Evergreen beauty

Artificial Wreath

A very dear friend of mine from childhood called and needed a ride to the airport. She was staying at her grandmother’s house which is directly across the street from where I grew up. The neighborhood is located in a nice, upscale section of Baltimore County that looks the same now as it did 30 years ago. The houses are big with lots of space in between for long-established trees and shrubs to congregate, making the area feel a little like an English country side. The houses are pretty, especially with their holiday decorations. But as I was admiring them, I noticed something odd. We continued down some more streets where again, I saw the same thing—it seems the majority of the houses were decorated in artificial wreaths and garlands. What??

Fresh Wreaths for sale

Now I must pause here to say, most of the decor was pleasant enough, it just didn't look the same as it used to. I can say without reservation that for the sixteen years I lived in that neighborhood, there was almost never a silk wreath to be found, each house always had their doors and windows adorned with fresh pines, magnolia or holly. We took holiday decorating seriously back then; there was even a yearly holiday competition for the best decorated houses, and people would go all out--my mother especially. The ones that won always had fresh greens, no exceptions. Seeing artificial greens in their place years later made me sad, but also a little curious. And what would my mother say?

Artificial Garland

Unfortunately this trend continues all across the state, no matter the neighborhood. So what happened to fresh cut pines for wreaths and garlands? I don’t really have an answer for that, but I do have my theories. All you have to do is walk into any department store from September on and see artificial decorations everywhere. With these glittered and pine-coned plastic creations blinding the consumer every which way, who can blame anyone for buying them? Well maybe me, I mean ...where’s the beauty? Ok, ok a few are really nice. But fresh pine on an outside door just looks more, well, Christmas-y to me.

Artificial (and ugly) wreath

One things for sure, we are in hard times, and I know people need to save money, so using a recycled wreath or garland certainly adds up in savings- no blame there. And many people feel they are saving a tree when they pull out their artificial spruces from a box each year. Again, this makes sense, especially for people who live in warm states and the environmental supporters. I respect this and appreciate the smart “green” thinking.

But when it comes to the outside decor, including wreaths and garlands, you can't beat the real thing. As far as saving a tree, we really don’t have to worry too much about this for their branches. Trimming them is not bad for the tree; it actually is good as it promotes new growth the following season. And if you like making it a family event, going outside into nature is where it's at, you will certainly be creating great memories.

Fresh Wreath!

Next time you are walking through a department store admiring the imitation berries and pine, think about getting the real stuff instead. If you really want to go "green", go naturally green. It’s a neglected beauty that is seasonal and beautiful that smells good too.

P.S. When you buy fresh greens, make sure to buy them locally and not from a major store chain. These roadside stand folks need the money far more than the big corporate guys.

Fresh pine swag