Wreaths of Williamsburg

Get the Williamsburg Look

• Choose only fresh or dried natural materials. (Ribbon is suggestive of a later period.)
• Use plants such as holly, magnolia, mistletoe, pine, ivy, and fir that were common in the 18th century. (Poinsettia, nandina, and pyracantha, for example, weren't available until later.)
• Make use of symmetry in designing and placing wreaths and arrangements. On a wreath, this can be achieved by spacing fruit clusters at equal intervals. To echo the symmetry of lanterns flanking a doorway, mount plaques of greenery.
• Use natural garlands around columns and railings and to outline doors and windows.

SOURCES: Pages 66-69: For more information visit www.colonialwilliamsburg.org. Also see Williamsburg Christmas--The Story of Christmas Decoration in the Colonial Capital by Libbey Hodges Oliver and Mary Miley Theobald (1999, Harry N. Abrams, Inc.) and Christmas Decorations from Williamsburg by Susan Hight Rountree (1992, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation).

This article is from the December 2004 issue of Southern Living.