“No other day on the calendar catches the imagination of young and old alike as does Christmas. It’s a high and holy day—a day when the veil is drawn back and we get a fresh view of eternity. Such a vision of truth should be spread near and far. Don’t leave Jesus in the manger; don’t remember Him only at Christmas. Instead, learn to walk with Him every day, as you pray and read His Word and ask Him to help you. My prayer today is that the message of this Christmas time will be a personal message to you that Jesus will be Prince of Peace in your life and will bring peace and satisfaction and joy to you. Let’s focus not on our own joys but making others joyful. The greatest gift we can give others is to tell them about the most wonderful Gift God has bestowed on the whole world.” – Billy Graham.
Christmas is only a few days away and everyone is very busy making plans for the holiday season. With this season comes multiple activities including many gatherings, last minute gift purchasing, caroling, gift exchanging, cheers and good will. However, amongst the hustle and bustle, let’s take a moment to remember the real Reason for the Season – the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
And, as the month of December passes, a new month and year will be forthcoming which will bring many new challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities. What you do in December will help define your new year. Make your transition from December into the new year as effective and enjoyable as possible.
Many people develop new year resolutions to exercise more and lose weight, maintain better family relations, go to church more, help people more, agree to do more in the community, travel more, plan a more healthy and cleansing diet to rid their bodies of toxic substances, smile more, and so on. Many of these resolutions will fall by the wayside after the first few days or weeks of the new year because of the repetition, time restraints or simply the lack of commitment and interest.
Do you make new year resolutions? And, do you keep any of those resolutions? All resolutions require effort and responsibility throughout the year. Make your resolutions based on your own interest and dedication, not because others have encouraged you to adopt their interests. If you are looking for something new, think about adopting a garden in the landscape or a plant in the home. Your greenscape can benefit from the same type of consideration that you give other traditional resolutions if you are really serious about sustainability, stewardship and environmental awareness.
Consider such activities as new plant purchases for either the indoors or outdoors, flushing or changing the soil media in existing containers (re-potting), root pruning, upsizing the plant into a larger container, adding beneficial microbes to the soil media, hand cleaning the leaves on potted plants where dust has collected, and so on.
The new year is a very appropriate time for an attractive plant gift but with it comes the realization of responsibility for care and maintenance. Get away from the irresponsible perception, “if it dies I’ll just buy another one.”
Maybe giving a plant for such an occasion will bring others to committing to new gardening resolutions for the new year. Welcome the new year with gifts of nature by helping your friends and family become more aware of plants and plant care. A display of color represented in plants such as a white peace lily, white gardenia, calamondin orange, red hibiscus, pink crown of thorns, or yellow ixora will work wonders that you never thought possible. Or choose from a juniper bonsai, braided money tree, areca palm silk plant, ficus, rubber plant, dumb cane, dragon tree, corn plant, or a variety of other lovely house plants as your choices are unlimited.
Even though it is winter and cooler outside, these plant gifts make wonderful indoor gardens and arrangements which add a warm and comfortable feeling to an otherwise dreary time of year. From the emotionally high peaks of December to the lowly valleys of January, this is an awesome way to remind your loved ones how much you care by giving such a beautiful plant to start the new year.
Dedicated gardeners with indoor plants in poor potting soil should consider repotting the plant with fresh, healthy soil for themselves and for friends. Choose the best potting available within your budget. Clean the existing container to remove any fertilizer, hard water deposits, and old soil. Obviously, larger plants are more difficult to repot. Make every effort to protect and not harm the plants, as well as maintaining such work posture to protect your body (esp. back) in the process. A newly repotted plant will exhibit better vigor and healthier appearance than before the process.
Check your plant and container for size proportion and potential root-bound conditions which will lead to slower growth and a less healthy plant. Upon inspection, if the plant is root-bound then the roots will be growing in circular pattern around in the inside of the container. If so, repotting is a must and the existing root pattern must be pruned away before placing in new media in a larger container.
Continue your daily reading the Book of Luke (24 chapters – each chapter corresponding to the date of the month) in the Bible to learn and understand who and why we celebrate Christmas. Christmas is about Jesus and His love, and in these chapters you will read an entire account of Jesus’ life.
As you receive His blessings, always pay them forward. Pay for a stranger’s meal as the opportunity arises. Keep gift packages in your vehicle to give to those in need as you travel locally and out of town. Make this the most joyous December and Christmas ever about Jesus and His Love – the Reason for the Season! Merry Christmas!
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14. “In Him was life, and that life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5. “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him… you who seek God, may your hearts live! Psalm 69:30-32. “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:4-7.