How To Make A Fresh Christmas Wreath

One of the easiest (as well as beautiful) ways to tell that the holidays are indeed here is to see a large freshly made wreath hanging on any Southern front door. The sight of any Christmas wreath, whether it be hung on the front door, window, or elsewhere is like a special invitation to partake in all of the seasonal joy. No matter if you're a gingham ribbon gal or prefer radiant red cranberries, there are ways to incorporate your Christmas vision into a handmade holiday wreath.

Below, Megan Cooley, owner and creative designer of Meg's Flower Market in Ringgold, Georgia, shares her pro tips and steps for making a fresh seasonal wreath on your own.

What Materials You'll Need

• 18" wreath form or grapevine wreath made of brown sticks (both can be purchased online or at a craft store)
• 22 gauge floral paddle wire
• Clippers/floral scissors
• Desired ribbon for the bow
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks

Fresh Ingredients That Can Be Used

• Leeland cypress
• Douglas fir
• Pine
• Juniper
• Winterberry holly
• Holly
• Cinnamon sticks
• Dried orange slices
• Silver dollar eucalyptus
• Seeded eucalyptus

How To Make A Christmas Wreath

1. Gather Your Materials: Use your clippers or floral scissors to begin creating piles of each of the types of greenery you are going to be using. This will allow the process to go much faster and keep you organized throughout the process.
2. Organize Your Supplies: You will use a mixture of greeneries to create small bundles that will wrap around the wreath structure. If you are using winterberry holly, you can also cut that at the beginning of this process. For cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices, you will use the hot glue gun at the very end to attach those items. Once everything has been cut, you can begin bundling and attaching the fresh-cut elements to your wreath using a 22 gauge paddle wire.
3. Wrap Wire Around the Frame: First, you will need to attach your wire to the wreath structure. Wrap the wire around the structure a few times to make sure it is securely fastened. An important note is that you will not be cutting this wire until the very end of the wreath-making process. You will use the same long wire to attach the bundles as you go.
4. Add the Greenery: Begin by making your first bundle. You will do this by grabbing each of your various types of foliage and putting them together in your hand. Once you have that bundle ready to go, place it on top of where you first connected the wire. Wrap the wire around this bundle two or three times.
5. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: Make your second bundle and overlap that one just barely covering where the wire was once showing. Continue this process for the remainder of the wreath form. When you are laying your bundles down on the wreath form, tilt these bundles slightly towards the left and then to the right to create dimension within your wreath. This will create a shape that looks natural and full.
6. Finish With a Bow: As you near the end of making your fresh Christmas wreath, you'll notice a small gap at the end of the wreath form. This is the ideal spot for the wreath's bow. "If you want to fill that gap with foliage, just create one small bundle and tuck it under the original one you created," she adds. "Then wrap the wire around a few more times tightly to secure the entire structure and then cut the wire."

For a few last-minute, fresh touches, Cooley encourages DIYers to hot glue dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks to make your wreath extra fragrant. "You can also attach a wooden monogram to the center of the wreath for a personal touch," she says.

Very Southern, indeed.