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Tradition Highlight: Wreath Making

Join in on a Fun Holiday Crafting Tradition!

If there’s one thing you’ll notice when you walk into most Camphill spaces, it’s that they’re filled with beautiful crafts. From woodworking to mosaics, or ceramics to weavery, you never know what new craft you might learn.

In Camphill, crafting isn’t just an expression of one’s talents; it’s a way of building connections. Crafts are learned and created together in community. They add brightness to gathering spaces and homes. And in some Camphill communities, they’re even sold to the local community, decorating the entire town.

Each year as the holiday season approaches, many Camphillers participate in one popular holiday crafting tradition: wreath making!

Two people stand in the foreground. One is smiling at the camera and is ducking down to frame their head inside of a wreath. The wreath is being held by the other person, who is smiling down at them and is holding the wreath up above their head.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
A person smiles and winks at the camera while holding a large green wreath around their neck. They are wearing a red and grey argyle sweater with a yellow tshirt showing underneath it. They have short, straight brown hair and a short beard. They are standing in front of a large purple curtain.
Photo courtesy of Heartbeet Lifesharing.

I feel such a warm rush of pride when I hang it on the front door and each time I come home and see (my wreath)!

One Camphiller shared that “every year as temperatures drop, I find myself looking forward to wreath making. I love the creativity that you can pour into it! There are so many textures and shades to play with and so many beautiful little extras you can collect from the land and weave into the wreath. I feel such a warm rush of pride when I hang it on the front door and each time I come home and see it.”

And the best thing about wreath making? It’s super easy! You can even do it at home in time for the holidays.

As another Camphiller said, “It’s a relaxing craft that doesn’t require a lot of skill. Just time, a few basic materials, and some holiday music to get you in the spirit. It’s a great tradition to share with your friends and family, and your eyes, nose, and neighbors will be grateful for your effort!”

Want to make your own wreath? Check out these tutorials on how to make a wreath with a wreath frame, how to make a wreath with wire/twine, and even how to make one with no extra materials necessary.

Three people are at a table inside of a greenhouse. The person in the middle is sitting and the two on the sides are standing. The person on the left is wearing lightwash jeans, a light purple turtleneck, black glasses, and their long brown hair in a high ponytail. The person in the middle is wearing a black tshirt, black glasses, and has short brown hair. The person on the right is wearing a black hooded jacket and has short grey hair. They are all smiling, and the person in the middle and right are working on creating wreaths, which they are looking at. Wreath-making supplies are laid out on the wooden table before them, including a wire frame, branches, flowers, and pruning shears.

For a peek into this year’s Camphill wreath making festivities, check out this photo gallery:

