A Solstice wreath symbolizes the wheel of the year and the completion of another cycle of seasons.

Gather together materials and tools:

At a craft store buy:
16-inch straw wreath form
a spool of thin gauge paddle wire

Around the house gather:
natural jute or waxed sinew twine
wire cutters
pruning shears or scissors
thin bamboo skewers (to attach fruits)
small screw eyes (to attach cones, nuts, or oak galls)

Collect in the woods, garden, or purchase:
a large basket of bay laurel branchlets 6 inches to 9 inches long
8-10 branchlets of holly with berries
vines of flexible ivy 12 inches to 15 inches long
10-12 springs of rosemary at least 6 inches long
other symbolic greenery could include: wintergreen, pine, or oak leaves
decorations could include: small apples, pinecones, tiny oranges, unshelled nuts, oak galls, ribbons

Basic Steps in weaving a Solstice Wreath

As you bind the plants into place, meditate about the year now past and what you want to manifest in the coming year.

Step One
Working at the edge of a table makes the binding of the herbs and plants onto the straw base easier. You will use lengths of paddle wire about 10 to 12 inches long to wrap around the wreath, twisting the ends together to hold the bundles of herbs in place. Cut 20 lengths of paddle wire 10 to 12 inches long. Cut 10 lengths of paddle wire 5 inches long to wrap herb bundles. To make a loop for hanging, cut a 20-inch length of twine. Fold it in half, loop around the wreath and knot to secure.

Step Two
Start filling the inside of the wreath using short, small-leafed sprigs of herbs. Using the 5-inch length of wire, bundle together two sprigs of rosemary and two sprigs of bay, 6 inches long. You will need 8-10 bundles of herbs to complete the inside of your wreath. Holding the bundle against the inside of the wreath, wrap a long piece of wire around the wreath base, looping over the herb bundle stem ends, binding them into place as you twist the wire ends together. If necessary, form the bundle to the circle and bind the opposite end of the bundle in the same way. Continue to attach all the bunches around the inside of the wreath base with the stems going in the same direction, overlapping the bunches to conceal stem ends.

Step Three
Still going in the same direction, attach the prickly lengths of holly to the front of the wreath, tucked beside the rosemary/bay ring. The overlapping sprigs of holly form the stable base through which you weave the long vines of ivy around and through blending the qualities of the greenery together.

Step Four
The long-leafed branchlets of bay bundled together in groups of two or three are inserted around the outside of the wreath. Continue to bind the sprigs to the wreath using the long lengths of wire, overlapping the stem ends, covering the straw base. Weave the wire over and through the greenery, twisting ends of wire together. The intertwining of the wire and greenery adds form to the wreath, keeping its circular shape, as well as securing the bundles to the form.

Step Five
Hang the wreath. Balance the greenery by adding sprigs of rosemary or other greenery where necessary.

Step Six
Decorate the wreath by adding apples, holly berries, and wintergreen berries. Pierce the apples with the thin bamboo skewers. Insert skewer securely into the straw base. Tie on berries, stemmed fruits with wire. Attach a screw eye to oak galls and cones, insert wire through the screw eye and tie in place.

Plant Symbolism:

• Rosemary is for remembrance. Rosemary and bay leaves purify and protect. As you bind these sprigs together, remember the highlights of the past year. Use the bay to cleanse away events or happenings that were unsettling. The Sun is the ruling planet of both herbs, as it is the rebirth of the Sun we celebrate at the Winter Solstice.
• The twining together of the holly and the ivy represents the integration of the masculine and feminine parts of yourself. The holly is the fiery, protective masculine aspect. The ivy represents the intuitive, emotional feminine. The magical pairing of the two brings balance and luck for the coming year. Which is more prominent in your wreath? What does one offer the other?
• Apples are symbols of immortality and love.
• Wintergreen is healing.
• Walnuts are wishes. What would you like fulfilled in the coming year? Combine these with the fertility of the pinecone. What would you like to manifest in the coming year?

Hang the completed wreath over the door to welcome visitors. You can also mount it above a fireplace where the warmth will enhance the release of aromatic fragrances. It can also be laid flat with candles inside, as a centerpiece to the Yuletide Feast. If you celebrate Winter Solstice with children, this is a good time to gather everyone around the wreath and teach them about the Sacred Circle and Wheel of Life.

(with thanks to Carol Linda Risso)