Well, Christmas visitors to the wonderful state and city of Hammond, Louisiana! how is our weather? Many people have told me, “If you don’t like the weather… stay a few hours and it will change!” There was certainly the epitome of that statement this month!
I’m going to need a short-sleeved dress this afternoon, so should I wear a thick overcoat this morning! I hope it’s not too long.
I’m so happy that summer is here again, especially summertime, so I don’t think it’s time to go to bed at 7 o’clock because it’s dark.
Enough talking about the weather, I wanted to tell you about the many community projects the members of the Hammond Garden Club have done to beautify the city during this wonderful Christmas season.
Before the big Christmas parade begins, we have to start by decorating the gazebo in Kate Square.
After the December conference, Linda Ryan brought some huge gimmicks to Oak Knoll Country Club where the conference was held. They were three-foot-tall stars, consisting of plastic hangers, wrapped in silver-embellished garlands and white lights.
From my description you might think it’s disgusting to hang in a gazebo, but it’s really beautiful when it’s lit up at night and it’s the Lord who led the three kings and the shepherds to their miraculous birth. It is a thing.
I have to say that our Christmas miracle happened on the day we ‘far traversed’ to hang the stars. Reaches heights of about 10 feet!
But the miracle that was there was that a small group of City of Parks and Grounds Hammond employees had just finished decorating the park. , dared to ask if we could borrow it “for a few minutes” to hang the stars! (Maybe she thought Wonder Woman could help!)
Luckily, the ladder was accompanied by Dorian Tobias, a wonderful Angel City worker.
God and his angel Dorian were with us, a “five foot” short woman he felt sorry for. Dorian ended up hanging all but a few which Sue Paril’s son Steve helped hang.
Bless both of these six-foot-plus men (angels, or kings, minus one) who came to our rescue with decent ladders. hoping.
Let’s move on to a few days later when I accepted a job decorating the trees at both the North Oaks Rehab and the North Oaks Outpatient Rehab Wings.
Many members came to help out (always a lot of fun)! One tree was all adorned with gold and the other with silver (in ancient times F and M were gold and worth their weight, so this is the gold, frankincense, myrrh partly covered)!
And the final part of our community project is canned goods, non-perishables, and monetary donations raised to give to the needy at Christmas.
It was delivered to the Hammond Kiwanis Club by member Juanita Pearson (bless her heart). (I think this applies to the song “The Little Drummer Boy,” which brought nothing to baby Jesus. We were going to do it by donation.)
Move on to the Christmas party/meeting at the Oak Knoll Country Club. In the absence of Reverend Mary Thornhill, there was already an opening prayer by Juanita Pearson, and everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance before anything could begin.
As usual, Mary Monteleone decorated the hall so beautifully all in gold, from the white linen tables to the floor cloths with gold toppers, the burning candles with pine branches and bells, and the room. It had a gorgeous, dripping giant tree in the left corner of the . It is decorated with golden decorations and dazzling golden ribbons are entwined between the branches. This is a sight to behold, befitting a newborn king to be put down.
The lunch was delicious and fit for a king too. Roasted pork roast with velvety light brown gravy, sweet potato casserole covered in pecan nuts and dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg, soft green beans perfectly seasoned, mixed green salad, pillow soft Dinner rolls, tea and coffee, and some of the most delicious bread pudding I’ve had for dessert.
Our President, Jennifer Allen, asked for forgiveness for everything that made this a conference, with the exception of the announcement of the Link Award given to Lit Pizza at 1735 Railroad Ave. I introduced our guest, Carolyn Watkins. new member. Joan Davis (no need to introduce yourself) is now our newest member.
Afterwards, we all played a game in a circle. Each brought an ornament. I read the story “A Right Family Christmas” (every time I said “right” in the story, I passed the ornament to the right. When I said “left,” I passed the ornament to the left.) .
As I read a little faster, I started to wonder if we all knew right and left! did! Laugh a lot and have a lot of fun with your friends!
Last but not least, I wish everyone a healthy and happy New Year in 2023. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
Hammond Garden Club is a proud member of District VI, Louisiana Garden Club Federation Inc., and Deep South Garden Clubs Inc., uniting and beautifying our homes, gardens, cities, and nations to the highest standards every day. I am doing my best to do so. of our ability. God bless America, God bless the City of Hammond.
Linda Broussard lives in Hammond, USA.