 Prepare for Christmas by counting down the weeks until Christmas Day! Bring attention to the Advent Wreath by decorating with fresh Christmas greenery and LED lights! Fresh Christmas greenery brings aroma into a room. LED lights emphasize the wreath without drying out the greenery. Bows made of sheer ribbon allows the lights to shine through! Encircle the wreath form with fresh Christmas greenery. Place pieces of greenery around the wreath form or place a wreath of fresh greenery over the advent wreath form. I wove a strand of battery-operated LED lights through the greenery. Place the lights into the greenery, not just sitting on top of the greenery. This adds dimension. Place the control box in the center of the ring. I added the candles, then made bows of sheer, wired ribbon. Place the bows on the wreath. Each wreath is different-some bows look better in between the candles, others at the base of a candle. Allow the light bulb to rest near the ribbon to shine through!
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 New options with Christmas lights highlight brighter. This picture was taken without using a flash. Notice how bright the lights are in the decorations. These lights are LED. The wreath and the candles shed light on the items surrounding them. LED lights offer new alternatives for lighting Holiday decorations. LED lights are brighter, use less energy, last longer, and don’t get hot! This is great for decorations of fresh Christmas greenery. Fresh Christmas trees bring the aroma of evergreens into the decorated space. Christmas trees of fresh greenery tend to dry out after the are cut. It is important to place the fresh tree in a tree holder of water and Christmas tree preservative. LED lights are great in decorating fresh Christmas trees. The brightness of the light illuminates the ornaments hanging nearby. LED lights do not heat when they are lit. This helps prevent fire hazards. Led lights are also available in small battery-operated lengths. Using LED lights are more economical. The energy used to lite LED is 85% less than traditional lights. LED lights are brighter and last longer.
 An open casket can be made softer with flowers. Soften the blow of viewing the casket of a departed loved one by placing fresh flowers on the casket. Flowers can be placed on top and inside the casket. An unadorned casket is harsh and cold no matter the style. Fresh flowers calm the senses.  This example is an arrangement made for a dear friend. The family wanted to extend the flowers into the casket. This trailer was made for the opened lid of the casket. The trailer was pinned to the hinged area of the lid. It contained smaller blooms of the casket spray placed on the closed portion of the casket. The casket spray looked like a blanket of flowers with a vine that rested next to the deceased. The completed picture surrounded the departed family member with flowers.
 The circular shape of a wreath is symbolic of continuing life and love. Flowers are sent to the Funeral Home or Church for the funeral service. There are many floral arrangements to choose for a funeral. These may include decorated hearts, crosses, standing sprays, and wreaths. Long ago, a wreath was placed on the front door of the home of a deceased person as a sign of mourning. Today, wreaths are mounted on a wire easel and sent to the funeral service. There are many ways to decorate a wreath. A wreath can be totally covered with greenery and flowers, or partially wrapped with ribbon and an arrangement on the top or side of the wreath. For this wreath, I chose a grapevine wreath. This wreath was placed on a 48” easel. The design was placed on the side instead of totally covering the wreath. This is arranged in a caged block of wet floral foam wired to the wreath. I chose red roses, Stargazer lilies, and peppermint miniature carnations. The greenery used is leatherleaf. Red ribbon is used for the bow to highlight the red roses.
 Flowers express sympathy during a time of loss. One of the first actions of the family during a funeral is viewing the flowers. A death is a very emotional period. The funeral is a time to gather family and friends to remember the deceased. Funeral customs vary, but flowers are usually included in most ceremonies. Flowers express in a tangible way an expression of sympathy. Funeral customs in my area have changed since we closed the shop in 1992. Now, obituaries are no longer published daily. Notice is not forthcoming. Viewing times and the funeral ceremony are held in the same day. There is no longer a multiple day gathering. In my opinion, funerals are usually smaller. Funeral flowers are an expression to remind the family of the impact of the loss. Flowers remind the family the sender is there to reach out to if needed. Many times, the sender is out of town and wants to remembered. Flowers are a way to comfort during a time of loss. There are many options for funeral flowers. I selected to share the standing funeral spray. I created this spray for close friends at the death of their Mother. This spray stands about 6 feet tall. It is on an easel with a foam filled funeral cage. The background of greenery is Jade and Leatherleaf. I began the outline of the spray using pink snapdragons. The center of the spray is filled with Stargazer Lilies, dark pink Roses, pink Alstromeria, and white cushion pom-poms. A dark pink bow highlights the dark pink roses. Flowers are important during a funeral. They bring color and life to a funeral. The color and aromas of the flowers remind of the life still surround death. It expresses the presence of the sender of the bouquet. Flowers soften the funeral.
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