A Long Winter’s Nap

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, The Press takes a hiatus between their Christmas and New Year’s editions, and so, my faithful online readers, I thought I’d revisit a story from long ago, A Long Winter’s Nap, when dear Ellie was by our side, with a few tweaks, of course. At the end is a link to the audio version, less than ten minutes long, that includes a story of the Gift of Contentment that I hope you enjoy.

Bits of A Long Winter’s Nap from December 2015

‘Tis a day before Christmas, and all through the valley, folks are scrambling like lunatics with their last-minute rally. ‘The stockings all hung by the chimney with care. In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.’ Anticipating Santa coming sure takes the pressure off!

Don’t you love all the funny Christmas poems and carol twists? There’s the 12 Pains of Christmas by Bob Rivers describing the twelve things ‘of Christmas that’s such a pain to me’ such as finding a Christmas tree, rigging up the lights, hangovers, and sending Christmas cards, leading to the crescendo of ‘five months of bills’. Or the Redneck version that, instead of five golden rings, features ‘five flannel shirts’ (I love flannel shirts) and ends with ‘two hunt-in dogs and some parts to a Mustang GT.’

Christmas songs are played repeatedly in every public place starting as early as Halloween. Typically, only the secular ones so as not to show favoritism. No wonder Christmas songs are worn out by now, and so are we.

I look forward to hearing the meaningful songs of the season, such as O Holy Night, Silent Night, and The First Noel, which seem few and far between. The true meaning of Christmas:  a story we never grow weary of.

Gathering Remnants from the side of the road

Shopping, wrapping, baking, and running about. It’s like the mad dash to wrap up the gardening season. But at the end of it all comes the long winter’s nap from gardening, which I thoroughly enjoy (Shhhhh).

A few Last-minute Garden Tips 

It takes two years for new plants to establish themselves. So keep them moist until the ground freezes if Mother Nature doesn’t provide rain. And keep your established woody plants moist, too – especially evergreens, which can suffer from winter winds. You still have time to apply Wilt-pruf to prevent transpiration– the loss of water from plant parts, primarily leaves, that can wreak havoc on evergreens during cold, windy spells.

A 2023 update to the story – Made-in-America 

Last week, I mentioned a Christmas card from a few years back that led to the Legend of Holly and Christmas Trees and how to extend the joy. This year, I sought to find made-in-America cards. Maybe it’s silly, but I feel inspired to support manufacturers here, using our resources and residents to make them even if they cost a bit more.

I bought four packs of 10 with assorted designs, and when I sat down to write them out, three of the four packs were money–gift card cards. How could I have not noticed when buying them? It put me in a bit of a tailspin (Yes, it caused me stress). I thought how ironic the made-in-America cards were for giving money.

As a workaround, I could write a small Christmas letter to fit in the slot to share some of the year’s highlights as folks do, and I drafted one, but it felt awkward. So, instead, I made a little note not to forget the reason for the season.

Let us reflect on the reason for the season and relish the blessings given to us. One of them is you.

Thank you for reading, tuning in, and supporting me each week. Wishing you the true meaning of the season which is universal to all – it’s all about love.

Garden Dilemmas?AskMaryStone@gmail.com and your favorite Podcast App.

There’s much more to the story in the Garden Dilemmas Podcast, including the Gift of Contentment. I hope you tune in:

Link to the original poem A Visit from St. Nicholas BY Clement Clark Moore