With holly and ivy
So green and so gay
We deck up our houses
As fresh as the day:
With bays and rosemary
With laurel compleate,
And everyone now
Is a king in conceite.
Poor Robins Almanac*, 1695
The observance of the Hanging of the Greens is an old English custom of decorating one’s home and the church with evergreens and other festive trappings for Advent and Christmas. This decorating is usually done just before or incorporated into the first Sunday of Advent.
Pretty robes of green leaves are easily made with the aid of a [Large] carpet needle and some fine twine. Thread the leaves on to the twine as you would when threading beads.
These ropes look very well hanging from the corners of the room and meeting under the chandelier, with a bunch of flowers hanging from the middle, where the four ends meet. The ropes also look very pretty if artificial flowers are entwined with the green leaves.
From Etiquette for a Traditional Christmas, Compiled by Jan Barnes, Copper Beech Publishing, 2000
This idea for vintage decorating is simple to assemble using readily available greenery from your garden, or purchased Bay or Lemon Leaf. The addition of fresh or dried fruit or flowers can liven up the scene, as well. Hang these garlands around your home for a fresh take on Holiday decorating.
Ready made garlands, like the Bay Leaf garland above, can be purchased from local stores, such as Pottery Barn. Other Garland instructions can be found on sites such as Better Homes and Gardends and Marthastewart.com
Poor Robin’s Almanac began in 1663 and ended in 1776.*
