Years ago when Carol was a member of 4-H, the club she belonged to would get together before the holidays - gather natural greens and then create wreaths under the supervision of their leader, Carol's mom. Once the wreaths were completed, they would each select a family member, or friend and go Caroling before Christmas, and gift the wreath to each of their recipients. Afterwards, the 4-H club would have their holiday gathering at a members house and exchange gifts.

Carol's mom passed away suddenly in 2013, and after going through a Breast Cancer scare and radiation in 2014, Carol felt the need to bring back holiday traditions and connections. It was during this time, her joy of crafting and memories of old, resurfaced. Initially, she had no clue how she was going to pull it off. When the wreaths were made years ago, they used cut out cardboard and string to wrap the fresh greens onto a cardboard frame. Now, we have straw wreath frames that use greening pins and the process is so much easier. It wasn't long before muscle memory, and the help of Carol's sister, Lynn (also a 4-Her) - and bows were being made and wreaths began to take shape. 

Carol still enlists the help of her "Bowdabra machine" vs creating the bows by hand - like her mom so elegantly and efficiently did. "I can see her hands, weathered and arthritic making those bows effortlessly, but for the life of me... being able to do it by hand myself, it just escapes me..." says Carol. "So, the Bowdabra machine it is !!"

"I reserve a week in December exclusively for giving back to friends and family and new friends I've yet to meet to share in this tradition" says Carol. "It's my give back and a huge part in remembering my mom and sharing her love of Christmas, her favorite season."