One really big box...

…of Christmas decorations is all I keep. I feel quite sanctimonious about my simple and paired-down holiday bin, until I realize that box contains only a fraction of what we use to decorate.

I just prefer fresh greens: ropes of cedar garland around the banister and the front door, a tree from the National Forest, (must remember to put permit application on the calendar for next year), and a fresh wreath for the door, with a bit of Virginia boxwood tucked in.

Growing up, the weekend after Thanksgiving, my mom, grandmother and I would wind twisted newspaper around a sturdy metal coat hanger bent into a circle. Sometimes we’d wind two coat hangers together if we wanted a big wreath. After we made it thick enough, we’d wrap strips of black plastic around, which I guess held in the moisture, because the next step after securing the plastic with a layer of twine, was soaking the whole thing. While it was soaking, we’d take clippings from the ever encroaching English boxwoods that my grandmother had planted to either side of the mossy brick walk, just after they built the house in 1947. She always had a vase with clippings rooting in her kitchen window sill. There were the rituals of how you distinguish English from American Box (rounded leaves versus the “A”-like point on American), dusting the dark interior of the shrubs, and cutting just the right lengths to encourage spring growth. It felt like they were passing the secrets of the universe to me.

After a rest, and draining our homemade wreath form, we’d begin inserting the boxwood clippings under the tight twine, starting by the hook, and working in one direction around the whole wreath form. We’d hang it up to inspect for spots that needed infill. Invariably, one place wasn’t quite as full as it should be, and Mom would say, “That’s where we put the bow!”

Those wreaths were gorgeous.

That’s what we try to put into every item from Sedum & Sage.

May your holidays be filled with that kind of beauty,

Brooks