Traditional Christmas Wreath Ideas For Your Front Door

A front door wreath is one of the most enduring festive traditions, along with a Christmas tree. There is plenty of history and symbolism amongst the foliage you can use and is also easy to make.

You can get the family involved in the process and “Wreath-making shares many of the same benefits as flower arranging or gardening,” says Everest ambassador, chartered horticulturalist and plant expert David Domoney. “It’s a calming, stress-reducing activity that promotes mindfulness and reinforces our connection to nature.” Plus, the smell of fresh evergreen foliage, cinnamon or dried fruit is an unmistakable sign that the festive season has arrived.

There are a variety of Christmas wreath ideas from a traditional to a contemporary minimalist design. Whatever your preference, here are some traditional Christmas wreath ideas to inspire you.

What makes a good Christmas wreath?

The best Christmas wreath is one that complements your front door and your style of house. Consider the theme and colour scheme in advance – do you want a colourful look, or a Scandi-style natural wreath? Wreaths have historically been known as “welcome rings”, so put something of your own personality into your design.

David suggests that “Most wreaths will contain a mix of greenery, such as red-berried holly, mistletoe, conifer branches and fir and some decorations, like berries, pinecones, dried fruit and cinnamon sticks. You can even include some cuttings from your Christmas tree. The easiest way to attach the greenery is by arranging it into small bunches, wrapping floristry wire around it and securing it into the base, making sure each bunch overlaps.”

11 Christmas Wreath Ideas For Your Front Door

Classic wreath

Traditional wreaths have remained popular for good reason. With their evergreen foliage, they are a wonderful way to dress your front door for Christmas and they smell amazing. A classic wreath will mainly use natural materials, combining evergreen foliage with festive decorations. A traditional wreath will normally require moss (you can buy or forage this) which helps to keep the foliage fresh and makes it easier to decorate. Add the moss generously to your wreath base and secure it with floristry wire. Keep adding it until the wreath base and the wire is covered.

Collect plenty of festive greenery. Conifer, fir, pine or spruce foliage will work well as a backdrop, and be sure to add Christmas classics like holly, ivy and mistletoe to conjure all their positive symbolism. For decorations, look for berries, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, crab apples, dried fruit and seed heads.

Simple stem wreath

If you want to keep your wreath quick and simple, a stem wreath is a good option. For this, you’ll need to gather bendy branches or twigs. Look for long, flexible stems of hazel, willow, dogwood or ivy.

A stem wreath does not require a base. Instead, using a circular object like an upturned bowl as a guide, take one stem and bend it into a ring, securing it with floristry wire if necessary. Add your other stems one by one, starting further along each time and twisting them around the circle.

This wreath works unadorned, but if you want to enhance the natural look with some foraged decorations, consider adding pinecones, berries or evergreen foliage. Loop some floristry wire through the back to hang it.

Pinecone wreath

A pinecone wreath offers a quirky twist on a traditional design and is surprisingly easy to make. You’ll need to buy a wire frame and some floristry wire, but you can forage the pinecones yourself.

The number of pinecones you need will depend on the size of your frame, the size of the cones and your design, estimates vary between 30 and 100.

To remove sap and bugs from the cones, soak them in warm water and white vinegar for 30 minutes, then bake them in the oven, making sure not to burn them. The pinecones may close when wet but don’t worry because the heat from baking will force them open

If you want to colour your cones, spray paint them if desired, or consider coating them with a clear acrylic sealer to help preserve the cones for years to come.

Holly wreath

Take a leaf out of the pagans’ book by preparing your own holly wreath. “With its strong, waxy leaves, holly is one of the hardiest plants available,” says Domoney. “Use holly, and your decoration will last a long time.”

You can stick with holly, but a few sprigs of other evergreen foliage like conifer, fir or pine will help to add texture. Use a variety of holly species, like common holly, with glossy green leaves and red berries; Ilex aquifolium “Argentea Marginata”, with dark green leaves and cream-coloured edges; or Ilex x altaclerensis “Golden King”, with yellow margins and darker berries. “Holly plants are male or female. Despite the name, “Golden King” is actually a female holly plant,” says Domoney. “It’s a pretty variety, with flowers in summer and berries in autumn and winter.”

This wreath works well with just the holly, but feel free to add extra decorations.

Dried fruit wreath

Round fruits work best for Christmas decorations. Oranges, lemons and limes are all popular choices and will fill your home with a wonderful festive fragrance if you choose to dry them yourself. Cut the fruit in thin slices, thicker pieces will take longer to cook, and use a cocktail skewer to poke holes through the centre, which will make them easier to thread on as decorations. Bake them in the oven on a low temperature until the fruit is completely dry. They usually take between 5 to 8 hours depending on how juicy the fruits are. You’ll need to rotate them halfway through.

Attach your fruit to an evergreen wreath for a more traditional look, or, to really reward your baking efforts, make a full fruit wreath. For this, use a length of gardening wire or straighten a wire coat hanger out into a circular shape. Using the holes you made earlier, slip the fruits one by one onto the ring, interspersing whole fruits and thin slices. Once the circle is full, join the ends of the wire with a piece of floristry wire or a piece of tape, and cover this with a thick ribbon.

Light-up wreath

Adding fairy lights to a traditional wreath is a great way to brighten the dark winter nights and make your decorations stand out.

If you’re planning to hang your wreath outside, go for outdoor lights, which are designed to withstand the winter elements. Look for warm, white bulbs for a cosy, twinkling aesthetic, or mix it up with festive colours. Battery-operated or solar-powered fairy nights are most convenient to avoid the need for any wiring.

