While in the Netherlands most people are preparing to celebrate Sinterklaas tonight, here in Scotland, Christmas preparations are in full swing. We don’t do much beyond putting up a tree, but now that I’m no longer working on Advent Sundays and Christmas, I have room to explore new traditions.

Last year, I attended a workshop where I learned to make a Christmas wreath. I loved the result so much that it hung on my front door until Easter. So, when Julie from Spilly Farm announced another round of workshops this year, I immediately signed up – and it was just as lovely as before.

This year, however, brought a meaningful difference: while crafting the wreath, I realised how much my health had improved. A year ago, my hands barely functioned, and Julie needed to assemble the wreath for me. This time, I was able to do most of the work myself – making this wreath even more precious.

I made some updates to my design this year. While keeping the idea of covering two-thirds of the moss, I packed the foliage a little looser so there’s room in there for flowers from my garden. While writing this, the hellebore flowers haven’t fully opened yet – although they’re close – so I’ll add more photos to this post once they do.