Last night my husband and I went shopping at Trader Joe’s. As we walked into the store, we passed their collection of fresh Christmas wreaths and my husband stopped … “What’s that smell?” he asked in awe.

“That’s the wreaths. They’re fresh evergreens,” I replied.

He went in to smell them. “Nah,” he said. “These are plastic.”

My husband was completely taken aback by the concept of wreaths made from fresh evergreen boughs. I guess that’s what I get for marrying a foreigner. But it was kind of sweet to watch his child-like admiration for them.

There is no holiday decoration more traditional and elegant than a Christmas wreath. This classic of holiday decor is available through retailers everywhere — in both fresh and synthetic form. You can find them in craft stores, supermarkets and in a variety of forms from the traditional evergreen to the more modern metals.

But, seeing those fresh wreaths last night brought me back to my childhood. We never had a fresh wreath, but we did use to go and chop down a fresh tree every year. To this day, I love the sweet and tangy smell of evergreens.

I have a synthetic evergreen wreath that I decorate someone differently each year … hanging it on the front door, the weather tends to be not so friendly to the decorations, especially here in Arizona.

My favorite decorations run along the lines of sleigh bels and poinsettia flowers. Sometimes, I ‘ll add a Santa or candy cane, too. But usually, I keep it simple with just the bells, flowers and a large bow.

No matter what you decide to do with your wreath, you can be sure that it will delight everyone to sees it.

One of the decorations I truly love during Christmas is the wreath. There is just something festive and welcoming about hanging that evergreen wreath upon the door that gives me a little thrill.

Although having a “live” wreath can add charm and even aroma to your home decor, an artificial wreath can last a lot longer and be a lot less messy … those pesky dried up needles all over the front porch can be a pain.

There are endless possibilities in the realm of wreaths and you have many styles and designs to choose. You can choose from a wide variety of ready-made wreaths have some fun at the local craft store to make your own.

Typical dressings for wreaths include pointsettias, miniature wrapped presents, candy canes, golden and red ribbon, bells and more.

The poinsettia is a true icon of the holiday spirit. This beautiful red flower is an attractive option and using an arrangement of poinsettias in a holiday wreath is a lovely idea. I like the poinsettia wreaths displayed on white doors. The contrast in color is lovely. (Oh, and F.Y.I., the flower is the little yellow part in the center … the red “petals” are actually leaves!)

Another great wreath theme takes its cue from the Gingerbread man. Along with candy canes, gingerbread man cookies make cool accents to the green wreath. If you’re making your own, throw in some small pine cones, too.

Of course, not all wreaths use the evergreen boughs as a base. I’ve also seen cornstalk wreaths do very well for Christmas. You can find these as a base at your local craft store, and I’ve even found some at the Good Will.

Because they are such a blank slate, these types of wreaths can be the foundation of some pretty cool creative expression. I’ve seen those with a silver theme, a gold theme, a Victorian them, an angel theme … I even once made one with a Santa theme.

No matter what your style, you really can’t go wrong with an artificial Christmas wreath. There are plenty of designs already made or you can opt to create an original design. These decorations serve as wonderful welcoming symbols.