Decor for holidays inspired by nature
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MOREAU
Jean Hill's tradition of making hand-tied holiday wreaths bonds her to her childhood.
Hill recalled foraging for greenery as a 13-year-old with her three younger siblings and her parents in the woods of Washington County to decorate their house at Christmas time.
Times were tight for the family, and making their own holiday decorations was a way to celebrate the holiday with little or no money.
"I enjoy making something from nothing," Hill said. "We went out in the woods and gathered whatever we could find."
Using a simple coat hanger as the form, Hill fashioned running pine boughs found along the ground into wreaths that were adorned with a bright red bow.
At 68, Hill still continues the tradition of festooning her home with the smell of fresh pine and balsam on her front door, around mirrors, coiled along banisters and atop her hutch and fireplace mantle.
She now uses a four-wire frame for convenience and insists on taking the time to deck her halls each year. You won't find fake greenery in her house - ever.
"Christmas isn't artificial. It's a beautiful holiday. I don't tend to use anything artificial," Hill said.
Not only does she make her own decorations, but she also makes about 10 wreaths a year for family and friends. Sometimes she'll just construct the basic form so others can beautify them in their own way.
Hill likes to mix cedar and hemlock with a balsam base for her natural decorations.
"You can put anything on top of balsam, even the pine boughs. It gives it some zip," she said.
Because balsam is difficult to find in her yard, Hill said she buys an extra Christmas tree to supply her with what she needs for her crafts.
Hill lent her wreath-making talents for several years to teaching classes at Moreau Lake State Park Nature Center and said she has seen more and more of these types of classes being offered. Three years ago, she began making boxwood centerpieces for her daughter's shop, Touch of an Angel, in South Glens Falls, and has branched into teaching the classes at the Nature Center.
Hill does warn, however, that having natural decorations in your house will
necessitate having a
vacuum handy to scoop up
the needles - a small inconvenience for being able to enjoy the fresh scent of Christmas throughout the house.
"I use just as much of the good-smelling, outdoorsy stuff as I can bring in," she said.
Posted in Lifestyles on Monday, November 30, 2009 2:00 am
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