A festive welcome

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Above: Front door wreath

Creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere for your family and friends this Christmas can start in your garden. Using what is around you will both save you money and be following the trend for thinking local.
As well as gathering material from your garden to decorate inside your home, start with the outside. Groups of fragrant pots by the door, garlands, wreaths, strings of lights through bare stems, a seasonal sculptural installation or even colourful ribbons adorning an evergreen will set the scene. The winter garden offers a vast variety to inspire with foliage colours, berries, pinecones, seed heads and coloured stems.

A look at the past
Have you ever thought about the choice of plants we traditionally use at this time and why we do so? The tradition of decorating our homes and gardens goes way back. Many of the customs we associate with Christmas and the holiday season stem from the Victorian period, however most originated much earlier.
December 25 is associated with the birth of Christ and the nativity but it is also an amalgamation of pagan festivals and traditions that celebrated the Yule and Winter Solstice.
Plants continue to play a central role in our community and family traditions. Whether you like a traditional or contemporary look with your decorations, it is interesting to learn some of the hidden symbols behind nature’s winter beauty that we gather and bring into our homes at this time.

Celebrating new life
For our ancestors, the shortest day and longest night of the year, which usually falls on or around December 21, was a day of both trepidation and celebration. It marked the day when the sun was reborn and would again grow in strength to the Midsummer Solstice. Many stone circles and standing stones are aligned with the winter sunrise on December 21, others to the Midsummer sunrise.
Winter was a harsh time and the daily changes to the life-giving sun, as it got lower and lower in the sky, were closely observed. By December the fields were no longer producing crops, leaves fell from trees and many plants had died. When the darkness reached its peak and then the sun started regaining momentum, it was a time to celebrate renewed life.

Here comes the sun
Yule, the most popular pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, lasted for 12 days. Bonfires of sacred oak logs were lit to coax the sun to return. The Saxons and Celts often kept the log burning for 12 hours on the eve of the Solstice. If the fire stayed alight they believed their household would be protected and see an abundance of crops, good health and prosperity in the coming year. They also saved a piece of the log to start the fire the following year, to consume any troubles of the old year. Many European cultures, including the British, have adapted this tradition as the Yule log.
Almost every early society had some type of Winter Solstice celebration. When Christianity arose, new Christians wanted a date to celebrate Christ’s birthday. Pope Julius 1 in the fourth century A.D. designated December 25, to override many of the pagan celebrations that had continued. As Christianity spread, the customs became a blend of the two influences.

Evergreen traditions
Many of the symbols of Christmas echo the aspect of rebirth and hope in darkness. Evergreen trees and shrubs represented a continuity of life, protection and future prosperity for the Romans, Celts, Teutons and Christians, as they stayed green during the lifeless winter months. Branches, wreaths and trees were used to decorate their dwellings.
Three plants in particular have a long history in the season’s rituals – holly, ivy and mistletoe. They were hung over doors to keep out misfortune, as it was believed they would bring protection and luck. Holly and ivy were often used together as holly was considered a male symbol, with ivy the female; therefore the two should forever be entwined. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originated from Norse mythology and it was also considered to be sacred by the Druids, as it appeared to be growing in the air.

Deck the halls
Decorating evergreen trees has been in existence for centuries. Small gifts for the gods representing the sun, earth and harvest were hung from branches of pine trees in groves. Pagan families would also bring a live tree into the home so the wood spirits would have a place to keep warm.
Bells were hung in the branches in the belief they would ring if a spirit was present, along with food and treats for them to eat and a five-point star, a symbol of the elements, was placed atop the tree.
So this year while your decorating you can create hidden meanings with your choice of plants and where you place them. As you arrange ornaments on your tree or make your own wreath you will be echoing the traditions of our ancestors. Your garden and home will be showcasing  nature’s winter bounty, while continuing the customs of the past.