Poinsettia care tips
By Stephen Gent
McDade’s Nursery Owner
TOOL –A popular tradition at this time of year is to decorate and brighten the home with live poinsettias.
Poinsettias are native to South America and were first introduced into the United States by the Ambassador to Mexico Dr. Joel Poinsett in 1828.
Overtime poinsettias, with their bright red leaves or bracts, have become a holiday mainstay.
A common myth that has existed for generations is that poinsettias are poisonous to children and animals.
Research has shown that a child could consume over 500 poinsettia leaves without showing any toxic effects. They may not feel well, but the consequences are not fatal.
Poinsettias have also been considered difficult to look after. This is not the case either.
If you follow the simple plant care instructions below, your poinsettias will keep their leaves and look healthy throughout the holiday season and into next year.
• Always place your poinsettias in a room with temperatures between 65 – 75 degrees. In general, if you are comfortable so are your poinsettias. Do not place outside or expose to temperatures less than 50 degrees as this will cause leaves to drop.
Be very cautious about purchasing plants that have been left outside overnight or have been shipped in from colder states.
• Provide six hours of filtered sunlight each day. If direct sun can’t be avoided, diffuse the light with a shade or a sheer curtain.
• Don’t place plants near cold drafts or excessive heat. Avoid placing plants near appliances, fireplaces or ventilating ducts.
• Water your poinsettias when the soil feels dry to the touch. Always remove a plant from any decorative container before watering and allow the water to drain completely.
• Do not fertilize your poinsettia when in bloom. Wait until blooming has finished and use a balanced all purpose plant food.
• When transporting your poinsettias use a box or roomy shopping bag to protect it.
Dec. 12 is National Poinsettia Day honoring the plant and the man who first propagated them in the United States.
Happy Gardening!
 

Holiday craft fair set for Dec. 10
Special to The Monitor
MABANK–For those who are looking for that perfect Christmas gift, or just want to enjoy a great shopping experience, the “Get Your Jingle On” Holiday Craft and Gift Fair is the ideal place to shop.
More than 60 vendors will be on hand at Mabank Intermediate School for the fourth year of the annual event.
Also, the Mabank Intermediate School staff will be collecting canned goods to help fill local food pantries. Visitors are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items for donations.
The gift and craft fair is from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and is located at the corner of Highway 198 and 175.
Hundreds of gift items, decorations, handmade trinkets, antiquities, artwork and novelty pieces will be on display during the five-hour event.
The public is invited to attend this indoor holiday craft fair and shopping experience. A concession stand featuring breakfast and lunch and seasonal favorites such as chili, hot chocolate, sweets, sausage-on-a-stick and hot dogs will be set up, along with seating for diners and weary shoppers.
For more information, contact Tonya Chapman or Christina Strong at (903) 880-1640.

Second Saturday Art Jam set Dec. 10
Special to The Monitor
EDOM/BEN WHEELER—The 279 Artisans Trail’s Second Saturday Art Jam Dec. 10, carries the theme “Celebrating Christmas in the Country.”
Visitors will see old-fashioned decorations, carolers, Santa Claus, an English double-decker tour bus, and holiday festivities throughout the day.
Admission is free and begins at 10 a.m. with some activities lasting until 11 p.m.
The event takes place along a 20-mile stretch of Farm Road 279 in and around Ben Wheeler.
Many local artists will give demonstrations and here are a few additional activities for visitors:
• Arbor Castle Birdhouses presents oil painter Nadia Hamilton.
• A Christmas Bazaar takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Old Elwood Schoolhouse with handcrafted items by area women’s organizations.
• Edom Jam Stage presents Steve Fuqua, Brandon Elliott, Loretta Callens, Edom Jazz Trio and Uncle Joe Hopps & Friends All Stars Jam from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Flying Fish Gallery showcases guest artists Donna Bearden, a Mandela artist printing her designs on silk; Kathleen Martin, a mixed-media artist using gourds as her foundation to give the allusion of animals as well as people; C. Henry Wells, an architect and watercolor artist; and music provided by Mark McGowen.
• The Shed Café will serve a Stockyards Bonanza with the debut of “always fresh, never frozen” Stockyards Steaks including porterhouse, New York strip, T-bone, ribeye, and cowboy cuts.
• Chef Jackson York holds a candy-making class at 3 p.m. at Edom Bakery & Grill.
• Take a country tour in an English double-decker bus along the 279 Artisans Trail from Ben Wheeler to Edom and Blue Moon Gardens. Tour returns between 2-7 p.m.
• Blue Moon Gardens features Dori McCutcheon, a local fiber artist. Dori raises Angora goats on her ranch outside Ben Wheeler. She is bringing Angora goat mohair locks and demonstrating how to prepare them for spinning.
She will also have her spinning wheel and a loom to show the entire process of making yarn and weaving.
The shopkeepers open at 10 a.m. and close around 5 p.m.
Evening music includes Grant Cook at The Forge beginning at 7 p.m. and country-dance band Group Therapy at Moore’s Store from 8-11 p.m.
The Old Firehouse presents Adler & Hearne and Dave Sherman with doors opening at 7 p.m., and concerts beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Concert admission is $15 at the door or $12 in advance.
For more information or to reserve a seat, call (903) 852-2781 or go to www.theoldfirehouse.net.
For more information on the 279 Artisans Trail, call (903) 780-7336 or (903) 571-7631 or go to www.279ArtisansTrail.com  and www.facebook.com/279 Artisans Trail.

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake

We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sunday.

For further information visit our website at petfinder.com