By Kathy Valentine
As we prepare to celebrate the winter holidays- Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukah and others, many families add some festivity to the home with additional greenery and décor.
This is going to be an unusual holiday season, as it has proven to be a most unusual year. For most of us, our circle will be smaller, festivities lower -key and travels minimized. We may be longing for people and places beyond our reach.
This may be a season to spend some extra time selecting items of meaning to add to our homes. Is this the year for a socially distanced family expedition to a Christmas tree farm? Remember that a tree often seems taller when you bring it indoors, so know the ceiling height of the intended room before you go.
Maybe a fresh wreath is all the bounty you have room for in your home or apartment, or maybe this
year you skip the tree for other reasons and buy a few wreaths so that those near neighbors you know are staying inside during the pandemic can enjoy your gift and goodwill. Be sure that any fresh cut greens you bring indoors are truly fresh. If needles are already falling, select another, potentially from a different source, to reduce the fire hazard and the mess.
When you cut your own tree or watch fresh wreaths being made on a peddle machine, you know your item is fresh. Keep that tree hydrated and mist your wreath occasionally if you display it indoors.
If you have an artificial wreath that is still holding its needles well, perhaps add a few faux berries and a bow in a new color, to add some brightness and cheer.
You might choose simply to purchase a bundle or two of mixed greens to arrange in a galvanized bucket with a bow for the front porch, or in a sleek and bright vase for the table. Maybe this is the year that family members work together to weave a fresh or faux greens garland for a mantle or stair railing.
Anything you choose to experiment with can be accented with some added cones, berries, balls, bells, stars, santas or gnomes. Your home, your style. Enjoy the season and allow yourself to relax into some time to enjoy your home.
Kathy Valentine enjoys gardening and her family at her Watertown Township home. Her Michigan State University Horticulture degree was a beginning for a life of learning about and working with plants. Kathy is senior partner at The Plant Professionals located at 16886 Turner St, Lansing, MI 48906.
It is an interior and exterior landscape design , installation and service firm also offering green walls and plants and flowers for events. She may be reached at
517-327-1059.
