Christmas wreaths: why and how to hang them

The tradition of hanging a wreath dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times – long before Christmas was even a thing! At this time, a wreath was hung on a door as a symbol of victory and power. 

In fact, over a thousand years then passed before wreaths came to be associated with Christmas. Germans are commonly credited with first bringing trees into the home as Christmas decorations in the sixteenth century and this is around the same time that wreaths made their appearance in homes. Christmas trees were carefully shaped into the typical triangle shape that we're used to seeing – but excess branches would not go to waste. Instead, the cut limbs would be woven into wreaths then hung onto the tree itself. 

A symbol of faith

In Christianity, Advent is a four-week period that starts four Sundays before Christmas day and finishes on Christmas Eve. A German Lutheran pastor named Johann Hinrich Wichern is usually credited as having turned the tradition into a symbol of the Christian faith by using candles to link the wreath to the period of Advent. As tradition goes, the first candle is lit on the first Sunday of advent, the second candle on the second Sunday and so on. The fifth candle is then lit on Christmas Day and is used as the centrepiece of Christmas dinner.

Traditionally, Christmas wreaths are supposed to go up four weeks before Christmas eve on the first Sunday after November 26th. However, most people now choose to put their wreaths up a little later. Christmas wreaths are now commonly hung on doors on December 1, but many choose to wait as late as mid-December to ensure they will last until the big day and beyond.

Table wreaths

It might surprise you to hear that table wreaths are the more traditional option. These wreaths are placed flat on the table and are typically fitted with four or five white or red candles. Kept in place for several weeks, these wreaths can serve as the centrepiece for the Christmas dinner table.

Door-hung wreaths 

Christmas wreaths are hung on doors to welcome guests and spread a bit of festive cheer. These wreaths can feature any number of items including stars, flowers, gold or silver pine cones or fairy lights.

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to make a wreath using branches and other ornaments. To do so, you'll need:

• straight, thin branches (no bigger than 1.5 cm) and secateurs to cut them;

• a wreath form (or alternatively, use a pencil to draw out your wreath shape and a board or piece of cardboard as a background);

• a glue gun and glue sticks;

• pine cones;

• silver or gold spray paint;

• Christmas ornaments like baubles, stars or fairy lights.

In the video below, you can check out how to make your own Christmas wreath out of spare tree branches. To do so, you'll need:

• small Christmas tree branches;

• a wreath form (or alternatively, use a pencil to draw out your wreath shape and a board or piece of cardboard as a background);

• thin metal wire;

• white, red or gold ribbon;

• dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks;

• a pair of scissors;

• berries, pine cones or acorns;

• a glue gun and glue sticks.

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