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"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" It's A Wonderful Life Can you believe it, the month of December has arrived, the end to a very tumultuous year. With the countdown to Christmas very much under way, many of us are starting to wonder how our favorite holiday will play out. I chose to focus on some crucial elements we can most assuredly count on, all of our favorite traditional holiday movies being played on the television. Movies such as It's A Wonderful life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Polar Express, The Grinch, A Christmas Story, Nightmare before Christmas, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, The Santa Clause, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, The Christmas Chronicles to name a few. We can also count on our time honored family traditions. One of our families is the legend of the pickle. Here's a short story of a pickle made of glass: The night before Christmas it is hung on the tree, while everyone's sleeping, it's done secretly. And on Christmas morning when you arise, the first who finds it gets a big surprise. This is a fun family tradition for all to share; you'll look for the pickle year after year. And for the gardeners out there, here are some of the most popular flowers at Christmas, and a fun fact is the most famous flowers for Christmas aren't really flowers, they are in fact plants. The most popular is the poinsettia which has been dubbed the red Christmas plant. Other favorites include the Holly Plant, Mistletoe, Paperwhites, Amaryllis, Christmas cactus, and red roses with Christmas foliage including pine cones. Here is a fun and easy project, especially since pinecones are abundant in our little village. First soak clean pine cones in 32 ounces of water to one ounce of food coloring and soak overnight. Allow to air dry on paper towels until completely dry. This makes beautiful colored red pine cones for Christmas decorations. You can also scent them by using a spray bottle; add about 20 drops of cinnamon essential oil or any cinnamon oil to a half a cup of warm water; spray liberally and have fun! The Garden Club Board wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year. Until we meet again in the Main Clubhouse Ballroom, stay healthy, be safe and Happy Gardening. For membership contact Sherry Case at (951) 533-3584 or Linda Powers at (951) 769-3101. For fruit harvesting contact Judy Garth at (951) 797-3130. For general information contact President, Pam Mikkelsen at (951) 797-3080. Garden Club 42 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | DECEMBER 2020 | Members of Cruizin' Cronies enjoy showing off their spiffy classic cars, and we look forward to gathering again when things go back to normal here in Sun Lakes. When that happens, we encourage you to check out our club at 8 am on the first Saturday of each month with our display of classic cars in the Main Clubhouse parking lot. A short meeting in the Multipurpose Room follows at 8:30 am, and then we go to breakfast at a local restaurant. There are no dues, no extra fees, just friendship, stories, and lots of laughter. Call Sandra Glickman at (951) 267-1113 for more information. Cruzin' Cronies Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.