Advent wreath making made easy

What should not be missing in the pre-Christmas period in any Austrian household? That's right, the Advent wreath. Whether classically tied with green fir branches, modern with exotic plants such as eucalyptus, a beautiful arrangement or a beautifully decorated bowl - there are countless possibilities. They all have one thing in common: the four candles that are lit every Sunday from the first Advent onwards. Only a few people know that the Advent wreath originally had many more candles - namely 20 small, red and 4 large white candles. Over time, it was "reduced", which is much more practical, because who has room for such a large wreath. The original symbolism, the increase of light as an expression of the rising expectation for the birth of Jesus+, is still there. And even those who have nothing at all to do with the Christian faith can make good use of a little light in the dark winter and in turbulent times like these.

HOMEMADE WITH MUCH LOVE

We have been tying our Advent wreath ourselves for years. For me it is the beginning of the pre-Christmas season - a beautiful tradition which heralds the reflective time. I would like to show you in this post, how we bind our classic Advent wreath with fir branches. In addition, you will find alternatives that go very quickly and for which you have almost everything at home anyway or can find in nature.

1. THE CLASSIC: ADVENT WREATH WITH FIR BRANCHES

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Straw wreath (you can find it at the hardware store)
• Fir branches
• Pruning shears (to cut the fir branches to size)
• Wire (preferably green, you won't see it so well between the branches)
• 4 candles
• Candle holder
• Decoration (there are no limits to your imagination. Take what you have at home, nuts (golden sprayed they are especially beautiful), cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, small Christmas tree balls ...)
• Hot glue gun (not a must, but handy to fix the decoration)

THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE:

Cut small branches from the fir greenery and place about five branches together on the upper side of the straw wreath. The bottom side remains free, because your wreath should be able to stand stably on a plate. Hold the branches tightly with one hand and wrap them with the other hand in the lower part about three times with wire. Do not cut the wire. Now place the next bundle - twigs slightly offset (like fish scales) over the end of the already attached twigs. So it goes on and on until the wreath is finished.

Now comes the most fun part: the decorating. We wanted a little winter feeling in the apartment and sprayed the wreath with snow spray first of all. The stands including candles you can simply stick in the wreath. Other than that, we decorated the wreath with baubles and golden nuts. These hold best by attaching them with a hot glue gun. And voilà: Finished is our self-tied Advent wreath.

If you like it a little more exotic, you can use more than just fir branches for binding. Eucalyptus branches are very trendy. But also boxwood or other branches from the home garden are a great eye-catcher between the fir branches.

2. WITHOUT MOSS NOTHING GOING ON

This moss wreath is an Advent wreath that doesn't need any branches, but is still green and smells of the forest.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Straw wreath (you can get it at the hardware store)
• Moss (you like different kinds)
• Wire (I used golden wire)
• 4 candles
• Candle holder
• Decoration (as always, there are no limits to your imagination. I took dried orange slices, Tschurtschen (cones) and nuts)
• Possibly hot glue gun

THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE

Make sure your moss is clean and free of woodland creatures. I put it in a sieve under warm water and let it dry on a towel. Once you have clean moss, you're ready to go. Similar to the classic wreath with fir branches, you put the moss around the top of the straw wreath and wrap it with wire. I don't think it's bad at all if you can see the wire. Quite the opposite - if you use gold, it can look very decorative. Once your wreath is wrapped with moss, put the stands and candles inside and decorate it however you like.

I think natural materials go especially well with a wreath made of moss. So how about cinnamon sticks, nuts, churtschen or dried orange slices? The latter smells really good on the one hand, and on the other hand you can make them quite easily at home. To do this, cut oranges into one to two centimetre thick slices and lay them on a kitchen roll on the radiator. However, this takes several days and you should not forget to turn the orange slices every day and change the kitchen paper, otherwise they will go mouldy. If you have less patience or no radiator, you can simply dry the orange slices in the oven. Place them on a baking rack in the oven preheated to about 100 degrees for two to three hours. Here, too, you should turn the slices over again and again.

LAST-MINUTE-WREATH: WHEN IT HAS TO GO FAST

If you don't feel like tinkering for a long time or buying a lot of materials, I have an idea for you that goes like clockwork. The ideal wreath for everyone who needs it fast! Everything you need you have at home or you can easily find on your next walk in the woods.

What you need:

• A flower pot saucer or a plate
• Moss
• 4 glasses (e.g. jam jars)
• 4 candles
• Decoration (whatever you have at home)

THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE:

It couldn't be easier: place the four jars on the flower pot coaster. Line the remaining free space with moss. The candles go into the glasses and bang ready. Who has desire, and yes I would recommend it to you, decorates now its Advent plate still something. It looks nice if you tie a pretty bow around the glasses, drape a few balls or dried orange slices and you're done.

I hope I could inspire you a little bit. I wish you a peaceful Advent season - even if everything turns out differently than planned. Information about the current Covid measures and the lockdown can be found here.

COOKING, CRAFTING & SHOPPING IN INNSBRUCK

If you're still looking for more craft ideas, you'll find them here. Christmas recipes can be found at Nadja's, for example these sweet gift ideas. Speaking of gifts, last year we had the same situation as this year - Lea has therefore created a list of online shops in Innsbruck for you - take a look.