...sort of. I love, love, love real Christmas trees, but they're kind of a pain. Next best thing is a real wreath. They retail for $40 - $50. Out of the blue, I had the bright idea of asking for some discarded branches at Lowe's. When people buy trees, they cut off the bottom of the trunk and the lower limbs. Lo and behold, there were two huge crates of cast-off branches in the Garden Center. I asked if I could have some and they told me to take all I wanted. They even gave me a big sheet of plastic to catch the sap and needles. Cool. Filled up my car. I bought some heavy gague wire to make a circular base, and some small gague wire to fasten the greenery to the wreath form. Oh, the Garden Center guys said they just throw the branches away at night. The next day, in the Kroger floral department, I noticed little bunches of evergreen sprigs, wrapped in cellophane, priced at $4! Woweee. I figure I had about $400 worth of sprigs in a pile on my carport!
I did spring for some of those cinnamon scented pine cones (they are overwhelmingly strong, but great for outside), and wired ribbon (bows are a cinch to make.) But they'd still be beautiful sans adornment.
Next year I'll get an earlier start, and I'll share the bounty with my friends...