A wreath is pictured hung against a red wall. It is has varied shades of green and varieties of branches in it. There are pinecones scattered throughout the wreath, and at the bottom of the wreath there is a bow of tan ribbon with leaves printed on it. There is a price tag sticking out of the top of the wreath by the center, and it reads $35.
Photo courtesy of Foxfield Flowers.
A row of colorful wreaths and felt gnomes sits on a table covered in burlap. The gnomes are made of green branches and have red felt hats. The wreaths have various flowers, berries, and grasses woven into them as decorations. The table is sitting on gravel, and behind its a row of grass, a wooden fence, three parked cars, and a building. The table setup is an extension of Foxfield Flowers' cart at which the items on the table are being sold.
Photo courtesy of Foxfield Flowers.
Foxfield Flowers' trailer and table are set up to sell wreaths and gnomes to members of the local community as part of holiday celebrations. The foreground shows two tables covered in wreaths and gnomes, sitting on top of gravel. In the back left is the blue trailer with more wreaths and gnomes displayed. The trailer is wrapped in yellow twinkly lights. Behind the setup is a patch of grass, trees, and a building made of stone and wood painted red. One car is parked in the back right.
Photo courtesy of Foxfield Flowers.
A member of the Camphill Ghent community sits at a table with a boxwood table decoration they've created in front of them. They are smiling at the camera. They are wearing purple pants and a lighter purple shirt with a black cardigan over it. Their long blond hair is on top of their head in a bun. The boxwood table decoration in front of them is filled with branches of green leaves, a few branches of red berries, and a light pink, see-through ribbon tied in a bow.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Ghent.
Three people work together to finish making wreaths. On the right are two people standing and looking at a third person, on the left, who is sitting on a blue and yellow walker. They are all wearing heavy coats or jackets, and the person on the left is wearing a red and white Santa hat and blue patterned gloves. The person in the middle and the person on the left are holding a wreath together and making some last placements of branches. The person on the right holds a finished wreaths and listens to the person on the left, who is talking to them.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
Three people smile at the camera while holding completed wreaths. The person on the left is wearing grey sneakers, red socks, jeans, a blue puffy coat, glasses, and a light green beanie, and they have short, curly, brown hair. the person in the middle is wearing black and pink sneakers, red pants, a white shirt, a maroon jacket, and they have long grey hair. The person on the right is wearing shiny black boots, navy blue leggings, a lavender skirt, a pink jacket, black glasses, and they have long, light brown hair with bangs. They are all standing in front of a large collection of plants and a bench inside of a greenhouse.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Soltane.
A person sits at a table with a craft in front of them. They are wearing a red sweatshirt that says Portillo's on it, and they are smiling. They have short, straight, brown hair. The craft in front of them is a wooden log with green and brown leaves and branches attached to it. On top of it there is a red felt hat with white and green balls attached to it.
Photo courtesy of Beaver Farm.
A person smiles at the camera while holding a finished wreath with a red ribbon tied to it. They are wearing white sneakers, jeans, a tan puffy coat, black glasses, and a purple beanie. They are standing on pavement, and in the background are a group of people standing together.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
Three people are at a table inside of a greenhouse. the person on the left is wearing jeans, a grey sweater that says "merry and bright" in bright colors, and a red headband. They have long black hair. The person in the middle is wearing a blue puffy coat, clear glasses, and their long black hair is in a bun. The person on the right is wearing lightwash jeans, a lavender turtleneck sweater, black glasses, and their long brown hair in a high ponytail. Wreath-making supplies are laid out on the wooden table before them, including a wire frame, branches, flowers, and pruning shears. Behind them is a large collection of plants.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Soltane.
A person smiles at the camera while holding a finished wreath with a red ribbon tied to it. They are wearing black boots, black pants, a red coat, black gloves, a white scarf, and a red beanie. They are standing on pavement, and in the background are a group of people standing together.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
Three people are at a table inside of a greenhouse. The person in the middle is sitting and the two on the sides are standing. The person on the left is wearing lightwash jeans, a light purple turtleneck, black glasses, and their long brown hair in a high ponytail. The person in the middle is wearing a black tshirt, black glasses, and has short brown hair. The person on the right is wearing a black hooded jacket and has short grey hair. A fourth person stands behind the middle person, looking down at them, and they are wearing a green plaid shirt, and a black coat, and they have long brown hair with bangs. The person in the middle and right are working on creating wreaths. The person in the middle is looking up at the person on the left, gesturing to them with their hands while they explain something. Wreath-making supplies are laid out on the wooden table before them, including a wire frame, branches, flowers, and pruning shears.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Soltane.
Two people stand in a grassy field with many trees behind them, and they are smiling at the camera. The person on the right is wearing black fuzzy boots, jeans, a blue puffy coat, and a blue patterned bandana. They have light brown hair down to their chin. The person on the left is wearing white sneakers, jeans, a green quarter zip jacket, a red puffy coat, and a maroon and white beanie. They have a short brown beard and are carrying a wreath over their shoulder.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
A door covered with Christmas decorations is shown. The doorframe is wrapped with yellow twinkly lights. At the top of the door is a wreath with a red bow on it. At the bottom of the door is a tree designed out of red and green tissue paper, and it is surrounded by six green and red tissue paper stars.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Hudson.
A person smiles at the camera while holding a finished wreath. The wreath has blue, grey, and yellow ribbons tied to it. The person is holding a beverage in their other hand, and they are wearing light blue pants, a red coat, and red glasses. They have brown hair tied into a ponytail behind their head. They are standing on pavement in front of a field of grass and trees.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
Two people stand in a field of trees and fallen leaves, working together on a wreath. The person on the right is wearing brown fuzzy boots, black pants, and a blue coat with a green shirt poking out from under it, and their light brown hair is tied in a bun on top of their head. The person on the left is wearing brown boots, jeans with a chain on the hip, a light brown coat, a green face mask, and a black and orange hat.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.
Foxfield Flowers' trailer setup is shown at dusk. The trailer is filled with many wreaths, decorative gnomes, and bows. At the top is a wooden sign that reads "Foxfield Flowers." The trailer is wrapped with white twinkly lights that brighten up the cart and make all of the items and signage visible in the night time. The setup is on gravel ground, and there are silhouettes of tree trunks in the background in front of a dark blue sky.
Photo courtesy of Foxfield Flowers.
A person smiles at the camera while showing off their completed wreath, which they are holding in front of their face, framing their head. The wreath has a green, red, and gold plaid bow on it with a pinecone in the middle, and gold and silver decorative berries. The person is wearing a blue, grey, red, and black patterned sweater, black glasses, and has short brown hair. The background is out of focus, and they are standing in a greenhouse.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Soltane.
A person smiles at the camera while holding a finished wreath with a green ribbon tied to it in a bow. They are wearing blue pants, a red coat, a black hoodie, a grey face mask, and an orange beanie. They are standing in front of a large pile of branches to be used in wreaths, and there are trees and green fields in the background.
Photo courtesy of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.