Decorating with Fresh Greens

A little over a week ago, my husband stood in our front yard with a huge pile of long-needle white pine branches at his feet and asked, “Is this enough pine blood to satiate you?” I laughed and wondered if it was. We embellish our faux Christmas greenery with the real stuff each year. We typically have to keep going outside to gather more clippings as we decorate. Pretty much every room in our downstairs ends up decked in Christmas greens, and we love the look and smell of fresh greens.

In an ideal world, we would deck the halls with boughs of holly, white pine, magnolia, and eastern red cedar the week prior to Christmas, but that doesn’t fit in with our entertaining plans. We always incorporate the real greens in our decorations right before the company Christmas party, which is typically about two weeks prior to Christmas. The long-needle white pine does great until right after Christmas, and we use more of that than anything. Even the branches near the radiators stay green and tender. The magnolia, on the other hand, gets fussy after a week, but it still retains a nice look as long as we don’t touch the leaves. I have read that the best thing to do is cut the greens, mash the ends of the branches, and soak them in a bucket of water overnight. This method is supposed to help the greens maintain their freshness longer.

Our cat Yoshi loves dining on fresh greens, even crispy magnolia.

Though we purchased white pine garland in the past for the front handrails, we decided to go even more natural this year with whole branches wired to the handrails. We used florist wire to attach the branches to the handrails, and then we wove holly and eastern red cedar into the branches. We love the effect, and it looks much more lush than typical garland. Unfortunately, I did not snap a picture when we did it, but even a week and a few days later, it still looks pretty good.

Another new addition this year is our potted rosemary plant. Rosemary is often used in holiday decorations, and it continues to thrive outdoors even during a cold winter. When we dismantled the veggie garden, we saved the three rosemary plants and put them into a pot together. We moved the pot to the front stoop and added some fresh cuttings of magnolia and holly to give the rosemary more flair. When a co-worker needed some rosemary for the Christmas sangria she was making, I was able to pop out to the front stoop and cut some sprigs. FYI…white wine, cranberries, sugar, orange, and rosemary make for a delightful holiday beverage!

We are now just a few days away from Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I lift my glass in cheer and look forward to spending the coming days with beloved family and friends.