Make a statement this advent and hang a fake wreath on your door.
Don’t you just love December? It’s full of such twinkly promise. Nights are cosy and fire-lit and spent watching Strictly Come Dancing. All the good bits of Christmas are ahead. Adorned with decorations that haven’t even thought of drooping yet, the world looks festive and jolly.
If you do nothing else to encapsulate this spirit, hang a wreath, that timeless symbol of eternal life, on your door – and do it pronto. Because nothing announces the festive season more emphatically than a wreath.
‘The wreath is a harbinger of the holidays,’ says Martha Stewart. ‘We display ours to better deck the halls, share end-of-year cheer, and to greet our guests all season long.’
The New York Times celebrates the wreath thus: ‘The Christmas wreath, so colourful and welcoming, is as packed as a snowball with tradition and symbolism…
‘The evergreen wreath – its circular shape an emblem not only of perfection and unity but also of the warm, enduring sun – later became a Christian symbol for Christ’s suffering and ultimate triumph over death…
‘The wreath has additionally become decorative, an outlet for creativity in an era encouraging self-expression… Whether lovingly handmade from natural materials or store-bought and cherished through the years, today’s wreaths communicate a sense of joy and a desire for peace.’
You can make your own or buy a live one. Or, this year, you could consider going for an artificial one, which – if you pack it away with love each January – will serve you through countless Christmases to come.
Here is our pick of the finest faux wreaths around.
Frosted Wreath, £75
We adore this glittering yet somehow restrained wreath, which is constructed of faux twigs which, despite not having been gathered from the floor of a forest, somehow have a wildness about them. We can see looking sumptuously wintry on townhouse and country-house doors up and down the land. Buy it.
Gypsophila Lit Wreath, £30
This subtle and delicate wreath is lit by 15 tiny LED bulbs, which produce exactly the right amount of enchanting twinkle for the most wonderful time of year. Buy it.
Faux Pussy Willow Wreath – White, £60
Oka’s Faux Pussy Willow Wreath is designed with Easter celebrations in mind but it is so pretty, elegant and refined that we think it earns its place on a Christmas door, too. Buy it.
Handmade Dried Wreath, £36.50
Not quite a faux wreath, but certainly one that you can use season after season, we love Wild About Flowers’ natural palette, lent a luxurious touch with the addition of a red velvet bow. Buy it.
Mixed Fir Cone Wreath, £79.95
You’d never know that this classic wreath, made with artificial green foliage and detailed with a variety of festive fir cones and crisp winter frost, wasn’t real. But the beauty is, like that which it is supposed to symbolise, it will be everlasting. Buy it.
Small Everlasting Eucalyptus Wreath, £21.95
Not all wreaths are destined for front doors. Though this one – made with artificial eucalyptus – will hook nicely onto a door, it looks equally fetching as a table centrepiece with a candle at its centre. Buy it.
Jolly General Store Candy Cane Bauble Wreath, £25
Tasteful and traditional have their place but if they aren’t your vibe, consider this riotous ring of joy from John Lewis. It doesn’t take itself at all seriously; it simply screams: party time. Buy it.
Southwold Wreath Large Grey, £50
There is something endlessly pleasing about this peaceful felt creation from Garden Trading. It would suit purists who don’t want a live wreath but don’t want fake foliage either. Buy it.
Khamila Leaf Wreath, £45
A major departure from advent wreaths of yore, this stunning wreath – handcrafted in brass – will elevate any doorstep. Buy it.
Velvet Christmas Wreath, £95
Made in Britain out of luxurious velvet (offcuts from the designer’s cushion business) and recycled ribbon in a range of uplifting colours, this utterly original wreath will get tongues wagging. Buy it.
By Nancy Alsop
Updated December 2022
If you do nothing else to encapsulate this spirit, hang a wreath, that timeless symbol of eternal life, on your door – and do it pronto. Because nothing announces the festive season more emphatically than a wreath.
‘The wreath is a harbinger of the holidays,’ says Martha Stewart. ‘We display ours to better deck the halls, share end-of-year cheer, and to greet our guests all season long.’
The New York Times celebrates the wreath thus: ‘The Christmas wreath, so colourful and welcoming, is as packed as a snowball with tradition and symbolism…
‘The evergreen wreath – its circular shape an emblem not only of perfection and unity but also of the warm, enduring sun – later became a Christian symbol for Christ’s suffering and ultimate triumph over death…
‘The wreath has additionally become decorative, an outlet for creativity in an era encouraging self-expression… Whether lovingly handmade from natural materials or store-bought and cherished through the years, today’s wreaths communicate a sense of joy and a desire for peace.’
You can make your own or buy a live one. Or, this year, you could consider going for an artificial one, which – if you pack it away with love each January – will serve you through countless Christmases to come.
Here is our pick of the finest faux wreaths around.
The White Company
Frosted Wreath, £75
We adore this glittering yet somehow restrained wreath, which is constructed of faux twigs which, despite not having been gathered from the floor of a forest, somehow have a wildness about them. We can see looking sumptuously wintry on townhouse and country-house doors up and down the land. Buy it.
Cox & Cox
Gypsophila Lit Wreath, £30
This subtle and delicate wreath is lit by 15 tiny LED bulbs, which produce exactly the right amount of enchanting twinkle for the most wonderful time of year. Buy it.
OKA
Faux Pussy Willow Wreath – White, £60
Oka’s Faux Pussy Willow Wreath is designed with Easter celebrations in mind but it is so pretty, elegant and refined that we think it earns its place on a Christmas door, too. Buy it.
Not On The High Street
Handmade Dried Wreath, £36.50
Not quite a faux wreath, but certainly one that you can use season after season, we love Wild About Flowers’ natural palette, lent a luxurious touch with the addition of a red velvet bow. Buy it.
Liberty
Mixed Fir Cone Wreath, £79.95
You’d never know that this classic wreath, made with artificial green foliage and detailed with a variety of festive fir cones and crisp winter frost, wasn’t real. But the beauty is, like that which it is supposed to symbolise, it will be everlasting. Buy it.
Sarah Raven
Small Everlasting Eucalyptus Wreath, £21.95
Not all wreaths are destined for front doors. Though this one – made with artificial eucalyptus – will hook nicely onto a door, it looks equally fetching as a table centrepiece with a candle at its centre. Buy it.
John Lewis
Jolly General Store Candy Cane Bauble Wreath, £25
Tasteful and traditional have their place but if they aren’t your vibe, consider this riotous ring of joy from John Lewis. It doesn’t take itself at all seriously; it simply screams: party time. Buy it.
Garden Trading
Southwold Wreath Large Grey, £50
There is something endlessly pleasing about this peaceful felt creation from Garden Trading. It would suit purists who don’t want a live wreath but don’t want fake foliage either. Buy it.
Nkuku
Khamila Leaf Wreath, £45
A major departure from advent wreaths of yore, this stunning wreath – handcrafted in brass – will elevate any doorstep. Buy it.
Not On The Highstreet
Velvet Christmas Wreath, £95
Made in Britain out of luxurious velvet (offcuts from the designer’s cushion business) and recycled ribbon in a range of uplifting colours, this utterly original wreath will get tongues wagging. Buy it.
By Nancy Alsop
Updated December 2022