First, make sure your wreath is clean. Remove any cobwebs or spots of mud, as the lights will only highlight this. Loosely wrap your lights around the wreath in a spiral motion, working from the outside in. Once you’ve made your way around the whole wreath, tuck the ends into the foliage.

If needed. A carefully placed pinecone, flower or cinnamon stick will also help to disguise the wiring.

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Red berry wreath

A red berry wreath is vibrant and dramatic. If you’re planning to forage your own berries, go for holly, hawthorn, rosehip or spindle. Florists will also sell red berry branches.

You can add berries to a traditional evergreen wreath, but they work particularly well with a twig or stem base, which you can make yourself or buy pre-made. Gather a couple of sprigs and insert them into your wreath base. For a symmetrical look, place your sprigs in the same direction. Start on the outside, adding berries to the top, bottom, left and right of the wreath. Add a stem between each, and continue to add more, working your way forwards, towards the middle of the wreath.

Long stems of berries or pre-bought garlands can also simply be wrapped around the wreath. Ensure that the berries are spread around the wreath, but don’t worry about leaving the twig frame exposed. This creates a rustic, natural finish. If your berries aren’t staying in place, use floristry wire to secure them.

Festive red wreath

Continuing on the red theme, a wreath that incorporates a selection of bright elements can make for an eye-catching display piece. Use a basic foliage wreath as a base and add embellishments, or build your own wreath from scratch.

As well as berries, think crab apples, red ribbons, baubles, dried oranges, candy canes, flowers and leaves. You can use poinsettia bracts (although these will not last long in cold weather), cinnamon or even the papery leaves from a physalis fruit.

Choose a focal point for your decorations and attach your red elements to the wreath in clusters using glue, floristry wire or ribbon. Don’t be afraid to go all out, covering the whole wreath. Where bold reds and oranges are concerned, the more, the merrier.

Christmas swag

A festive swag is a handful of evergreen foliage, often fir or spruce, which is tied together with a ribbon and hung vertically. They are generally shaped like an upside-down bouquet, with a wider centre and tapered ends.

Originally popular in America, the swag tradition has gradually made its way across the pond. Swags are designed to be hung on doors and make great alternatives to wreaths. Swags are a strong contender for the easiest and most affordable Christmas decorations to make. Forage your materials yourself, targeting conifer, fir, spruce or pine foliage. Bunch the stems together and tie them with ribbon, twine or raffia. Any decorations that are suitable for a wreath will work for a swag, so consider adding pinecones, ribbons or sprigs of holly. For an elegant, classic swag, gather mistletoe and combine with eucalyptus leaves.

Dried flower wreath

Evergreens have historically been celebrated for their vibrant green colour, but if you want a sustainable, forage-able wreath that you can continue to use in the future, consider breaking from tradition and using dried flowers and foliage.

You can buy dried flowers for your wreath, or you can dry them yourself. “Flowers like roses, lavender, pansies, hydrangeas and larkspurs lend themselves well to drying,” advises Domoney, “Alternatively, look for plants like pennycress, honesty, eucalyptus, thistles and old man’s beard. Use what you have to hand and choose flowers and foliage with contrasting textures.” To dry the flowers, simply cut them and hang them upside-down in small bundles.

The colours may fade slightly when exposed to sunlight, but a dried flower wreath can last for around four years. If you’ve opted for a more traditional wreath this year, consider drying and recycling some of the materials. They may come in handy for a dried wreath!

Nut and seed wreath

A nut and seed wreath is an autumnal alternative to a classic wreath which also enjoys a longer lifespan.

Making a nut and seed wreath is also a great way to get into the Christmas spirit early. Take a trip to your local woods and look for conkers, acorns, pinecones, chestnuts and walnuts. To give your wreath a more festive aesthetic, collect a few sprigs of evergreen foliage and some red berries.

What do the foliage and symbols in a Christmas wreath mean?

The practice of hanging wreaths at Christmas is thought to have been introduced by Lutherans in 16th-century Germany, who wove cuttings from their Christmas trees into wreaths and hung them as ornaments. This spread to homes and churches, and in the 19th century, wreaths were produced to be hung on the front door. They were known as “welcome rings”, inviting Christmas spirit and good fortune inside.

Different evergreens also hold their own significance. Holly, the Christmas classic, has pagan origins. “The Druids, Celts and Romans are said to have brought holly into their homes, believing it was magical,” says Domoney. “With its shiny evergreen leaves, it’s easy to see why. Holly trees can live for up to 300 years. It was considered to offer protection against lightning strikes, evil spirits and bad luck.”

Holly was later adopted as a Christian metaphor, with the evergreen considered a symbol of life after death. Though it has had numerous adaptations since the carol “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly” originated in 16th century Wales and was sung at New Year. Ivy has also been associated with eternal life and was thought to offer protective properties. “Thanks to its tendency to cling, ivy is an enduring symbol of love, friendship and fidelity,” Domoney adds. “Today, it is still commonly found in wedding bouquets.”

Mistletoe has a long association with the festive period and historically has been a symbol of peace. Hung at the threshold of the home, it was thought to ward off evil spirits offering protection to those who lived there.

Kissing boughs introduced in Tudor times would decorate the entrance to homes to welcome guests. This evolved into the tradition of plucking berries from the bough for a kiss from a lady and is most likely where the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe began.

Commonly Asked Questions