As we speak, these and many other Christmas (aka Holiday) wreaths still are being displayed around here on public buildings, homes, barns, and in the most unusual places.
In fact, quite a few wreaths will remain displayed until at least Easter. Why are they displayed so long? The most frequent answer goes something like this: “Well, my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents did and, besides, I like them and they smell better than plastic.”
Mainers also should be proud of them. The State reportedly is the leading producer of balsam fir wreaths and greens in the United States and probably in the world. It’s a commercial and cottage industry here that is perhaps best known for donating all of the wreaths on the veterans’ markers in Arlington Cemetery. And, it’s a sustainable industry – only one to two feet of branch tips are cut (by “tippers”) without killing the trees. (Brooklin, Maine)