, religions, regions or families. Traditions help us to remember the past and honor the ones who came before us. They are most often passed down from parents to children. The great thing about a tradition is that you can start one on your own. Pass down your beliefs, customs and practices to your children. Feel free to start your own traditions together. Whether it involves kissing underneath the kissing ball or giving a fresh Christmas wreath to the host of Thanksgiving dinner, your family will feel closer when practicing it.

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.

Your Favorite Family Christmas Traditions Bring the Holidays Alive

With the holidays quickly coming upon us, it can be easy to get caught up in the commercial aspect of this important day. Of course, the gifts will need to be purchased. However, by focusing on your favorite family Christmas traditions, you can be sure that your family will remember what is really important. After all, the holidays aren't really about what you get, but the people you love and the time you spend together. Keeping those traditions alive and passing them down is one of the best parts of the season.

No discussion on favorite family Christmas traditions is complete without decorating the Christmas tree and the traditional
Christmas wreath. Many people collect ornaments as the children in the family grow. Each year when the tree is pulled out, the memories come with it. Other families take a hands-on approach and spend time hand crafting ornaments as a family. In addition, decorating and placing the door wreath signals the beginning of the holiday season. Each time your family walks in the door, they get a visual reminder of the joy surrounding these merry months. These two things mark the beginning of Christmas cheer and open the door for many more fun family times.

Another common tradition is baking and cookie making. The Christmas season is steeped with smells and tastes that tantalize. It is common for grandmothers to teach their grandchildren their secret recipes. Cookie exchanges are also increasingly popular. Each guest makes several dozen of their favorite recipe. The selection is then mixed up, allowing each guest to come home with a variety of Christmas cookies. If you don't already do this, consider throwing a cookie exchange party this year for the first time and making it one of your favorite family Christmas traditions.

In addition to the tree and great food, Christmas just would not be complete without the music filling the already decked halls. There are dozens of traditions that incorporate the amazing seasonal music. Many communities put on concerts or plays during this time. In fact, you may be surprised to find that many of these are free. You could soak in Handel's Messiah, for example, for nothing but the cost of your gas. Participating in such things can also be a great tradition for your family. Finally, who can resist that classic caroling choir? This can be an extremely enjoyable evening activity for your family. Invite all your friends along as well. When it comes to caroling, more is definitely merrier.

As you can see, there's so much more to the holiday season than getting stuff. In fact, with the proper attitude, you can teach your kids to appreciate your favorite family Christmas traditions even more than gifts. After all, the traditions make the holiday come alive for the whole season and and not just for a day.

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.

A Christmas Centerpiece for Christmas Dinner Table

The Christmas season is about celebrating life and all the joy it brings with your friends and family. What better way is there to celebrate the season than with a traditional Christmas dinner? Every year families gather around the table to partake in delicious morsels while enjoying each others company. While a lot of the focus is on the delectable turkey or grandma's famous pecan pie, there is another tradition that stands out in one's mind – the Christmas centerpiece as the central focus of the table.

The reason why a Christmas centerpiece stands out in everybody's mind is because it is the anchor of the table; it is a beautiful reminder of the Christmas spirit and everything the season represents. The traditional Christmas centerpiece was most similar to today’s advent wreath, which is often decorated with holly, poinsettias, pine cones and candles. Many will also add other familiar Christmas decorations, such as bows or Christmas tree ornaments. The Christmas table centerpiece is as old of a tradition as Christmas dinner itself, and people often wonder what exactly the components of the Christmas centerpiece represents.

A pine or balsam bough or any evergreen branch is wrapped into a circular wreath, which in itself represents many things. The green color symbolizes hope and new life, while the circular shape alludes to everlasting joy. Traditional Christmas wreath centerpieces were decorated with four candles, which marked the beginning and end of the Christmas season, otherwise known as the four weeks of Advent. The first candle would be lit on the Sunday closest to November 30th, and another one would be lit every Sunday until the last candle was lit on Christmas Eve. The candles not only represented weeks, however, but also hope, joy, love and peace.

Christians adopted decorating with holly from the Druids, who believed that the prickly green plant and its little red berries stood for fertility and eternal life. While the Druids believed that cutting down a holly tree was bad luck, Christians believed that decorating with holly brought good luck to the home. Nowadays people often refer to the red berries as symbols of Christ's blood and the pointed leaves represent the crown of the thorns that was placed on Jesus' head. The pine cones used to decorate wreaths are meant to symbolize the seeds of faith sown by Christ, and poinsettias represent genuine love.

No matter what you believe, decorating the table with a Christmas centerpiece is always a fun tradition to take part in. A beautiful centerpiece is bound to be the focal point of any table, and is something you can enjoy year after year. A Christmas centerpiece is a reminder to love, to be joyous and not to fight over the dinner rolls!

Shopping for a Christmas Wreath

I always know when the Christmas season has officially begun when my mom and dad tell my brother and I that it is time to shop for a new Christmas wreath. Every year on the first of December we go as a family to pick out a wreath for the front door. I really like helping pick out a Christmas wreath because it is the first thing people see when they walk up to our house, so we always pick out a Christmas wreath that is sure give visitors a warm welcome.

There are always a lot of different wreaths to choose from. We always see a lot of wreaths made out of plastic that are covered with decorations like lights or fake fruit, and sometimes we see wreaths that are made out of shiny tinsel. Plastic and tinsel wreaths can be really pretty, but I wouldn't want one hanging on our door because our guests may think our welcome is fake, just like the wreath. One time I saw a wreath that was made out of feathers! A lady told us that they were fake peacock feathers, and that they are supposed to bring good luck to the home. The feathers were really bright blue and green, and even though it was beautiful we decided that it just wasn't Christmas-y enough. We want a wreath that reminds people that it is the most joyous time of the year!

My favorite Christmas wreaths are definitely fresh wreaths, because they smell as good as they look. Last year we picked out a fresh Balsam Fir wreath that we decorated with pine cones and ribbons, and I always loved walking up to the front door after school. There's nothing like smelling Christmas as you walk up to the front door! Any problems I might have had during the day just melt away when I smell that fresh wreath. Every time I see a fresh Christmas wreath it reminds me of home. It reminds me of walking through the front door to find my mom baking gingerbread cookies and warming up by the fire after playing in the snow. Fresh Christmas wreaths remind me and my family of all the good the holidays have to offer.

That is why every year we always pick out a fresh Christmas wreath for our front door, even if we look at all the other types of wreaths first. I just don't think that any other type of wreath would be as welcoming as a fresh wreath and they don’t have that Christmas-y smell. My dad always tells us that a wreath symbolizes eternal joy, and I can see why he says that. Every time I get home from school and see a wreath on the door the joy of Christmas fills my heart.

Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, which handcrafts a fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreath, Christmas Centerpiece and Kissing Ball which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.