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Some neighborhoods turn on their holiday lights in fantastic displays, drawing nighttime caravans of sightseers. But a daylight tour can be just as eye-catching. We'll take you on a visual tour of some of the welcoming wreaths on front doors in and around Omaha. Some are on private homes while others decorate public edifices.

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A wreath is a wreath. Right? Wrong.

Jan Hiner, floral designer at Beyond the Vine, said trends in wreaths change from year to year.

Here in the Midwest, wreaths remain traditional, basically an 18-to-24-inch circle of greenery with sprigs of red berries, pine cones, ribbons and bows, she said.

Most years, little changes but the color of the ribbons. Hiner noted that red, gold and burgundy are the staple colors this year and turquoise, silver and rust are the popular nontraditional colors. Ornaments on wreaths range in size from tiny balls to spheres 6 inches in diameter.

Hiner and Mic Jorn, a designer at Stems at Countryside, said the wreath's appearance hasn't changed much, but where it's displayed has. It isn't just for the front door anymore. Wreaths can hang from a large, wall-mounted light fixture on the front porch or stoop, an entry gate, pillars, handrails and windows. They can also be seen on the fronts of garages and even on the grills of cars.

A swag, a bundle of evergreens secured with wire at one end, is like a wreath but more often used indoors. Swags can hang on either side of a front door, especially where there are sidelights, narrow windows that don't open but admit light.

Jorn said ribbons are what add sparkle and glitz to wreaths.

"There will be two to three types of ribbons and ornaments of various textures," Jorn said. "Also, the wreath's focal point is the bottom or lower, off-center position."

Fresh greens remain popular. Austin Cirian, the third generation in the family-owned Cirian's Market on 49th and Leavenworth Streets, said the business has sold close to 1,000 wreaths this year.

The most popular size — a circle 24 inches in diameter — already had sold out. The whopping 6-footers, wreaths that usually are hung on a garage or over a walkway, also had sold out.

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THE ORIGIN OF THE WREATH

The door wreath made of evergreens probably dates to 19th-century northern Europe, Italy and Spain, according to a variety of sources. Traditional colors are green and red. Green represents the continuance of life through the winter and the Christian belief in eternal life through Christ; red symbolizes the blood Jesus Christ shed at his crucifixion.

The wreath itself predates Christianity by hundreds of years and has been used by ancient peoples of the Persian Empire.

In Greek and Roman times, wreaths came to represent occupation, rank and status. Kings and emperors adopted the laurel wreath as a symbol of sovereignty. Julius Caesar called it the symbol of the supreme ruler. The wreath eventually led to a modern-day crown. For most of the 20th century, the wreath has been more of a symbol of welcome to homes and businesses.