Single sided Christmas wreaths vs Double sided Christmas wreaths.

Until a few years ago, when someone spoke of Christmas wreaths, they were thinking of a wreath with boughs on both sides of some type of frame. This double sided wreath usually had an outside diameter of 22-24 inches. This is an appropriate size for a standard entry door. A twelve inch crimped wire ring is the most common frame for this wreath.

In the early 1990’s, a large national retailer became the dominant marketer of Christmas wreaths, replacing “Mom and Pop” type manufacturers. The supply of quality double sided wreaths was being exceeded by demand by the early 2000’s. Quality wreaths were still available but the cost was more than national retailer were willing to pay. The large retailers answer to the supply and demand crisis was to switch to a single sided wreath.

A single sided wreath is made on a wire ring that has u-shaped wire clamps welded on to one side of the ring. Boughs are placed in the clamp which is closed around the boughs using a foot operated clamp machine. When the wreath is finished, the wire ring is still visible in the back of the boughs. This is also a common method for making twig wreaths. A single sided Christmas wreath can be produced quicker and uses less raw material than a double sided Christmas wreath.

Maine Made Christmas offers both types of wreath in our product line. Except for our “Balsam Christmas Wreath” and the wreaths used for our “Balsam Buddies“, all of Maine Made Christmas, Inc. wreaths are double sided. This is clearly identified in our product description. The national retailers, that now use only single sided wreaths, try to hide this fact by describing their wreaths as being made using four pounds of fresh tips. At Maine Made Christmas, Inc. our double sided wreaths are the same price as the national retailers single sided wreaths. Maine Made Christmas, Inc. is proud to offer our customers a choice of single sided Christmas wreaths and double sided Christmas wreaths. Each style is made with fresh fragrant balsam fir and each style is inspected for quality. They are shipped in a timely manner which insures our customers and their friends and family will receive the best Christmas wreaths and centerpieces possible.

Christmas Table Centerpieces

Christmas table centerpieces generally serve one purpose, and that is to set the tone and décor for an upcoming holiday event. When considering what kind of centerpiece should be the focus of your Christmas gathering, you should first consider the type of occasion that will be had. It’s easy to just say “Christmas party,” but the truth is that term can mean a variety of things depending on who your guests are.

Family Gathering Centerpieces

A family gathering may set a more formal and traditional tone. Typically, Christmas table centerpieces are made from materials such as candles, flowers, fruits, plants, and candies. Most arrangements for this style of gathering will follow suit. Remember, if your family Christmas get-together hosts multiple generations, it is always best to use your creativity within the boundaries of tradition.

Family Christmas Centerpiece

Christmas With Friends

A Christmas gathering of friends, however, may lend itself to more playful and daring Christmas table centerpieces. With friend and co-worker parties, you may still wish to make use of the tried-and-true materials listed above, but you may also feel more comfortable branching out and injecting your sense of humor into your arrangements. Of course, just how far you go will vary depending on the tastes and personalities of your guests, but experience and strength of relationship will go a long way in pleasing the guest list.

Centerpieces for the Kids

Children’s Christmas table centerpieces will bring an entirely different set of sensibilities to the table or room décor. Again, it gets back to the personalities of the partygoers involved. With children, an arrangement may consist of popular cartoon characters or traditional holiday figures such as Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. All of these choices are generally preferred to traditional poinsettias or roses. You may also consider making party favors, or fun and inexpensive gifts, part of the centerpiece.

Christmas is a time of year for giving and for letting others know how much they mean to you. Holiday gatherings are perhaps the most anticipated events of all, because they focus on time spent together and not material possessions. Creating a beautiful arrangement for table or party décor adds to the enjoyment of quality time spent with the ones you love. Christmas table centerpieces symbolize the season of joy, but it is up to you to make the most of that time together.

Christmas Table Centerpieces

Bringing evergreen boughs into the home during the holidays is a century’s old tradition.  The boughs represent many things in both religious and pagan beliefs.  The most common of which is the endurance of the evergreen through out the winter months offering the hope and joy of the coming spring.  Balsam fir evergreens offer a more practical reason to bring them inside.  The rich fragrance was a pleasant way to offset the odors in a home closed up for the winter.

The tradition of bringing evergreen boughs into the home had evolved into today’s centerpiece arrangement.  It is quite common to have a centerpiece of some type displayed year round to brighten the home but a Christmas Table Centerpiece of evergreen boughs is usually reserved as the main table centerpiece.

