Wreath Week (Santa Wreath)—from GARDENING THE AMANA WAY

It's wreath week at the Bur Oak Blog! This week, we'll be showing you how to make different wreaths for this holiday season, so be sure to check out all of our posts. You may need a glue gun, a small hammer, and an awl. Today we'll start with the Santa Wreath from Lawrence L. Rettig's Gardening the Amana Way.

Santa Wreath

Materials: 12-inch diameter straw wreath base, dyed club moss (Lycopodium clavatum), styrofoam 1-inch thick, 18-gauge floral stem wire, floral wire pins, wrapping paper, tiny bows, assorted small Santas. You may substitute small-needled evergreens, either fresh or artificial, for the moss.

Directions: Begin by arranging the Santas on a flat surface until you find an arrangement that you like. Start with the larger Santas and fill in with smaller ones. Transfer Santas to wreath base, gluing each one in place with your glue gun. Wrap small blocks of Styrofoam with wrapping paper and decorate with bows. Fill in spaces around Santas with packages, leaving some room to add the moss, and attach with glue gun. Attach small overlapping bunches of moss to the wreath with floral wire pins. Push pins firmly into base to hold moss in place. If pins are difficult to insert, use a small hammer to tap them tightly into the wreath base.