This growing season hasn’t been the easiest and having the Christmas holidays right in the middle of it all can be a tad problematic, with all the shopping, partying, the end of year rush and general festivities and craziness. Add to that the terrible weather that just won’t settle down into the never ending blue sky summer we have been expecting and it takes all self control not to get despondent over the state of the garden.
But Christmas isn’t supposed to be a burden, it is supposed to be a time of hope, peace, joy and goodwill. It is a time to count your blessings and look forward to a better tomorrow thanks to a small boy’s birthday. So, in light of a tumultuous season that has caused more heartache than joy I am going to count my Christmas blessings.
- I have a beautiful garden, that when in full flourish is productive and delicious and provides most of our vegetable needs for most of the year. It may be hard work and sometimes feel like an uphill battle, but I would be completely lost without it and it is my happy place (99.9% of the time!).
- We live in the most amazing place, with the most incredible sunsets as the sun sinks into the edge of the ocean every evening. No two are alike. Watching waves crash on the shore from the kitchen window is such a privilege. I must remember never to take it for granted.
- I get to do what I love for a job, gardening and writing about gardening, and I can do my writing right there in my garden office, overlooking it all. I have a dream job.
Peas on earth and goodwill to mankind - I have a wonderful and supportive family and without Hubby the Un-Gardener none of this would have happened at all. The boys have grown into such wonderful young men and are capable of lifting more bags of compost and digging quicker than I ever could.
- I even want to count my Multiple Sclerosis as a blessing as it was what prompted us to move to the country in the first place and live a different life from the path we were on before.
- Having a dog. I have never been a dog person before but since Jasper the Dog came into our world I have become a sucker for a goofy, delightful fella who thinks I am the bees knees!
- I still love cats too. Fennel the Cat is very much my cat and adores being in the garden with me. Due to her bitey, scratchy kitten stage, that has long since passed, some of the family give her a wide berth. But that is their loss as she is such a smoochy wee thing.
Under a star a baby was born. This Solar Flare Zucchini is a perfect garden backdrop, the flower looks like a perfect star, and the prolific zucchini are a great example of the overwhelming love! - My faith is a blessing, giving Christmas a reason deeper than just exchanging gifts, but gives me a hope that all things are possible and I am equipped to do what I need to do, and if the love of my family wasn’t enough, it is comforting to know I am deeply loved.
- I get to work with some really lovely people in my working relationships with Yates NZ, Gardena, NZ Herald, Kiwi Gardener Magazine and my new role with Botanica World Discoveries. Not only to they allow me to get the most out of my garden, and provide me with an opportunity to do more of what I love, but they provide me with the resources to support my garden and my family so I can just share my love of gardening on my social media without asking for anything in return.
- The people who take the time to follow what I am up to on my social media. I’m not a stat counter or a like chaser, I just do what I do because it makes me happy and I want to share the joy so maybe, just maybe one person picks up a spade, turns over some earth and plants a seed and discovers the joy of growing something wonderful to eat.
This was a wonderful exercise, and I can feel the joyous spirit of Christmas grow within me. I am ready for this fabulous season and looking forward to spending it with friends and family… and maybe some stolen moments in the garden (well, someone has to dig up the fresh spuds on Christmas day!).
So, from Me and my family, I would really like to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas.
Come again soon – it is almost the end of a decade, and yet I haven’t aged a bit!
Sarah the Gardener : o)
Lovely Sarah, God bless you and yours have a break – apart from the spuds – feet up x
Thanks Faye, The spuds were lovely! A perfect Christmas addition. I hope your Christmas was lovely too! : o)
A beautiful post. Thank you for all you share, the way you inspire me to keep going in my garden and to be thankful for the little things! I love feeling like I get to have you alongside me when I take time out with a cuppa to read your news. Thank you, Sarah. And a very joy and peace-filled CHRISTmas to you and yours. Sheena 🙂
Thank you so much, I hope you had a lovely Christmas, and that your lovely family are well. I hope 2020 is successful and productive for you. : o) x
Merry Christmas Sarah, blessings to you and your whānau.
Thank you so much. I hope you had a wonderful time with your family too. All the best for this year. : o)
Merry Christmas Sarah. Blessing from our family to yours. Your email is immediately opened and read (unlike most others) and your musings sustain me. My thanks to you a hundredfold.
I’m so pleased you didn’t have problems. I’m really not sure why it causes issues. I hope it behaves itself this year. And thank you so much for your kind words. : o)
Bless you Sarah, finding joy in small things when this past year has dealt you more than a few blows. Christmas will be different this year, but your absolute trust in all things good will help you through. PS don’t wish for Pukekos or Peacocks. Just sayin 😊 wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas, just enough sun to grow the crops and lots of energy to eat them. Happy Christmas. X Lynne
Hubby the Un-Gardener once wanted peacocks but when he saw the size and prolific amount of poop, he quickly changed his mind. They do seem quite glamorous but behind the beauty is a logistical nightmare! : o)
Happy Christmas! It is so odd to think of all those festivities in the middle of the growing period on the other side of the world. I appreciate how hard gardening can be with MS, but also how absolutely vital it is for giving purpose, joy and even health.
Having the festivities in the middle of the growing season is a bit of a challenge, but it is what we do around here and there is nothing nicer than harvesting fresh produce straight from the garden to have on the Christmas table. : o)
Have a lovely Christmas.
Thank you so much. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and Have a wonderful New Year. : o)
Merry Christmas! and God’s blessings on you, your family and (of course!) your garden in the year to come.
Thank you so much. I hope you have a blessed 2020 and that it is everything you need it to be! : o)
Merry Christmas Sarah! I loved seeing all the kiwiana Christmas decorations and the beautiful angel and nativity scene amongst the veggies. I did my own kiwiana-ish Christmas song this year with my flatties 🙂 https://youtu.be/z283yIYXK20
Praying that you’re having a wonderful family filled Christmas break and that 2020 is better than you could have ever anticipated!
I hope you had a fabulous Christmas. The weather was nice enough here, long enough to enjoy the festive season. I hope you have a fab new year, : o)
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas Sarah .. 🎄🙂
Thank you so much Julie. I hope you have a wonderful 2020. : o)
Merry Christmas a week and a half ago. I am sorry I miss all your posts.
I am also sorry to point out a mistake in your second Christmas blessing. This is the most amazing place. Yours might be one of the more amazing places, and perhaps even the second most amazing place, but there can not be two most amazing places. Rhody says that #6 should be #1, and that people do not ‘have’ dogs, but the other way around.
I think Christmas made me feel everything was amazing! And Jasper the Dog certainly has us wrapped around his paw! We’d be lost without him now. : o)
Merry Christmas from New England.
Merry Christmas to you too! : o)