Your Christmas Wreath Has a Backstory!
Before that fresh wreath ever reaches your front door, it may have traveled from a remote forest, survived a helicopter ride, and spent some time chilling out. Literally.
Sounds like quite an adventure for a few evergreen branches, doesn't it?
As we begin preparing for another season of holiday decorating at M.J. Design Associates, we thought we'd share something you might not know about the beautiful fresh greenery that fills our winter containers, wreaths, and garlands.
Those branches have a fascinating story, and it starts long before Christmas!
A Little Trim, Not a Whole Tree
You might assume that harvesting Christmas greenery means cutting down entire trees. But that's not always the case!
According to M&M Wintergreens, a supplier of fresh holiday greenery, trained harvesters carefully select and cut branches from living trees in forests where they have permission to harvest.
These strategic cuts are intended to protect the trees and encourage healthy growth by allowing more sunlight to reach remaining branches.
Think of it like giving a tree a haircut instead of chopping it down!
Why Wait for Jack Frost?
Here's something we found especially interesting: the timing of the harvest matters!
M&M Wintergreens explains that their greenery is harvested after the first hard frost. Why? Cold temperatures help the needles stay attached to their branches longer, meaning less shedding and fresher-looking decorations throughout the holiday season.
Once harvested, some branches are carried out of remote forests in backpacks, while others are transported by helicopter. From there, they're bundled, crafted into decorations, and stored in temperature-controlled facilities until they're ready to make their way to your home.
Who knew your Christmas garland had such an exciting travel itinerary?
Beautiful for the Holidays. Better When Given a Second Life.
One of our favorite things about decorating with natural greenery is that the story doesn't have to end when the holidays do.
Once you've removed any wire, ornaments, ribbon, and artificial decorations, those evergreen branches can often be chipped, composted, or recycled through local yard-waste programs.
And here's another reason to love fresh greenery! Unlike many artificial wreaths and garlands made with plastic, natural evergreen branches are biodegradable. While artificial decorations can be reused for years, they often end up in landfills when they're finally discarded. Choosing responsibly harvested fresh greenery gives us a beautiful, renewable alternative that can be composted and given back to the earth after the holidays.
A Little More Meaning Behind the Magic
At M.J., we love transforming our clients' homes for the holidays. There's something special about the smell of fresh evergreens, the texture of natural branches, and the warmth they bring to a front porch in the middle of winter.
But knowing the care that can go into responsibly harvesting those materials makes us appreciate them even more.
So, this holiday season, when you admire your fresh wreath or winter containers, remember: those branches may have quite the story to tell!
Want to see more of our seasonal decorations? Take a look at our gallery on our website.
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