EVERLASTING EVERGREEN

Dena decks her home’s exterior with fresh evergreen garlands and wreaths that last throughout the holiday season. Here are her tips for decorating with evergreens, both real and faux.

1. AIM FOR FRESHNESS.

Dena trims evergreen branches from her property’s trees for the ultimate fresh sprigs to make into wreaths or garlands. If you can’t trim a bit off trees in your yard, Dena suggests going to a tree lot and asking for their latest trimmings. Many places will give these away for free if they aren’t selling garlands or wreaths.

2. SPRITZ WITH WATER.

Even if you aren’t attempting to hang your evergreens near a fireplace, Dena recommends spraying the back once in a while with water to keep them fresh. “I’ve had a wreath last inside the house for up to three weeks when I did this,” she says.

3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO GO FAUX.

While she uses plenty of fresh greens on her home’s exterior, Dena often opts for faux inside. This way, she can reuse the pieces every year, while the real evergreen garlands outside can absorb the snow’s moisture for lasting freshness.

WHEN YOU LIVE IN A SNOWY REGION,

you have to make the most if it for the holidays. Blogger Dena Breitmeyer of Fletcher Creek Cottage does just that, turning to the magnificence of winter for her holiday décor inspiration. “We get a lot of snow out here in northern Michigan, so I try to play up on that,” she says. Living on 65 acres of pristine land “way out in the country,” she and her family sometimes get several feet of it by Christmas. “When you’ve got all this fresh Michigan snow to work with, decorating for Christmas is just the best,” she says.

EXTERIORS

Snowfall tops the nearby evergreens and drapes the family’s 1,000-sqaure-foot-home, which Dena and her husband Aaron built by hand. Dotting the property are cedar, white pine and spruce trees, which Dena pulls from to craft her exterior’s massive garland. “I get a really long rope and snip some boughs off our trees, gathering them into a garland along the rope and adding floral wire to hold everything together,” she says. “Then I let fresh snow fall on the garland for a natural look.”

Her home’s white steel exterior, chosen for its barn vibe, works with the snowy garland to make a breathtaking scene befitting the most picturesque of Christmas cards. “I like to keep my décor super neutral with a woodland theme,” she says. “It carries the exterior from the first signs of frost during November well into New Year’s.” Because it’s so cold, the DIY handmade garland and door wreaths won’t brown or fade all season.

Although made from real evergreen boughs, homeowner Dena Breitmeyer’s outdoor garland lasts a long time. “White pine makes excellent garlands,” she says. “They don’t seem to shed as often even while it’s snowing outside.”

(above, right) Dena and her husband Aaron chose a white steel exterior for its barn aesthetic. Yet the wood accents came from the sawmill where Aaron works. “They often have scrap wood they can’t use, so they sell wood by the trailer load at $10 a trailer,” she says. “I call this our scrap lap as a play on shiplap.”

(above, left) The home’s neutral color palette, full of whites and woody browns, easily complements the rustic-meets-winter woodland theme of Dena’s holiday décor. Every year, she adds in some antique skis to lean space,” she says.

(left) out of wood and corbels. Here, the family’s Christmas stockings are hung with care, while Dena dresses up the mantel further with a faux garland she made from sprigs and boughs collected from craft shops. She adds in a few real pinecones from her backyard for a touch of Michigan.

(above, right) For her winter tablescapes, Dena relies on neutrals. “Holiday tablescapes don’t have to be bright red to be Christmas,” she says. “Sometimes I tie in candlesticks or the colors of my candles—like brownish red hues—to give that holiday feel to my table decorations.”

Already having rich wood butcher block countertops, Dena says leaning into a woodland Christmas in the kitchen was easy. "I just added in some statement pieces, like the tall faux evergreen trees on the open shelves and a mini faux Christmas tree on the counter," she says. The trees' pointed