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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Day 12:: Twelve Days of Christmas in a Florida Garden

Day 12: How Lovely Are Thy Branches

Christmastime is one of my favorite times of the year in case you hadn't noticed yet. It's a really good excuse to add a bit of sparkle and dazzle to each room in the house.

And a time when brightly colored ornaments are liberally placed in just about any fashion and as many ways as your little heart desires all around the house.

We spruce up the garden with plants that say Christmas without a word being spoken.


And we carry on traditions with our littlest ones that we practiced with their very own parents each year as they were growing up. Geesh, that seems like only a few short years ago.

The older ones help the younger ones and can't wait for the day when they come to Mimi's and Papa's to paint their Christmas wrapping paper. When they see their very own artwork under the tree on Christmas day they know the gift inside is for them.

Ribbons, orbs, berries, feathers, lights, all bedeck the lovely branches as the fresh evergreen scent fills our home with Christmas.

It is the time for family to be together even more often than usual. And the time to remind ourselves how blessed we are.

It is time for baking and shopping and coffee with friends.
With all the sparkle and fuss and the hustle-bustle that accompanies this time of year we are ever mindful of the real reason we have anything at all to celebrate.

The child-friendly nativity is placed low for little hands to arrange and re-arrange as we tell the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

Christmastime is for 'making the most of our time together' as we view the world through the eyes of the children that light up our world each day.

In utter wonderment of lights and decorations and gifts and cookies and art projects and songs and jingle bells and joy and love and peace in our hearts... we love this time of year.


"Were I a philosopher, I should write a philosophy of toys, showing that nothing else in life need to be taken seriously, and that Christmas Day in the company of children is one of the few occasions on which men become entirely alive."

Robert Lynd (1892-1970), American sociologist.
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Thank you for joining with me as we celebrated the 12 days of Christmas in a Florida Garden. Tomorrow we announce the winner of the book give-away.

11 comments:

  1. Meems...I want to thank you for coming up with the idea of the 12 days of Christmas in a Florida garden. It was sooooo much fun, and a great exercise in creativity. Your home looks lovely! A blessed and merry Christmas to you and your family.

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  2. Merry Christmas Meems! Thank you for sharing your gardens and home with us. Day 12 was my favorite because you included the most important things children and the nativity. May God bless you and your family. Janice

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  3. meems...so right you are we are sisters in the very core of our beings. i love that we share these similarities...especially with our faith and our family. that speaks volumes of who we are.
    of course your home is so beautifully adorned...i have always admired how you make everything look so beautiful. your home is always warm and inviting too. i wish we could be together at this time of year but you are always on my mind and in my heart.
    thanks for inviting us along to participate in the 12 days of christmas...what a challenge but so much fun.
    happy 12 days of christmas.

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  4. since your Christmas posts are now done with the 12th day, i thought i would share the following with your readers: i hope they enjoy!
    -----------------------------------
    There is one Christmas carol that has always baffled me - The Twelve Days of Christmas.

    What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas? This week, I found out.

    From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.

    It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

    -The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
    -Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
    -Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
    -The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
    -The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
    -The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
    -Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit --
    Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.
    -The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
    -Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit --
    Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
    -The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
    -The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
    -The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

    So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting
    and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...
    So pass it on if you wish.

    Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone!

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  5. Meems, what fun this 12 days of christmas has been with you. I love the tradition you have of painting the wrapping paper. I had never heard of that before. I wish I had when my family was younger. Your tree is gorgeous. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us. Merry Christmas to you too.

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  6. Thanks for sharing these 12 days with us....everything looks even more festive when you know 'why' we really celebrate this special season...love the wrapping paper tradition.

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  7. Hi Meems! The idea of painting special wrapping paper is great!

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  8. Lovely blog and Christmas decorations. You don't mind if I keep coming back to see the Christmas festivities, do you? ;) Our children and grandchildren are all scattered, so no decorations here, but we maintain our spirit. Merry Christmas.

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  9. Merry Christmas Meems, looks like your Florida garden and home, and your grandchildren, are all ready for the holidays!

    I really enjoyed seniorgardener's comment - I had no idea about the origins of the 12 Days of Christmas (song.)

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  10. Hi Meems, this post brought back so many memories of Christmases when my children were small. The little hands rearranging the nativity scene and painting. I loved it. Thank you so much.~~Dee

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  11. hello meems. it's been way too long since i've left a comment. love your christmas decor and i LOVE the idea of the kids painting their own wrapping paper. i think i'll try that with kenzie

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


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