~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Universal Message ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~There is an Oriental legend which comes from a not-so-well-known folk song dating back to the eleventh century. The story is not found in official church writings, but it has been traced from ancient Egypt to twentieth century Ireland. It seems that on a cold, winter day the rain was falling and our Savior asked his mother, Mary, if he might go out and play ball. "Go up the hill" his mother said "and there you will find two jolly children. But let me hear no complaints from you when you come home." When He got up the hill, the children said, "We are noble sons! And we will not play ball with you. After all, you are only a poor maid's son, born in an oxen stable." He said, "If you are lords and ladies sons, and you will not play ball, I'll build you a bridge from the beams of the sun for us to play upon all day." So he built them a bridge from the beams of the sun. And all three played together over the beams until their mothers cried, "Mary, call home your child. The brightness is blinding our children's eyes." Mild Mary called her child home and when she asked him "Why?" He simply said, "Oh, I built them a bridge from the beams of the sun so they would play with me. I only want them to play with me." The story is not meant to be deeply religious and yet much symbolism and parallels are certainly there if you want them to be. I think the story does carry the message that divine power can build "Bridges of Sunbeams" - tolerance, compassion and understanding for all people. It is a universal message that reaches beyond the story of Christmas to encompass the traditional spirit of rejoicing and goodwill shared by people of all faiths during this most wonderful time of the year. It reflects a yuletide sentiment I would like to share with you - peace and goodwill the whole year round. Merry Christmas! Ken Matthews ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fresh Cut Frasier Fir Christmas Trees have arrived and are in water waiting for you... guaranteed to stay fresh long after Christmas day! As well as Fresh Greens for all your decorating needs:
* Fresh Wreaths * Roping * Mixed Greens Bundles * Fraser Fir Boughs * Magnolia Bundles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Christmas Designers... at Your Service!
Let our designers help you design a custom wreath, mantel garland, centerpiece, banister swag with medallions and a tree topper...to compliment your décor... or your personality. Whether it's simply updating your decorations... or starting a-fresh... they can help you with creating themed Christmas trees and wreaths, festive room designs, mantel decorations and holiday table arrangements. Come in or call today... Christmas is not far away! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Grow Amaryllis Now
Amaryllis are some of the most elegant flowers of the holiday season. Bloom colors include reds, whites, pinks, and blends of these colors. Sometimes, the large flowers of amaryllis need a little help standing straight and tall bamboo stakes work well!. Wrap ribbon around the stakes to keep the bloom stalks straight. Amaryllis can also be planted outside. Look for special instructions on how to over winter in our January issue. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prolong Your Christmas Tree
Did you know... a Christmas tree can consume one gallon of water each day and if your tree runs out of water, the stump will sap over and then die more quickly. By keeping your tree watered with Prolong you will find the tree will hold its needles longer in the dry heat of your home. Prolong causes cut trees to absorb more water than it would otherwise, thus extending the life of the tree. Its special formula is an easy, effective way to keep your Christmas tree fresher, greener, and safer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Your Calendar! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 3 Christmas Open House Enjoy a holiday experience! 11AM-2PM: Bring your children to meet Santa and take a hay ride. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 3 10AM Live Wreath Decorating Workshop** Buy the wreath and pay $8 workshop fee. Fees must be prepaid to register. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 3 1PM Bow Making Workshop Learn how to make a professional bow Workshop is FREE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 17 2PM Live Centerpiece Making Workshop** Workshop Fee - $18 includes fresh greens and pinecones. Beautiful by itself but extra embellishments can be purchased. Fees must be prepaid to register. Anyone registered for the workshop will receive 10% off any extras purchased for the centerpiece. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 24 Christmas Eve Closing at 2PM Sunday, December 25 Christmas Day CLOSED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, December 31 New Year's Eve Closing at 2PM Sunday, January 1 New Year's Day CLOSED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **For additional information on workshops and to sign up, call 757.898.7799. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tips for the Garden ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *You can still plant trees and shrubs as long as the ground is not frozen *Check houseplants and any plants you brought indoors for the winter for insects that may have hitched a ride. With the heat on, they can multiply quickly. Treat with Bonide Houseplant Systemic. *Check your holiday plants often for water and give them plenty of light. With the heat on they will dry out quickly. *If weather is mild, feed pansies, snapdragons, and other winter flowers with Dynamite fertilizer. *Continue to gather leaves for composting. *Be prepared for sudden temperature changes. Frost cloth can help reduce winter damage. Ask us to show you our frost cloths. *Stock up on birdseed and keep feeders full to encourage a delightful display of migrating birds to stop by. *Clean up and discard any old fruit or flower debris under trees and shrubs to prevent overwintering pests. *Remove or treat any fuel left in mowers, blowers, and edgers. Old fuel becomes gelatinous and can clog fuel lines. * Clean gardening tools. Remove any caked on mud or debris with soapy water and if necessary, a wire brush. Wipe dry with a clean, cotton cloth. Sharpen any blades that need it. Apply a light coating of oil to any steel tools to help prevent rust. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us as we celebrate the grand opening of the newly-widened Route 17, with special guests Santa & Mrs. Claus! For more information: www.yorkcounty.gov/RT17 [https://www.yorkcounty.gov/ed/Route17.aspx] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAVE 20% On Any 1 Item Of Your Choice December 1-11, 2016 only. Regular priced items only. Excludes bulk or bagged items. One per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like us on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/KenMatthewsGardenCenter/] Follow us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/kmgardencenter] Find us on Pinterest [https://www.pinterest.com/kmgardencenter/] View our videos on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/KMGC4921] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VISIT OUR WEBSITE [http://www.kenmatthewsgardencenter.com] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
