Spectacular "Yard Waste" Wreath

Going green this year? Here's a way to cut costs in your decorating, go green, and have a great wreath to enjoy.  We use what we call "yard waste" or trimming from neighborhood holly trees.  Ask permission, of course, it will usually be given an eager nod.  You can use cedar or evergreen trimmings as well.

Not all of this wreath is made from "yard waste".  The wreath itself is an old fake one, you can get similar ones at any discount store or even the Goodwill.  Or make a fresh one, if you have time, even better.  We have a Father Christmas face we hang in the center.  He is decades old and was given to me by my mother, but it is not necessary to have such a thing in your wreath, I just happen to like it.

First, you must have a little kid go with you when you pick holly or clip your yard waste.  It is much more fun.  We don't have a little kid.  We have no grandchildren, so we have "rent-a-kids".  Basically, we don't mind babysitting!  Here is our little rent-a-kid du jour, Luke.

He's helping Hans cut holly from a tree up the street.  Our neighbors have been very generous every year in giving us permission: "Please! Trim the darn thing," they said.

Huckleberry the cockapoo must help by providing amusement.  He chases his ball, and he and Luke have races.

Then, like Santa with a pack over his back, up the hill and home we go:

Here's the bare mantle before we get started:

Then we hang up the wreath.  We added a garland and hung the stockings by the chimney with care...

Then we added the Father Christmas face that my mom gave us YEARS ago:

Here he is, grand ol' fellow:

Then all we do is start sticking holly in the top.  Make it big.  Make it spectacular.  It's got to explode out the top with that pow factor.

Here we are, all finished:

(To my European friends, I know wreaths in other cultures are what one brings to a funeral, but in America we use them as decorations, often at Christmas.  It does not carry the funeral overtones.)

Merry Christmas!