What does a clothes hanger bent in the shape of a circle and small strips of green and red tissue paper have in common?

Reflecting back on a Christmas season in my fifth grade class, where art projects were created under the guidance of our primary teacher, this particular year Miss McKenzie taught us how to make a simple–and by no means elegant–Christmas wreath. 

I’m pretty sure each one of us kids in her classroom provided our own coat hanger. As was custom in her class, every Friday afternoon was dedicated to art. This meant that when we returned from lunch break, we had about two glorious hours to focus on working with our hands to create art projects that came alive using simple materials.

Making our wreath involved twisting and shaping our wire clothes hanger into a good circle–no wood or plastic ones would host this project! Layers and layers of red and green tissue paper were then gently torn or crudely cut to form strips of paper that we twisted around the wire, pushing each strip close to its neighbor until the entire circle was full. Then, we checked our final work, fluffing and adjusting each strip where necessary. Ribbon to form a bow was provided by our teacher as well, giving our wreath its final touch.

Where did Christmas wreaths originate? If we can trust wikipedia this site says:

The Christmas wreath originated from ancient traditions where circular arrangements of evergreen branches symbolized life and renewal during winter. It became associated with Christmas in the 16th century when Christians in Germany began using wreaths to mark the Advent season, representing eternal life and the promise of Christ’s coming.

One of my daily devotions from this week focused on the words found in Jeremiah 31: 3 where God spoke through this prophet…Long ago the LORD said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. (New Living Translation)

As I listened to the short reflection from the devotional reader, I learned that our tradition of putting up evergreen trees and hanging a wreath of greens on our front doors symbolizes love and hospitality. In addition, it’s common understanding that a circle is eternal; it has no beginning or ending which depicts God’s love and promises for us perfectly! Evergreen trees represent life, hope, and actually fare well in cold winter months thus reminding us of how our own lives can be resilient under pressures from outward influence and circumstances.

My tissue paper wreath from that long ago year of 1963 is long gone … .I remember taking it home when it was finished and my mom hanging it on our front door. I don’t recall if it survived being packed away with other decor when the holidays ended but I have fond memories that a simply crafted 5th grade art project helped to adorn my childhood home, hopefully letting all who entered know they were welcomed and much loved.

Now, in my own home, we have a beautiful lighted wreath that we display every year. It’s too large for the front door but absolutely beautiful hanging on the front of the house near the living room window. My hope is that passersby enjoy the beauty of its glow in night skies and all who enter our home feel welcomed and loved, enjoying hospitality blanketed under the beauty of the Advent season.

As much as I love having our modern wreath I admit a bit of melancholy emotions rise inside me as I think back how my simple 5th grade tissue paper wreath didn’t survive from year to year, yet as it eventually made its way to being discarded, the memories still linger and fill my heart with great joy.

Kind of what Jeremiah said about God’s love. Everlasting.