Read more Ellie Harrison columns<\/h4>\n- Ellie Harrison: Finding joy in getting outside in winter<\/a><\/li>\n
- Ellie Harrison: I\u2019ve come to realise I am not a foodie<\/a><\/li>\n
- Ellie Harrison: Children do what they see, not what they\u2019re told<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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![\""BBC\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2018\/11\/Ellie-Harrison-59a5d72.jpg?quality=45&resize=556,556"\" "\\"\"BBC\\"\/")
<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>But there are some Christmas creations that will always guarantee style to pass muster with dreadful Christmas d\u00e9cor snobs like me. While crafts can vary greatly, from village-f\u00eate-knit to pricey sales on Etsy, handiwork using evergreens never fails. Real nature brought indoors, in fact, improves every surface. As an odd child, dreaming through the Habitat catalogue and interiors magazines, I thought every single image \u2013 from a sideboard to a bathroom suite \u2013 was lifted with the addition of foliage.<\/p>\n
On Countryfile<\/em> Christmas specials, I\u2019ve made boughs in Bath, garlands in Glaisdale and wreaths in Warwick, without any skill whatsoever. Order and neat edges are not how nature does things; our ancestral mind is tuned into observing nature as beautiful, so no matter how off the shape, it will look good.<\/p>\nBringing evergreen into homes during the dark months follows centuries of tradition that invites optimism for a new spring, a new day. It\u2019s a chance to marvel, too, at evergreen\u2019s adaptations to the challenges of a winter with frozen water \u2013their leaf shape, waxy cuticle surface and sunken stomata all help to reduce water loss. The gain is not having to rebuild their entire photosynthetic structures every spring, trading against less efficient leaves during the boom seasons.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Bringing evergreen into homes during the dark months follows centuries of tradition that invites optimism for a new spring\/Getty<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\nThe origins of tradition<\/h3>\n
The roots for the evergreen look go back way before Queen Victoria. In ancient Egypt, the sun god Ra was worshipped with green palm leaves brought indoors after the winter solstice in anticipation of lighter days. Romans made dedications to the god Saturn around the solstice<\/a>, with evergreen branches to symbolise hope for a sunny, bountiful year. And the winter festival of Yule, celebrated in Northern Europe, inspired modern traditions, such as carolling, yule logs and, once again, evergreens brought indoors.<\/p>\nIt certainly helped change the opinions of the Pagan-sceptics when Prince Albert put up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1848; if it was acceptable for the Queen, then decorating a Christmas tree indoors was something people could more easily get along with. What began with candles, edible decorations and homemade ornaments soon became a market for the age of consumerism and a delight for d\u00e9cor upstarts like me.<\/p>\n
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<\/div><\/div> <\/div> <\/section>But there are some Christmas creations that will always guarantee style to pass muster with dreadful Christmas d\u00e9cor snobs like me. While crafts can vary greatly, from village-f\u00eate-knit to pricey sales on Etsy, handiwork using evergreens never fails. Real nature brought indoors, in fact, improves every surface. As an odd child, dreaming through the Habitat catalogue and interiors magazines, I thought every single image \u2013 from a sideboard to a bathroom suite \u2013 was lifted with the addition of foliage.<\/p>\n
On Countryfile<\/em> Christmas specials, I\u2019ve made boughs in Bath, garlands in Glaisdale and wreaths in Warwick, without any skill whatsoever. Order and neat edges are not how nature does things; our ancestral mind is tuned into observing nature as beautiful, so no matter how off the shape, it will look good.<\/p>\n Bringing evergreen into homes during the dark months follows centuries of tradition that invites optimism for a new spring, a new day. It\u2019s a chance to marvel, too, at evergreen\u2019s adaptations to the challenges of a winter with frozen water \u2013their leaf shape, waxy cuticle surface and sunken stomata all help to reduce water loss. The gain is not having to rebuild their entire photosynthetic structures every spring, trading against less efficient leaves during the boom seasons.<\/p>\n The roots for the evergreen look go back way before Queen Victoria. In ancient Egypt, the sun god Ra was worshipped with green palm leaves brought indoors after the winter solstice in anticipation of lighter days. Romans made dedications to the god Saturn around the solstice<\/a>, with evergreen branches to symbolise hope for a sunny, bountiful year. And the winter festival of Yule, celebrated in Northern Europe, inspired modern traditions, such as carolling, yule logs and, once again, evergreens brought indoors.<\/p>\n It certainly helped change the opinions of the Pagan-sceptics when Prince Albert put up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1848; if it was acceptable for the Queen, then decorating a Christmas tree indoors was something people could more easily get along with. What began with candles, edible decorations and homemade ornaments soon became a market for the age of consumerism and a delight for d\u00e9cor upstarts like me.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2022\/12\/Holly-Christmas-decoration-2edcbcd.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The origins of tradition<\/h3>\n
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