Saturday, we talked about how to choose and care for your fresh cut Christmas tree. Let’s continue the theme and talk about Christmas wreaths and how that tradition got started?

To understand where the tradition of Christmas wreaths began, we need to go back to Greek mythology to two characters in particular: Apollo (son of Zeus) and Daphne, a nymph (a minor nature deity in Greek mythology) who Apollo apparently loved. While Apollo held romantic inclinations toward Daphne. Apparently, she did not feel the same way about Apollo. Apollo must have been a little overwhelming in his efforts to win the heart of Daphne because she asked the river god Peneus to help her with this situation. In what seems like an extreme solution, Peneus turned Daphne into a laurel tree. Ok then.

Apollo was demoralized by this turn of events and started wearing wreaths on his head mad from branches of the laurel tree, just to keep Daphne close. Based on why she became a tree, I am guessing this was another unfortunate turn of events for Daphne.

In Greek mythology, wreaths became associated with the victories and achievements of Apollo to the point that wreaths made of laurel leaves were used as crowns for the victors in early Olympic games. In fact, the Italian word Laurea is translated as the word degree and can be traced back to the Latin word Laurus which means laurel.

In ancient Rome, it was common for generals, emperors, and poets to be adorned with laurel wreaths on their heads in the Middle Ages. Moving forward a bit and the wearing of a laurel wreath by new college graduates is a longstanding tradition in the history of of Italian academia with the wreath symbolizing virtue, wisdom, knowledge, and a great honor. I have some friends from Italy, and they confirmed that this university tradition continues to this day.

Even in the United States, we have a tradition where the President places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which makes sense with the wreath serving as a symbol of victory, honor, and achievement. That being the case, where did the tradition of the Christmas wreath come from.

Well, we can trace Christmas wreaths back to 16^th century Germany when people first started bringing evergreen trees into their homes as part of their annual Christmas celebration. To get one’s Christmas tree, you simply walked out into the forest and cut down one that was to your liking. These trees typically required some trimming so that the tree could not only fit into the house, but the tree needed to be trimmed into a triangular shape. This triangular shape was apparently used as a teaching tool to help understand the Trinitarian understanding of God in Christianity. These leftover trimmings were often shaped into a wreath and hung on the door or a wall of the home.

Today, many a Christian church will begin the season of Advent with a table wreath and candles used in the celebration of Advent. We can trace this tradition to a German Lutheran pastor names Johann Hinrich Wichern.

So now that we know the origin story of our Christmas wreaths, why don’t we at least embrace part of the tradition by creating a Christmas wreath of our own making. It’s really pretty easy.

Several years ago, our youngest daughter gave me the essential components I would need to make a homemade wreath. There was a circular wire frame and some floral wire. Having the framework for our wreath, we set out to wander around the yard in search of greenery we could incorporate into our homemade wreath.

We have a much smaller yard this year so gathering up the makings for a wreath might be a little more challenging, but we do have a sizable holly in the corner of the yard that could use a little trimming. But for your wreath, you can use anything that suits your fancy. If you are going to purchase a live Christmas tree this year, you can always use trimmings from your tree to make your wreath. But after you weave the greenery into the circular wreath frame, you can then add a variety of landscape clippings to enhance its appearance. Pinecones also make a great addition to your wreath as does a large red bow…maybe even some battery powered lights. This is a chance to let your closet artist loose to create your unique Christmas wreath. Once you complete your wreath, hang it is a place of honor and wait for people to ask, “where did you get that unique and beautiful wreath?”

So, as we enter a holiday season full of tradition, maybe starting a new tradition might be just the thing we need to get us in the Christmas mood. See you in the garden!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Tom Ingram