Christmas traditions with a floral twist

Fresh flower ideas for the festive season

From kissing under the mistletoe and hanging a holly wreath on the door to popping a sprig of holly on top of the pud… when it comes to Christmas traditions, it would seem foliage and berries are the stars of the show. That, coupled with all those bright and shiny decorations to compete with, fresh flowers can get somewhat lost and forgotten during the festivities.

That’s why this year we’ve decided to give some of the age-old traditions a floral twist...

Floral Christmas Traditions

Floral Christmas cake

Originally used in pre-Christian times to help celebrate the Winter Solstice Festival and ward off evil spirits, holly is considered lucky at Christmas. A sprig of holly is as much a part of the Christmas pudding tradition as the hidden coin and the brandy flambé, while Christmas cakes are traditionally adorned with a fondant holly wreath.

We’re not saying ditch the holly altogether but why not throw some beautiful winter blooms into the mix? For a modern twist on the traditional Christmas cake, swap royal icing for buttercream and top with holly and rosemary sprigs, pinecones and fresh festive blooms, such as ruby red ranunculus and white Christmas roses. Finish with a dusting of icing-sugar snow.

Another of holly’s duties over the festive season, along with those other festive stalwarts mistletoe and ivy, is the Christmas door wreath. Evoking images of snow-covered Victorian streets, the origins of this festive symbol actually date as far back as the Roman times when they were hung on the door as a sign of victory and symbol of family status. But this age-old tradition has had something of a resurgence over recent years thanks to our love of all things vintage.

While wreaths are most commonly associated with seasonal foliage, berries and pine cones, flowers are a great way to add colour and vibrancy and give the look a contemporary twist. We love this floral wreath, which teams laurel and eucalyptus leaves with delicate pink hydrangea and deep red velveteen celosia.

Christmas dinner isn’t Christmas dinner without the dodgy cracker jokes and flimsy paper party crowns. But if you’re having a pre-Christmas dinner with your girlfriends over the party season, why not take things up a notch in the style stakes and create your own beautiful fresh flower crowns. The flower-crown making workshop is also a growing hen-do trend – ideal if you know anyone getting hitched over Christmas. We love these beautifully simple crowns made with anemones, ranunculus and roses from Kara’s Party Ideas.

When you think of yule logs, do you think of chocolate swiss roll cake wrapped in a thick layer of yummy chocolate buttercream and dusted with icing sugar and a sprig of holly? Sadly, the traditional yule log has absolutely nothing to do with chocolate. Also known as Christmas block, it’s a specially selected log burnt on the heart as a Christmas tradition in a number of countries in Europe.

As a pretty decoration for your living space, stick with the wooden-log theme but instead of chucking it on the fire, adorn it with your favourite blooms to create a beautiful festive floral arrangement. For that Scandi Christmas feel, stick to creamy white flowers, such as tulips, chrysanthemums and roses with some festive foliage and berries for good measure.

Feeling inspired? Show us the finished result on Facebook or Instagram.