By Ron Lazzer
Can you feel the magic in the air?
The Christmas lights are going up, the decorations are being hung, and Christmas songs are playing in more and more stores everyday. That’s the magic of the Christmas season. Let’s all take part in this great holiday whether we celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or any other of the wonderful holidays at this time of year. Here are a few tips to bring out the spirit of the season.
First, let’s consider some of the great ways we can decorate our homes. Think about wreaths, planters, and living plants. Wreaths are traditionally a Christmas symbol. Place one on your door to welcome visitors and to act as a transition from the outdoors to the inside of your home. The lush green combined with an unlimited amount of decorating possibilities will liven up your home and comfort your guests.
For something more advanced you can combine Birch branches, bright red Winterberry and Spruce and Fir branches into a holiday planter. This is really easy. Simply push a few Birch branches into the soil of a summer planter, surround them with Pine, Spruce and Cedar branches, group a few Winterberry stems near the centre and you’re done. Ten minutes of work for about two months worth of Christmas cheer.
Living plants are always a good thing to have around too. While most other plants are going dormant or dying, Cedar bushes and trees, Pine, Spruce, Holly and Winterberry are still green and red. The bright red winterberries will attract our hungry feathered friends and brighten up a dull landscape. Evergreens will create a lush live feeling in the absence of colour from annuals and perennials. If you like that then just wait for a full snowfall to cover your plants - it’s absolute magic.
This is the season of Lights! Lights! Lights! We’ve covered this before so we’ll keep it simple here. It’s very easy to get carried away with flashing and twinkling lights and lights with rhythmic patterns. Remember to keep a single theme in mind. Too much of anything is tacky. Keep it simple, classy, traditional, and elegant and you will smile every time you look at your beautiful home and the way you’ve decorated it.
Finally, action is important. Many neighbourhoods do something special at this time of year. One street in Toronto is known for having about 50 giant inflatable Santa Clauses, one on each lawn. That is a spectacular thing to see which shows how strong the community is. Some communities raise money for special causes like the homeless or victims of domestic abuse. What a wonderful thing to do to celebrate the spirit of the season.
We can do something of our own. Talk to your neighbours, organize your own spectacle or local event to show how rich and strong Emery Village is. This is a great community with great people. All you have to do is get involved and do something to demonstrate it. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone with best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.
Ron Lazzer is the owner of Bellevue Landscaping. If you have any questions or comments please email them to: Ron@BellevueLandscaping.ca