Wreath Making

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The December calendar page is full of Christmas activities and festivities.  Last night was the first of many penciled in  holiday "things-to-do."  The John Campbell Folk School held a free wreath-making class at 7 PM in the Keith House where all the greenery, the wreath frames, and fresh fruit were provided.  I don't have an "eye" for decorating and the only wreath I ever made years ago fell apart the minute I hung it up.  So I picked up Mary, from upper Boulder Creek Rd, and we headed to the school.  Mary has had some flower arranging experience so she could help me look good as I fumbled around the greenery. 
A huge blue tarp covered the whole floor of the Keith House and large piles of boxwood, ferns, magnolia, holly, and other assorted greens were stacked for us to use in any way we chose.  Music serenaded us and we had hot cocoa with marshmallows while we created our wreaths.
We started with clumps of boxwood. 
Our wreath starting to take shape.  By this point, Mary has multiple contusions and abrasions on her hands.
 Wreath-making has been taught for over twenty years at the school and many of the participants return each year to help make wreaths.  You don't get to take home your finished product because tonight the public is invited to come in and decorate the Folk School for all the upcoming scheduled Christmas activities. The wreath being assembled at this table will be hung over the fireplace.  It'll probably be about 5' X 5'.  I didn't know how something this large was put together so I watched him staple-gun the branches to the board and arrange the holly and contrasting colors to form his wreath.

We decided at this point, our wreath was completed.  The deciding factor was the number of napkins Mary had wrapped around her bloody fingers.  
This is the instructor's demonstration wreath which will hang on the door leading into the kitchen.
Monday night the David Brose Family Concert will be in the Keith House.  The family will perform sacred and secular music on banjo, guitar, mandolin, and ukelele.  I'll go to this and Cliff will attend his Monday night fire dept meeting.  I love Christmas music.  

Today Cliff has to make a batch of brownies and a salad for his Station 25 party on Saturday night.  Also, Saturday afternoon at 2 PM the Murphy hometown Christmas parade will wind through the downtown streets.  The first year Cliff was with Station 17, he drove the big engine in the parade, but was so tense with the little children running out to grab candy, he's decided to stand on the sidewalk with me and be a spectator. The past couple of years the weather was either rainy or wintery cold.  Tomorrow is suppose to be about 60 and sunny in the afternoon.


Two more ideas for Christmas cards.  

Last night's temperature dropped to 21 but with clear sunny skies today, we should see 60 degrees and my potted plants will go back out on the porch to bask in the sun until 4 PM.

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