During Christmas, a Christmas Table Centerpiece can be displayed through out the home, in windows, on mantles and side tables.  The most common is a Christmas Table Centerpiece.

The Christmas Table Centerpiece is used to decorate the table and to symbolize the bounty of the upcoming feast.  The larger and grander the centerpiece, the greater the expectations of the Christmas dinner.

There are features that make some centerpieces better suited to be a Christmas Table Centerpiece then others.  A Christmas Table Centerpiece should have a low profile so people can set at the table and have a conversation without having to head bob around the centerpiece.  To properly proclaim this is the Christmas Table, centerpiece should be a proper proportion to the table.  A candle for the soft glow and a fragrant evergreen for a relaxing effect are features that a good Christmas Table Centerpiece should have.  Easy care and being able to move the centerpiece easily are also handy features.

There are many options on the market today that have the features of a great Christmas Table Centerpiece.  The choice comes down to personal style and taste and family tradition.

Author, Robert D Foss, is owner of Maine Made Christmas and lives and works in the heart of Balsam Fir country, downeast Maine.

Do you ever wonder where the tradition of Christmas Wreaths comes from? The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the ancient Greeks when wreaths made of laurel were placed on the heads of victorious athletes in the original Olympic Games.  Christmas Wreaths were also used by the Romans when worn on the heads of leaders such as Julius Caesar.

Some say that the circular shape represents eternity since it has no beginning or end. Today, the most popular use of the wreath during Christmas is the Advent Wreath with its lovely candles representing the coming of light or spring. The most popular wreath are the Christmas Wreaths made from evergreen branches, which hangs on the wall or door and invokes feelings of warmth for the season.

The symbolism of the wreath is in the shape of the circle that has no beginning and no ending. Some say that this may represent the circle of life or the eternal nature of God’s love. The evergreens used in wreaths are said to represent immortality because they live through winter, signifying strength. Christmas wreaths are a colorful welcoming touch whether used during the Christmas season or any time of the year. It has the uncanny ability to invoke feelings of warmth and family.

Christmas Corporate Gifts

Balsam Fir decorations make excellent gifts for clients of any business. They are fresh, fragrant and beautiful and last throughout the holiday season. It’s an elegant way to say thank you to any customer or client and a festive “Merry Christmas” as well.

Christmas wreaths make wonderful Christmas Corporate Gifts because of their easy display options on doors, decks and even fences and the wide variety of colors and designs available. Christmas centerpieces also make great Christmas Corporate Gifts. Recipients can display them inside on dining room tables, coffee tables, mantles and even window sills. The centerpieces are designed to be watered like a house plant and will last for several weeks this way. Companies often enjoy giving fresh balsam fir Christmas and Centerpieces as Christmas Corporate Gifts because one size fits all and the price is very reasonable.

Fresh balsam fir gifts conjure up memories of Christmases past while beginning new traditions that everyone looks forward to year after year. What better way for a company to treat their clients or employees to wonderful Christmas Corporate Gifts, than giving them something that smells and looks just like Christmas.

Author, Colleen Foss, lives and works in the heart of Balsam Fir country, downeast Maine.

Ideas for Christmas Centerpieces

            Ideas for Christmas Centerpieces come from a variety of different sources. Tradition,

(Traditional Balsam Centerpiece)

holiday favorites (Ribbon Candy Centerpiece)

locations (State of Maine Centerpiece)

local industries (Blueberry Centerpiece

and Lobster Trap Centerpiece)

or just the majesty of  the season (Home for the Holiday Centerpiece

and the Winter Centerpiece) can be used as inspiration.

The material you wish to use can also provide ideas for Christmas Centerpieces. Fresh evergreen, dried flowers, faux berries, twigs and ornaments can be used to create a centerpiece.

            There are three main components to any centerpiece. The first is a container; the container can be utilitarian or can be the main focus of your Christmas centerpiece. Plastic dishes, buckets, coffee mugs, buckets, miniature sleighs just about anything that can hold decorations can be used as a container.

            The second component of a Christmas centerpiece is the base, fresh evergreens, and flowers, either fresh or artificial are the most common materials used for holiday centerpieces. Pinecones, candies, faux snow and ribbons can all be used as bases to create unique and imaginative centerpieces. The third component is the most diverse decoration. Most Christmas centerpieces feature a candle of some type, tapers, pillars and votives are all popular choices. A bow or ribbon decoration is also a common decoration for a centerpiece. The possibilities are literally too numerous to list for decorating Christmas centerpieces.  

