Creating Fresh Holiday Wreaths and Arrangements

Reprinted from December 2023 Central Maine Garden News, an e-newsletter of the UMaine Extension Service.

For those seeking to “spruce” up their interior spaces during the holidays, fresh evergreens are a great place to start. In addition to the natural feel and fragrance, evergreens are especially forgiving to work with. Even those with little experience in floral design can effectively use greenery with just a little practice.

Start by observing the difference between greens that drape, like pine and cedar, compared to those with stiffer ends, such as fir and spruce. These will serve different roles in an arrangement. Stiffer branches are the structure, providing shape and line, while branches that “drape” are usually added later. Paying attention to the natural shape and direction of branches will save a lot of frustration — the best results come from working with the lines and flow of the material rather than trying to control it.

A word of caution about trimming material from evergreen trees. Conifers (evergreens) do not respond to pruning in the same way that other trees do. Don’t cut large branches off and expect that they will “grow back.” A better approach to harvesting from a landscape tree would be thinning, or removing branches from a full area of the tree, where they will not be missed after removal.

There are numerous books, videos and websites with step-by-step instructions for creating holiday arrangements with greenery. Use the tips below to help fine-tune arrangements and have them last longer. Read More!

Grange Heirloom — December 2023

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.

President’s Perspective – December 2023

Portrait of Sherry Harriman

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

A quick reminder:  Deputy School, scheduled for Dec 2 has been canceled. Your packets of information will be put in the mail next week. Thank you for your understanding.

We had 20 Grangers from Maine attend the National Grange Convention in Niagara Falls, NY, the week of Nov. 12th. It was a very busy seven days for all who attended. There were close to 600 Grangers registered, the most in recent years.  25 candidates received the 6th degree, and 150 took their 7th degree, again the largest class of candidates for quite some time.  The Northeast Region hosting the convention did a tremendous job planning and carrying out the conference and activities. Debbie Ivers was Maine’s host coordinator. Thank you, and congratulations on a job well done.

Richard could not attend the convention due to a health issue just before we planned to leave.  Since Maine is allowed two voting delegates, I asked Pete Ivers to fill in as delegate with no advance instructions or information on what is involved.  Pete did an exceptional job being fully involved in the Grange work and participated in committee work, discussions, the resolution process on the floor, full elections, and all activities that were part of the session. I was very proud of his involvement. Congratulations, and thank you very much, Pete. There were a total of 134 resolutions presented for consideration by the seven committees of the delegate body. Pete was assigned to Labor, Judiciary, and Transportation, and I was assigned to the Citizenship and Taxation committee. 

Workshops were presented on a variety of subjects, and new programs/partnerships were introduced. The National Grange is requesting e-mail addresses from the membership to provide program information to all. Please sign up for National Grange posts and newsletters. Full elections were held, with Chris Hamp (WA) being elected as the new President and John Benedict (NJ) as the newly elected Vice-President.  Several other new officers were elected, and several remained the same. The full list was posted on the web. Thousands of socks were collected for a local mission as part of the regional community service project. 

Jim Meserve was honored by the “Quilts of Valor,” receiving a beautiful quilt during the presentation ceremony. 

Roberta, Rick, Jimmy, Judy, Tracy, and Bill helped out in the hospitality room and cleaned up at the end of the week.  Thank all of you for being there. Sharon and Henry ran the National Grange store during the session, selling Grange jewelry, Grange socks, etc.. Great job.

Terry LaCombe Stevens and Betty Young, Co- co-junior directors, drove out bringing Carrie Coffin, Nicole Nickerson, and 5 Junior Grangers with them: Edith, Mary, John, Laura, and Sebastian, to participate in the Junior program and activities. It was great to have you there.

It was very exciting sitting in the audience and hearing a Grange or member from Maine having their name called to receive one of the many awards presented. Congratulations everyone. Items will be mailed to you.  Maine received the following recognition awards:

Photography:   Rebekah Hodgson, Jonesboro – 1st in “Grange Family”
Photography:  Laurie McBurnie, Willow – 2nd in “Potluck Activity”
            (each received a ribbon and a package of winning photo postcards)
Communications:  National Grange Connector Award: Rebekah Hodgson, Jonesboro
Membership & Leadership Awards:

Honor Subordinate/ Community Granges for Net Gains:

