A rose in snow

We are in the eleventh hour of the hustle and bustle this Christmas season. We find ourselves scrambling to get last-minute gifts, work and school parties, holiday menus finalized, and the perfect touches added to our events to ensure a memorable celebration for whom we love.

For little ones, this time of year is one filled with hopeful excitement of Santa’s upcoming arrival and the surprises he may bring. My daughter is hoping that he brings her a green fairy doll! For many of us, it is a chance to see loved ones and uphold beloved traditions from years prior. When I think of the holidays, I think about having our loved ones over and gathering together to celebrate – a time I treasure not only for myself, but I love that my children will grow up with the memories of family gathering at our home.

One of my favorite things about hosting an event is the table decor. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore decorating a table and making it special for a holiday. I love the details and special touches that make it the focal point for our family to share a memorable meal together. The holidays are the perfect time to incorporate nature in your table setting. Adding a touch of nature during the holidays softens your table and adds a coziness that is unmatched any other time of year.

Pinecones, evergreens, holly, mistletoe, cinnamon sticks, and various fruits such as oranges are all beautiful accompaniments to a holiday table setting. Even a sprig of rosemary on the table can offer a wonderful aroma and provide a softness to your holiday table. I also love driftwood and find so many uses for it throughout the year in decoration. The more candlelight added to a table, the more ambiance it provides your guests. An assortment of pine trimmings from your Christmas tree, along with winterberries, pinecones and an orange covered in cloves is just the centerpiece your holiday table is calling for this year.

There is power in nature. When my mom was a little girl, she came down with scarlet fever and she still remembers that while recovering in bed, there had been a big snow and she could hear the sound of the neighborhood children outside playing. Her Mema Hudson took snow from her yard and placed it in a glass brandy snifter for her with a single rose. My mom was desperately longing to feel the cold snow and play with the other children.

A rose from my mom’s garden. (Photo provided by Megan Rathz)

As the snow melted, the warmth of my mother’s room allowed the aroma of the rose to fill the space, and to this day, she still reflects on the powerful impact that small act of kindness and element of nature did to her spirit all those years ago. She was able to feel the snow on her very fingertips and know that she had not been forgotten. It has been nearly 50 years and my mom can still smell the scent of that single pink rose in her lavender bedroom.

Winter is not often a time we often associate with being outdoors. In fact, it is a time many of us hibernate ourselves, which is exactly why your guests will love the added touch of nature to your holiday celebration. Perhaps you are not hosting an event this year but are planning to be a guest at someone else’s home; all of these are also wonderful hostess gift ideas!

In a matter of days, this holiday season will be a memory. Those of us with little ones will blink and our children will grow up and have families of their own. We will yearn for the very days we are experiencing right now. We will ache for the chaos and wonder where the time went.

For many though, this is a hard season filled with many complex emotions. Nothing exacerbates the feeling of loss and loneliness like the holidays. Perhaps your celebration looks different this year because of an illness and you are feeling isolated. Perhaps it is you in need of the rose in snow this year. Whether you are the one receiving the rose or giving it, take time to pause the next few days.

Nature is speaking to us. It is affording us the chance to add the perfect touch to our holiday celebrations, and more importantly, it is affording us the chance to show kindness to others and let them know we have not forgotten them. Is there someone in your life needing a rose in the snow?

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.