One of the easiest ways to decorate for the holidays is simply to hang a wreath on your door.
It’s pretty, it’s festive, it’s welcoming. It can be a simple round of evergreen branches or it can be an extravaganza of ribbons, twinkly lights and shiny ornaments. In either case, the wreath follows a venerable tradition. In the ancient Germanic countries of northern Europe, the evergreen wreath was a symbol of Yule, the 12-day holiday around the winter solstice. Eventually Christians adopted it (along with many other pagan traditions) and the wreath became a symbol of everlasting life. You can, of course, always buy a wreath, but if you make one it’s uniquely yours.
Start by taking a wreath-making class — there are several around town, among them at Russell Nursery (several dates starting November 16) and Modpots (November 30 and December 1), which produced the one crafted from local, sustainable greens, pictured here.