Some Fun Thanksgiving Facts for You:

• The Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving feast, in 1621, lasted three days.
• On October 3, 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued a "Thanksgiving Proclamation" that made the last Thursday in November a national holiday.
• In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November, in order to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy. Two years later, he changed it to the fourth Thursday.
• In 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, on the fourth Thursday in November.
• There were no mashed potatoes at the first Thanksgiving dinner--potatoes were brought here later, by Irish immigrants.
• Turkeys were one of the first animals in the Americas to be domesticated.
• Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey a noble bird and wanted it to be the national bird of America, rather than the eagle!
• Native Americans used the red juice of the cranberry to dye rugs and blankets.
• Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October.
• The pilgrims didn't use forks; they used spoons, knives and their fingers, so if anyone objects to your picking up that drumstick--tell them you are simply practicing traditional American table manners!

There's nothing that says Christmas quite like the fragrance of a fresh cut Christmas tree. Somehow, scented candles and air fresheners just don’t have the same natural aroma. Selecting and bringing home a fresh cut tree is just a natural part of the holiday tradition.

You can get the most out of your holiday tree by following a few simple guidelines.

When selecting your fresh cut tree, gently stroke the branches or pick up the tree a few inches and bounce the cut end on the ground; few needles should fall if the tree is fresh and has been properly cared for. Make sure to get the right size tree so you don’t have to do a lot of pruning. Measure the height of your ceilings and the width of the space you plan to display your tree in. Remember that a tree doesn’t need to be perfectly even if displayed in a corner.

Once you bring the tree home cut another inch off the base before setting the tree in its water stand. This will help the tree take up water more easily. Immediately fill the stand with water after setting up. Make sure to check the stand's basin daily and add water as needed. Display your tree away from heat sources such as heater vents, fireplaces, stereos and television sets which can promote premature drying.

Above all else, make sure you use only Christmas lights with a UL seal of approval. Inspect your lights each year for excessive wear such as frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking before putting them up. Never use candles near a tree. Remember to turn lights off before going to bed or when unattended. Finally make sure to use non-flammable decorations on your tree. Homemade paper ornaments are cute, but hang them somewhere else in the house for all to see.

Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

Decorating the house with fresh greenery is one of the oldest winter holiday traditions. People have been decorating with greenery since the 1800s, with some homes elaborately decorated with garlands of holly, ivy, mountain laurel and mistletoe hung from the roof. Other homes went a simpler route, with greenery and boughs in the window frames and holly sprigs stuck to the glass with wax.

Today, decorating for the holidays with fresh greenery is more prevalent than ever. Greens such as cedar, ivy, pine, and holly add a fresh look and natural scent to our homes, and are good to use since they dry out slowly and hold their needles well. Hemlock, spruce, and most broadleaf evergreens can also be used, but will last longer if used outdoors.

In addition to using greenery in traditional methods such as wreaths, garlands and table centerpieces, you can also create beautiful arrangements in window boxes, pottery or vases. The key is to either immerse the cut ends in water before arranging or place them in an oasis inside the container, which you can keep moist.

Besides the more commonly used evergreens, consider using other plant parts such as acorns, berries, dried flowers, cones, seed pods and branches of dormant plants such as pussy willow or forsythia to give added color and texture interest. You can even incorporate fruits such as lemons, limes, apples, pears, kumquats and pineapple.

It’s important to decorate safely during the holidays. Dried evergreens can become flammable when in contact with a heat source such as a candle flame, space heaters, heater vents or sunny windows. If you use lights near your green arrangements, just make sure that they stay cool and, if outside, that they are rated for exterior use.

Nothing can beat the look of real leafy greens scattered around the house and in arrangements. It’s hard to beat the aroma of real needle evergreens decorating your house in the winter months. You can find all kinds of fresh greenery here at Hessell's, so come on in and join us in celebrating the holidays.

Fresh holiday greens such as wreaths and garlands have a definite life span, but with the following tips you can keep them looking good so you can enjoy their wonderful scent and beauty throughout the holiday season.

If you aren't hanging or mounting your greens right away, lay them outside on the ground (best side up) in a cool shady location until you are ready to use them. Try to avoid getting the greenery wet.

Sunlight, heat and wind are the worst enemies for holiday greenery, so keep that in mind when hanging them up. Outdoors, wreaths will last much longer on doors with northern or eastern exposures. Southern or western exposures can cause greenery to dry and discolor much more quickly.

If hanging or mounting greenery indoors, be sure to keep it away from heating vents, and try to maintain room temperatures of 70 degrees or less. Also shutter direct sunlight window exposures to prevent excess discoloration.

Anti-transpirants help to slow down moisture loss, helping to maintain the color and reduce a potential fire hazard. Be sure to apply anti-transpirant outdoors at least one hour before decorating the greenery, so it can dry before you add all those personal touches to it!

Happy Holidays!

Poinsettias are a wonderful worldwide holiday tradition. In fact, next to a Christmas tree, nothing else says Christmas quite like poinsettias. Displayed alone or in groups, they can add a festive splash of color to every décor. From a centerpiece on a holiday table to a miniature plant decorating the corner of an office desk, to a colorful hanging basket that can brighten any room, the poinsettia is the perfect holiday gift.

So how did poinsettias become so popular at Christmas--and where do they come from? According to Mexican legend, a poor Mexican girl named Pepita who could not afford a gift to offer to Christ on Christmas Eve picked some weeds from the side of a road. The child was told that even a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. When she brought the weeds into the church and laid them at the feet of the Christ child, they bloomed into red and green flowers.

Poinsettias are native to the tropical forest at moderate elevations along the Pacific coast of Mexico and some parts of Guatemala. They are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825.

Poinsettias have come a long way from their humble beginnings. For years only variations of red flowers were propagated and grown. But now there are hundreds of color varieties available ranging from traditional shades of red, pink and white to burgundy, peach, striped, flecked and hand-dyed varieties.

The sooner you purchase your poinsettias, the sooner you and your friends will be able to enjoy the unique holiday beauty that only they can provide.

Poinsettias are fairly easy-going, and with proper care can last long past the holiday season. Just click on the link below for a complete care guide including tips for re-blooming the following season. Check out our Poinsettia Care Guide (click here).

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