  • Huntoon Hill #398  plus (20)
  • Pleasant River #492 plus (12)
  • Harraseeket #9 plus (10)
  • Jonesboro #357 plus (10)
  • Union Harvest #591 plus (9)
  • Saco #53  plus (8)
  • Trenton #550 plus (6)
  • Wayside #550 plus (5)
  • Lamoine #264 plus (3)
  • Old Town Riverside #273 plus (3)
  • Granite #192 plus (2)
  • Hudson #456 plus (2)
  • Paugus #450 plus (2)
  • Farmington #12 plus (1)
  • Golden Harvest #33 plus (1)
  • Lakeside #63 plus (1)
  • Oak Hill #104 plus (1)
  • Pioneer #219 plus (1)

Richard and I wish to send you, your families & friends a most wonderful Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  Take care of yourselves; we care about all of you.   

Junior Report – December 2023

By Betty Young
Terry LaCombe
MSG Junior Co-Directors

The Maine State Junior Grange took the “Junior Grangemobile” which is a nine-passenger van, to National Grange in Niagara Falls. We apologize to our Navigation expert Caroline for having the middle hump seat both ways. She has the great Grange attitude and did not complain about it once. One mother wasn’t feeling well during the trip. We all brought food and snacks to share. They enjoyed many fun activities and events. Please find the list below. This is just a few of the many noted features.

  1. We enjoyed a Junior Activities Day with other Junior Grangers from around the US. Maine Junior Grange sang their Reuse, Reduce and Recycle song and Co-Director Betty signed it.
  2. We helped with the Dictionary Project.
  3. Went to the Underground Railroad Center.
  4. Went to an Escape Room.
  5. Went swimming (this was not a Grange event)
  6. Made many new friends.
  7. Saw Niagara Falls and State Park.
  8. Saw Rainbow Bridge.
  9. Enjoyed an elevator ride to Cave of the Winds.
  10. Lunched, saw movies and many activities at the Power Station. We learned so much about power.
  11. Utilized and enjoyed many meals/treats in the Hospitality Room. Thank you to the Northeast for such an EXCELLENT job.
  12. Wore our new Junior Grange Polo shirts to the “Fancy Nancy” National Grange Banquet.
  13. Marched with the Junior Grange Ambassadors after Youth opened National Grange.
  14. Thank you, Master/President Harriman, for our new Junior Pin! We will wear it with pride.
  15. The kids took great pictures, stayed at La Quinta Inn on the way and the Sheraton Inn in Niagara during convention.

We received the 2024 Junior and Youth National Grange Program Book. If you would like more information on how to become a Maine State Grange Junior or Youth, please contact us. This year’s Junior theme is CORN. The Youth age has changed and will roll out in the next 2 years. Current Youth ages 14 to 20 will remain the same, but Grange Youth Adult will be ages 21-30 until until November 2025. Starting November 2025, the age will be 21-25, over 25 should be stepping into the role of a Grange mentor as they make the transitions into full adulthood. The Grangemobile hopes to be able to attend the Legislative Experience in Washington DC, as this is such a fun way to learn our history, but we will have to wait and see when the Northeast Conference is going to be. We are trying to coordinate the Junior and Youth Conference at the same time as the Northeast Leadership Conference. Possibly, having our contest as entertainment. We all enjoyed the Northeast Youth Conferences (NEYC) in July. However, we are trying to reduce costs, work and for many conferences a reduction in attendance is an issue. Being in the summer, it was a fun opportunity for many Junior and Youth to attend NEYC camp.

Would your Grange like to host Junior Grange? We will visit you at your Grange and include you and your child or grandchild. Our next Maine State Junior Grange meeting will be December 16th at Danville Junction! The children will work on a Christmas or Holiday Craft.

Maine State Junior Grange may not be the largest, but we truly have the “BEST” group of kids. We hope the others who aren’t homeschooled have the opportunity to attend a National Event soon.

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December Grange Events

Because we’ve had a flurry of events posted recently, here’s an updated summary of what’s going on this month!

