The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 1: Return of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath

Inside: It’s baaack! Our 12 Posts of Christmas 2018 series and the return of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath. . . Come have a look! 

Welcome to The 12 Posts of Christmas 2018! We thought it fitting to kick off the series with the infamous Hillbilly Christmas Wreath. As you might recall from last year, it started as a simple idea. Back in 2016 I spotted a picture on Pinterest of a large tractor tire painted green and sporting a red bow. “We’ve got to do this,” I told Mom. 

And we did.

But there’s more to the story, and if you haven’t already heard it or would like to read it again, head to The Story of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath. 

This year was a little different. The busyness of the season having caught up with us, we were in a rush to get our favorite project up for our corner of the world to see. We bought the plaid poly mesh on a previous trip to the store, and Mom being the bow expert, she fashioned it into loops. Then on the first day of working on the wreath, we added the streamer part of the bow with center knot, and we were ready to go–or so we thought.

We had adventures in breaking the ice inside of the tire–yeah, we didn’t get around to making drain holes in the bottom–and bailing out water and ice chunks. We also didn’t have enough green spray paint for touch-ups and had to get more the next day. Having put a new coat of paint on the tire, we were up and running, stringing lights and racing the sun. At least we learned a few things about fastening the bow from last year. We tied the bottom loop on each side of the bow to the tire, along with wiring the center of the bow in place. 

Ta da! 

By the time we were finished, it was dark and after five. My feet were getting cold and my fingers numb, but standing back to observe our little (big) wreath, I thought it was a thing of beauty–hick beauty, that is.

Want to know how to make your own? Scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out.

So what do you think of the plaid bow? Tell us about it in the comments.

Related posts:
The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 2: Silent Night’s Story
The Story of the Hillbilly Christmas Wreath
A Rural Girl’s Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide 2018
Slowing Down to Enjoy Christmas
Winter Skies, Making and Baking, and Other News Fresh From the Farm

Posts a year ago on the blog:
The 12 Posts of Christmas (2017), Day 1: A Simple Song