            Deck the halls, your tables or the fireplace with these very merry Christmas  centerpiece ideas. Some are practical, others purely decorative. But whichever you choose, they’re guaranteed to add a personal touch to all the Christmas celebrations in your home.

             November 4, 2010,    Author Colleen N. Foss, owner of Maine Made Christmas Inc. a Christmas wreath and Christmas centerpiece business located in the heart of balsam fir country, Washington County, Maine.

A Christmas wreath from Maine has become a holiday tradition for many families across America. Corporations, internet shoppers, early birds, last minute shoppers and just about anyone can take advantage of what a great gift idea a Christmas wreath or centerpiece is. A Christmas wreath is a decoration that appeals to a wide range of people, young and old, singles or couples and homeowners to name a few. A Christmas centerpiece is also a great gift idea that brings the greens and fragrance of the holidays inside.
At Maine Made Christmas we have been providing quality Christmas wreaths and centerpieces for the mail order customer for over a decade. Freshly picked tips are handcrafted into wreaths and centerpieces which are then decorated with colorful weather resistant holiday decorations. Our wreath is then carefully packaged and shipped directly to the customer to ensure that you and your friends and family receive the best product possible.
The traditional Christmas wreath is made from evergreen boughs. Balsam fir is the evergreen of choice at Maine Made Christmas. Balsam fir (Albies balsamea) is a coniferous evergreen common in Maine. Coniferous means the tree reproduces by growing cones. Evergreen means the leaves which are small needles that line branches stay green all year. An evergreen does not lose its needles. Many species of fir are used to make wreaths but balsam is known as the fragrant fir. The scent most people associate with Christmas is the fragrance of balsam fir.
Another reason balsam fir is a good choice for Christmas wreaths is that the needles are not so rigidly attached to the stem that they feel prickly. When you run your hand along a balsam fir branch the needles will fold next to the branch appearing to make the branch soft to the touch. This desirable feature though is why the timing of the harvest of balsam fir tips is very important.
A tip is the end of a branch or side lateral on a balsam fir tree. The tip is usually the growth produced by the branch in the last two or three years. When harvested and cared for properly a tip will not lose its needles, the needles are set.
In the wreath industry the term “set” means the needle will stay on a tip and turn brown over a period of time without falling off. The opposite of set is sprilling. Sprill is a local term for a needle. When tips are picked too early or stored improperly, the needles will separate from the branch so the tip is said to be sprilling.
The common misconception is that cold weather is what causes the needles to set to the branch. The old wives tale is that after three hard frosts tips will be firmly set. In Maine we may have three hard frosts by mid October or it may be mid December before this occurs. Actually, it is the amount of daylight that determines when tips are ready. What is affected by atmosphere and temperature is storage. Tips should be stored out of the sun in a cool environment until they are used.
Balsam fir is a great choice for wreaths and centerpieces because of its fragrance, soft touch and needle retention. Start a Christmas tradition this year by adding a quality balsam product to your gift list.
October 27, 2009, Author Robert D. Foss owner of Maine Made Christmas Inc. a Christmas wreath and Christmas centerpiece business located in the heart of balsam fir country, Washington County, Maine.

What is a Balsam Buddy?

A Balsam Buddy is a wreath hanger. Our unique hanger transforms a wreath into a whimsical, seasonal character.

The hanger does it all. There is a hook for the wreath. The face and sign attach by sliding screws (already in place) into keyhole cutouts. The whole character can be assembled in less than 5 minutes without tools.

The hanger is designed to hang a Balsam Buddy on a variety of surfaces. The hanger comes with an over the door hook to display your Buddy on any standard door or fence rail. Remove two screws to detach the hook and the Balsam Buddy can be hung anywhere you can put a nail or screw. Mailbox posts, fence posts, walls, decks and trees can be used to display a Balsam Buddy.

The character can be mounted on a standard 36” wire easel to be used anywhere in your holiday decorating. We have even used a common hose clamp to mount a Buddy on a metal lamp post.

The face, greeting sign and feet are made with the same board that road signs are made of. Colorful, weather resistant decals and screen printing are then used to create our holiday characters. These non-perishable features are durable, long lasting and reusable.

This item is very popular with children as well as the kid at heart. We have grandparents tell us their grandchildren know Christmas is near when they see the Balsam Buddy on the door.

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