  • December 8, 2023, Baked Bean Supper at Community Grange in East Wilton, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. FMI see this post.
  • December 9, 2023, Breakfast with Santa at Enterprise Grange in Richmond. FMI see this post.
  • December 9, 2023, Kids’ Christmas Party at Parkman Grange, 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Additional information is available from Sue Manchester, Parkman Grange Master, at 207 717-6248
  • December 14, 2023, Deadline for the MSG Bulletin
  • December 16, 2023, Santa Party at Millstream Grange, 1-3 pm. FMI, see this post.
  • December 16, 2023, MSG Junior Grange Meeting at Danville Junction Grange at 11 am. Contact a Junior Director for more information.
  • December 17, 2023, MSAD 4 Santa Project Distribution at Parkman Grange. Additional information is available from Sue Manchester, Parkman Grange Master, at 207 717-6248
  • December 19, 2023, Community Christmas Caroling at Enterprise Grange in Richmond, 5:30 – 7:00 pm. FMI, see this post.

Deadline Has Passed

Webmaster’s Note–It did not escape my notice that we could have way too much fun with this. But I was not aware of this law, and it seemed worth sharing with our farmer friends!

Reprinted from an e-newsletter published by UMaine Extension

The Maine Nutrient Management Act prohibits the spreading of manure during winter. “Except pursuant to a variance granted under subsection 2, a person may not spread manure on agricultural fields between December 1st of a calendar year and March 15th of the following calendar year. This prohibition includes the spreading of manure and spraying or irrigation of liquid manure.” 

This restriction is designed to minimize the loss of nutrients and manure-based pathogens into local waterways.

tractor delivering slurry onto a field
Photo by Mirko Fabian on Pexels.com

Communication Shorts 12-1-2023

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Send us your ideas and thoughts!

Table Of Contents
  1. December Bulletin Reminder
  2. Fraternal Concern – June Burke
  3. Don't Forget to Submit!
  4. Technology Tip
  5. National Grange Contest Guide is Available
  6. ODD (Officers, Deputies, Directors) Directory
  7. Ideas for Granges
  8. Thought for You…
  9. Do You Love the Grange?
  10. Online Directories Available 24-7
  11. Do You Have FOMO?

December Bulletin Reminder

The deadline for the printed Bulletin is December 14, 2023. Remember, you can always find recent issues of the Bulletin on the Program Books and Information Page.

Fraternal Concern – June Burke

Once again, our family has lost another of our Past State Officers, Sister June Burke, Past State Lecturer (75 – 81) and Past Junior Deputy, who passed away on November 22. Her obituary may be found at www.edgerlyfh.com. Cards may be sent to :
The Burke Family
3 Milton Mills Rd
Lebanon, ME 04027

Don’t Forget to Submit!

Don’t forget to submit the details for a website post and event calendar listing! Thanks to the many who have submitted December Events. This is a busy Grange Month in Maine!

Technology Tip

Our website monitoring program indicated an “outage” took place recently. Fortunately, it lasted less than ten minutes. Hopefully, these are rare, and they are almost always self-correcting. If you try to visit the site and can’t, wait a few minutes and try again! This shouldn’t happen more than once or twice a month!

National Grange Contest Guide is Available

For a copy of the Guide to National Grange Contests, click this link. Think twice before printing! It’s over 100 pages long!

ODD (Officers, Deputies, Directors) Directory

We have the online directory and the print directory of officers, deputies, and directors. The print directory is available on Program Books and Information Page! Please let us know if you encounter any errors!

Ideas for Granges

Similar to an Easter Egg hunt, how about sponsoring a Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt? All you need is a field or lot and a pile of candy canes. Invite participants to bring a flashlight and a bag or bucket to help collect the candy canes nestled throughout the field. Provide hot cocoa and cookies.

Thought for You…

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Do You Love the Grange?

The world wants to hear about it! Fill out the simple I Love the Grange Form… it only takes a couple of minutes! Thanks to all who have shared so far!

Online Directories Available 24-7

  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.
  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct!

Do You Have FOMO?

“FOMO” is, of course, a Fear Of Missing Out. One strongly recommended treatment is to subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website. We’ll send you a daily summary whenever news and columns are posted, and we won’t share your email address with anyone!

Subscribe to the Maine State Grange Website

Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt

by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

candy cane on glass mug
Photo by lil artsy on Pexels.com

Similar to an Easter Egg hunt, how about sponsoring a Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt? All you need is a field or lot and a pile of candy canes. Invite participants to bring a flashlight and a bag or bucket to help collect the candy canes nestled throughout the field. Provide hot cocoa and cookies.

You’ll need to jump on this quickly and get the word out–don’t complicate it too much!

A couple of guides could find elf costumes… I admit I didn’t come up with this on my own. I saw a news item announcing one in New Hampshire!