It has begun, hasn’t it? The rush and crush of getting ready for Christmas.

As a child, this was a magical time of year. Seeing decorations go up. Watching snow come down. Hearing music swirl through the air.

The stores were delightful to visit. The shelves were full of colorful ideas of what to ask Santa to bring on Christmas Eve.

Singing in the children’s choir at church was thrilling – preparing special music to sing on Christmas Eve. Helping make scenery for the Christmas pageant was fun.

Ah, such wonderful memories! As the familiar song goes, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

That’s how I remember it. As a child.

However, as an adult, this season of preparation can feel a bit frenzied and chaotic. As adults, we are the ones helping make wonderful memories for our children and grandchildren.

And a lot goes into it. Transporting children from one place to another. Dealing with crowded stores as lines grow longer at the checkout. Harnessing over-exuberant children while selecting items for the grocery cart. Getting children to rehearsals, practices. Arranging for gatherings.

Whew! A lot goes into making wonderful memories.

God put a lot of work into making wonderful memories, too, when he came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Throughout the centuries, the people wanted Godly leaders. God provided. When that wasn’t good enough, they demanded to have a king like other nations. God didn’t like that idea, but he gave the people what they asked.

Nothing seemed good enough for long. So, when God’s people turned their back on him, he had his prophets speak to the people in an attempt to set things right.

Unfortunately, the people refused to listen to the prophets as well.

What was God to do? He decided he needed to come to earth himself to set things right. I don’t know what it took for God to be able to do that, but in human terms it couldn’t have been easy.

How to arrive on earth so the people wouldn’t be afraid of him or listen to what he had to say? Arrive as a baby. There is nothing threatening about a baby.

It is that baby, the Christ-child, that has helped make so many memories for people throughout the generations. We tend to focus on that baby once a year, and with that focus, remember why it was he came – to bring hope, love, joy, and peace.

Wouldn’t it be a great memory if we had that mindset all year-round?

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Jesus's birth brought hope, love, joy and peace

LAUREL HILL — The city of Laurel Hill will have its 11th annual Christmas Parade soon.

The parade will start at 3 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Industrial Park on New Ebenezer Road, Laurel Hill.

The route then crosses State Road 85 and continue down Fourth Street, then up Third Street, ending on Second Avenue at the Post Office.

Contact Nita Miller at 850-652-4441 or clhclerk@fairpoint.net if you would like to participate.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill getting ready for 11th annual Christmas Parade

CRESTVIEW — My husband, Jim, and I were almost victims of fraud this week. I opened our credit card statement and noticed a charge for $62.54 to an unknown company.

This charge was made on my credit card, which is interesting, as this is a credit card I only use for online shopping. There were no fraudulent charges on my husband's card, which he uses for everyday items.

I looked up the name of the company that charged me online and didn't recognize anything about them. I then looked in my email to see if I had a receipt for this transaction. I had nothing regarding this transaction. So I got online with the credit card company's website and began to research.

After answering the website's questionnaire, the instructions said to call the fraud department of our credit card issuer. After going through many questions and being transferred from department to department I finally reach a very helpful lady named Laura.

After looking at our account, she determined that we were the victims of fraud, put a stop on that credit card and issued a new card with a new number. She then looked up my transactions and told me with which businesses I had automatic payments so that I could update them when the new card arrived. The process was fairly painless, but rather time consuming. We never did figure out where or by whom my card was compromised.

There are a few holiday schemes and scams this year. Many of these we have seen before, but keep your eyes open.

The first one is the IRS scam where you receive a phone call and are told you must pay a certain amount of money immediately to the IRS in gift cards or a Western Union wire transfer or the local police will come and arrest you. This is always a scam, the IRS does not work in this manner. If you get such a phone call, tell the person you will wait until you receive an official bill in the mail and hang up. Do not give these callers any personal information, not even your name. The easiest way to protect yourself is to never answer a phone call from an unknown name or number. If the phone call is legitimate, they will leave a message.

Also, if you have a problem such as I described, use the phone number on your credit card statement or the back of your credit card. Never use a phone number from an email stating that you must call a certain financial institution right then using the phone number in the email. Never give your personal information to a stranger.

A good sentence to remember when speaking with someone you don't know is this: "We (or I) never discuss our personal financial information over the phone with strangers." You do not owe a stranger any information.

Also, open your credit card statements as soon as you receive them so that you can spot any fraudulent activity before it gets out of control. Keep your private information private. Shred any sensitive documents and please stay safe, Crestview.

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: Holidays and guarding yourself against financial fraud

CRESTVIEW — Tomorrow many of us will gather with our families to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. While we have this one day set aside to thank the Lord for his bountiful blessings, we need to be thankful everyday for the abundance he has bestowed upon us.

It has always been amazing to me that the day after we celebrate our blessings, we rush to the stores early in the morning to find the best deals we can. We have just given thanks for what we have and then we go out and fight the crowds so we can attain the best deal. It appears to me that there is a disconnect between our gratitude and desires.

I am all for waiting until Black Friday to get a fabulous deal on needed items, but let's think about what that means.  

Do we really need the latest cell phone, tablet or laptop? Some people may need these items for work, while for others it is a luxury.

In general, Americans are in substantial debt. An article I just read (https://bit.ly/3cry5Vq) states the following: "A recent GOBankingRates survey found that 30% of Americans have between $1,001 and $5,000 in credit card debt, 15% have $5,001 or more in credit card debt and about 6% have more than $10,000 in credit card debt. Although 6% may seem like a small amount, that means that based on the survey results, 14 million Americans have over $10,000 of credit card debt."

These are sobering statistics and ones we need to take to heart before we go out shopping on Black Friday. Yes, if you have been waiting for certain items and you need them or they are Christmas gifts for your children or grandchildren, it may be worth fighting the crowds for the good deals. But then again, maybe this is the year to cut back and live within your means for Christmas gifts. We have gotten so used to buying everything we want that we forget handmade gifts truly come from the heart.

Perhaps you know how to knit or crochet. A handmade scarf for chilly days is always welcome. My mother made gorgeous quilts and table runners for Christmas gifts. Most people love homemade baked goods. Whip up a batch of Christmas cookies and pack them in a cute container from the Dollar Store. Use your imagination for gifts.

Many elderly people would love to have someone help them out with chores they can no longer perform on their own, such as hanging their exterior Christmas lights on their homes, trimming the trees in their yards and so on.

Look around. There are many things that we can do for others that cost us time, but minimal money. This is the time of year to be thankful and to reach out and help others. I know that there are an abundance of homemade gifts I haven't even mentioned that would bless others.

Let's all be grateful for the many blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us this year.

From our home to your home, Happy Thanksgiving!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HAPPENINGS: Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday

CRESTVIEW — Fall is an excellent time to plant shrubs and trees.

Trees and shrubs grown in containers can be planted any time, but when planted in spring or summer, they often have to struggle to absorb the water and nutrients their growing tops need. As new roots begin to grow out of the container shape, they send much of the nutrients and water that they absorb upwards to be used for top growth (new shoots, leaves, flowers, etc.). Little is left to grow more roots.

As the top gets too big for its roots, the inevitable spell of hot, dry weather brings on the real test: the increased demands by the top of the plant will outstretch the supplies the roots can provide. The plant may begin throwing off foliage and abandoning branches in an attempt to survive.

If you plant now through December, with average weather, the plant has a much better chance. The key is that the roots don't go dormant. They continue to grow and develop throughout the winter. And because the top is dormant for the winter (tops of even evergreen plants go dormant) there is little demand on the roots.

Fall-planted ornamentals normally have a supply of carbohydrates and other food substances stored in their roots from the past growing season. So, with little demand from the tops, the roots are able to grow and become well established before the next spring.

When you plant in the fall, do almost everything exactly as you would do in the spring. The big difference is that you may not want to fertilize when you plant in the fall. Wait until after the plants are well established. Also, you don't need to prune unless there are structural problems or damaged branches you need to remove.

You don't want to encourage foliage growth, but root growth, during the fall and winter. All other cultural practices would be the same as if you were planting in spring.

After the plant is properly planted, be careful to water as much as it needs. Continue to water as needed through the fall and winter. Remember rain counts. All you’re doing in watering is to supply supplemental irrigation in the absence of sufficient/adequate rain fall, not to water when rain has already done the job of supplying the needed water. Keeping plant roots too wet is just as bad a letting the roots become overly dry. The end result is the same, plant failure.

Plants can be much more forgiving if you're a day late watering them in the fall. The real test won't come until next summer.

Larry Williams is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Shrubs, trees planted in fall get a head start

No previous experience or accreditation is required to be a landscaper in the state of Florida. So when homeowners are searching for service providers, it is important that they question potential companies about their skills. 

One good measure is completion of voluntary certifications such as the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) Certified Horticulture Professional (FCHP). The FCHP program has been the industry’s standard for measuring horticulture and landscape knowledge since 1984.

The training is also useful for property managers, homeowner associations and retail garden center employees, or anyone that wants to know more about Florida’s plants and their care.

Plants are complex and variable living things that range from microscopic to the largest of living organisms. With steady population growth in the state of Florida, environmental damage risks created by the use of improper products and practices has continually risen. State and federal natural resource protection agencies have restricted certain horticultural practices, as well as fertilizer and pesticide application. 

It takes scientific knowledge to maintain lawns and landscapes, not just a “green thumb,” to keep plants healthy while reducing contamination to the soil, air and water that we all need.

The Florida Certified Horticulture Professional training covers 16 areas, including identification, fertilization, irrigation, pest management, safety and business practices. Lecture and hands-on activities are utilized at each session. 

The 60-hour course will enhance anyone’s knowledge and will provide the basis for professionals to deliver a skilled service to clientele. The course is available in person or virtually via Zoom.

If you are a green industry worker or a concerned citizen interested in attending a FCHP preparatory course, there is an opportunity here in Crestview. Beginning Jan. 6, 2022, and continuing for eight weeks to Feb. 24, the Okaloosa County Extension office will be providing training for $185. This includes the newest hard copy manual and plant identification book. 

Contact Sheila Dunning, 850-689-5850, sdunning@ufl.edu, for more information.

Sheila Dunning is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Extension offering professional landscaping training class

CRESTVIEW — Halloween already seems weeks ago as we eagerly prepare for our Thanksgiving feasts, whether we stay here at home or head over the river (and through the woods) to the homes of friends and relatives.

Please make a note of the Crestview Public Library's holiday hours so you know when to come browse our stacks or take advantage of our events, classes and programs:

Wednesday, Nov. 24: Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 25 to Sunday, Nov. 28: Closed for Thanksgiving

Monday, Dec. 20 to Wednesday, Dec. 22: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 23 to Sunday, Dec. 26: Closed for Christmas

Monday, Dec. 27 to Thursday, Dec. 30: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 21 to Sunday, Jan. 2 (2022): Closed for New Year

We’ve got some fun holiday themed events coming up to help you get into the Christmas spirit. Try these!

Friday, Dec. 3, 2:30-4:30 p.m.: Teen Art: Christmas Cookie Decorating, grades 6-12. Get some great cookie decorating tips and ideas, then share your artistry — or eat it yourself!

Tuesday, Dec. 14, 3:30-7:30 p.m.: Holiday Cookie Decorating and Movie Night, family fun! Wear your holiday jammies and bring blankets for a cozy evening of holiday fun for the whole family. Cookie decorating starts at 3:30. Movie times: 3:45 p.m. "The Grinch;" 5 p.m. "The Star;" and 6:15 p.m. "Miracle on 34th Street."

Friday, Dec. 17, 6-7:30 p.m.: Noël Night. Fun for the whole family! Music, munchies and more as parents and kids explore holiday traditions from many cultures. The program is designed for children and their accompanying parents. No drop-offs, please.

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.: Put on your holiday pajamas or other comfy clothes, bring your blanket, and settle in for a day of Christmas movies. Popcorn provided; outside food and drinks are permitted. Screening times (approximate): 10:15 a.m., "The Polar Express;" 11:40 a.m., "A Christmas Story;" 1 p.m., "Home Alone;" and 2:30 p.m., "It’s a Wonderful Life."

For complete events listings and more information, visit  www.cityofcrestview.org/178/Library, call 850-682-4432, or follow the library on Facebook and Instagram.

Brian Hughes is the City of Crestview's Cultural Services Specialist.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Check it Out: Library holiday hours