A Virtual Family Christmas Wreath Making Night – Together – Apart
I think one of the hardest things for many people this year has been not being able to see their families. We’ve had to replace meeting up in real life to virtual meets. We began the lockdown with the usual facetime, quizzes and watch parties and we’re always planning new ways to be together – apart. So this week we gathered our craft materials and held a virtual Christmas wreath-making evening:
Earlier this year we made Autumn wreaths and I’d really hoped that by Christmas, we’d be able to be together in person to make the Christmas ones. That wasn’t to be so we planned to make them apart. I’m hoping we can make our Spring wreaths together, as even if we still have to social distance, the weather will be more suitable for an outdoor wreath making workshop!
A Virtual Christmas Wreath Party
Originally I wanted to make an all-natural wreath and I started collecting some materials unsuccessfully. Instead, I planned an artificial wreath and will aim to make a natural one next year when hopefully I can get out and about more and source everything I need more easily. Whichever, type of wreath you decide to make, you can still follow our tips for a fun virtual Christmas wreath making party.
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Plan Your Wreath
To get an idea of what material you will need, start planning your wreath. Look for inspiration on Pinterest and online. I knew I wanted to make a robin wreath so I searched for images of these. Once you have an idea, make rough sketches of your wreath design so you know what craft materials you need and where to place them. Many of the craft materials come in bigger packs than you need to swap and share materials where you can.
2. Buy or Forage What You Need
If you’re making a natural wreath then take a Pinterest to forage for natural wreath supplies. If you live close to your fellow wreath makers you could even do this together on a socially distanced walk. You still may need to invest in a wreath base and some natural twine.
When making an artificial wreath, here is a list of supplies you may need:
- A wreath base. There are a number of styles and sizes available, including green pine wreaths and rattan wreaths.
- Artificial Poinsettia flowers
- Artificial holly berries and holly leaves
- Artificial mistletoe
- Snow-covered pine cones
- Sparkly red berries
- Red toadstools
- Clip on small Robins or clip-on larger Robins
- Baubles
- Candycanes
- Hanging star or hanging heart decoration
- Ribbon
- Bow
I got most of my things from Hobbycraft and Amazon. Local craft shops and shops like Home Bargains, Wilkos and B&M are good to look too. You may even have some spare Christmas decorations you could use instead.
Tools for the job:
- a hot glue gun or cold glue gun (remember to stock up on refillable glue sticks too)
- a pair of scissors
Optional:
- a Christmas Scented Candle
- Bottle of Irish Cream (or other festive tipples of choice)
- Christmas carols and songs Playlist
3. Set a time and date
Find a time and date when you’re all free to meet on Facetime, Zoom or your preferred video calling app. You could even make and post out invitations to make your event feel really special.
4. Set up your work station and laptop
We all took time to set up our work station (dining tables!) ready to make our wreaths so we didn’t have to keep popping off camera all the time. Make sure you have everything you need to hand. Set up your laptop and check that you can be seen on screen.
5. Craft and Be Merry
When you’re all ready, start your video call and let your crafting commence. We had lots of silent moments when we were all silently concentrating and lots of laugh out loads moments and chat too. If you’re finding that now after months of Zoom calls, the chat is beginning to get a bit stale, doing an activity together can help ignite that natural conversation and replicate more realistically how you spend time together when actually in the company of others. We often say that the people we feel most comfortable with are the ones we can be quiet in front of and not have to constantly hold a conversation.
It was a lot more fun than if I’d made my wreath completely on my own. It was good to be able to see how my mum and sisters made their wreaths and to ask how others were getting on with their tasks. We sipped our drinks and when we’d finished had a look at all our wreaths.
Once cooled, I removed the excess glue from my wreath and hung one wreath on the front door. The other one is for my Dad at the cemetery.
I have to say thanks to Dave as behind this woman merrily sipping Shannon’s Irish cream with tinsel on my head was Dave attempting to fix my glue gun and pouring me drinks- thank you!
Have you made a Christmas wreath this year or taken part in a virtual craft this year? I’d love to see your wreaths, I’ve loved seeing lots on Instagram recently.
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