Christmas 2015

The planning for Christmas usually starts early. This year was no exception; Rita heads up the Flower Team at St Mary's, and she found her inspirations for this year's flower arrangements in the Autumn edition of Flower Arranger, the NAFAS magazine, available direct from NAFAS or your local WHSmiths. (Rita just happens to be my mum - we often work together on the ideas, in that Mum will see something and we'll refine it and put our own stamp on it.)

Obviously, this gorgeous vertical arrangement in lime green, yellow and bright orange wouldn't do for Christmas, colourwise. Traditionally, it's white or red flowers in church. However, one thing we know from experience is that red flowers work best in our church; we tried white and silver one year, and it felt too cold and stark. (We do use white flowers in church at other times and they look fine - they just don't feel right for Christmas.) So we stick with red, though we'll throw something in the mix like lime green chrysanthemums (or were they dahlias? They are the two flowers I always get mixed up!) or stars or gold or wrought iron...

We adapted the vertical design to incorporate gold canes, gold ting-ting, gold wire, red baubles and fir cones with seasonal greenery, deep red roses and scarlet carnations.

Sketching the design - me

Quantities - Mum

The flowers...

Each window would have two arrangements - one to sit either side of the candles we use for the candle-lit carol services. The server's window (so-called because years ago the server at communion sat in a chair in front of it) was the exception with one arrangement; it's a smaller window so doesn't need two to fill it.

The team varies in size and members according to who's available and what we're planning - today we had Alison, Pam, Lynda, Josie, Sadie, Rita and myself. While I wired up fir cones and baubles, the others set to work, placing the flowers and sticks so they were all as similar as we could get them, height wise.

Once the flowers were in, the dishes were placed in the windows for the base of greenery to be added. We had spruce (probably chopped off someone's Christmas tree!), berried holly, laurel and ivy, and of course the fir cones and baubles.

One of the four finished windows

The porch had a Christmassy guest rather than candles; the draught can mean the candle gutters, so we tend to use either a lantern or props here.

With added Rudolph...

Rudolph's nose perfectly matches the carnations...

On the altar and in the server's window near it, we used gold cloth rather than green or red; it seemed appropriate to have that in the chancel area. 

One of the two altar arrangements

I'll add a few more pictures after Sunday when we change the purple under the cross to white and the candles are lit.

So there you have it - Christmas flowers at St. Mary in Charnwood, 2015. We're very pleased with them. 

(The only downside? With the unseasonal warmth, the flowers are unlikely to last into the New Year. Our church can be very cold during the week when there's no-one in, so the flowers usually last at least two weeks, sometimes three, (I think four is the record...) though we rearrange them so they look different. Mind you, there's a lot to be said for using good quality flowers from the outset, too.)

Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas!