Do It Yourself – Fresh Christmas Greenery

I love fresh greenery at Christmas, but until last year, never enjoyed it in my own home.  It was just too expensive!  Well a sweet friend of mine invited me last Christmas to her Annual Greenery Party, and now it’s one of my favorite holiday events.  She’s been hosting it in her garage (decked out with plenty of folding tables and space heaters) for the last five years, and it’s a wonderful (frugal!) girls-get-together.

To prepare for the party she gathers loads of greenery ahead of time, including leftovers from cut Christmas trees at Lowe’s.  We also all bring greenery from our own yards to share, and it’s amazing how much variety there is when you all get together!  Included in the piles of greenery are Magnolia leaves, Cypress & Pine bushes, Nandina berries, and of course, Holly leaves.  We also all bring our favorite treats to snack on while we work  

While having a party is such a fun way to do this, you can also create these with what’s in your own backyard!  Here’s what you’ll need to make a simple (and very easy) dining room centerpiece:

• Pruning Shears
• Florist Wire
• Greenery – Any evergreens in your backyard are great, and trimmings that include berries are my favorite! 
• Ribbon for bows (optional)

Directions:

1.  Select greenery.  Using florist wire, wrap branches together for the base of the swag.  (Shown are Cypress & Green Giant Arborvitae for the base.)

2.  Add large leaves for the base of your berries or bow, wrapping tightly with florist wire to hold in place.  (I used Magnolia leaves – I love those at Christmas!)

3.  Wire in berries, pine cones or ribbon by wrapping the wire tightly around your berries and pine cones.  (The berries came from our Nandina bushes in the backyard – they were a Mother’s Day gift a few years ago and provide tons of berries!)

4.  Place swag on table.

5.  Fluff up with your favorite Christmas dishes.  (Those Santa mugs were my favorites growing up – now my kids think it’s the greatest thing ever to sip their hot chocolate from these mugs on Christmas morning!)

 Here are a few other projects that were completed at the party. . .

Do you have any tips on using fresh greenery in your home?  I’d love to hear them!