Mt. Olivet News

By Donna Traywick

I had a knock on my door last week from Jane Browning Carr with a beautiful Poinsettia which seems to be the flower of Christmas. Nearly every church is decorated with enormous bouquets of gorgeous flowers.

In the 1820’s, John Poinsettia, the ambassador to Mexico, saw these native plants with brilliant red flowers naturally blooming during the Christmas season. Poinsettia sent some cultings home and it became the Christmas flower that we now enjoy. The flower was given the name Poinsettia after the ambassador. 

Dec. 12 is celebrated as National Poinsettia day and many people don’t realize that the colorful flowers are actually the leaves. The flowers are the yellow/green bead-like structure near the center of the leaves.

I have never known the technique for caring for them to make them last longer, fortunately, the winter edition of the Mississippi Farm Country magazine gave an article on the care of this beautiful plant. 

Poinsettias need at least six hours of indirect sunlight a day and also need a comfortable room temperature of 50 degrees or above. Anything less will harm the foliage. Don’t let the leaves touch cold windows and do not over-water them. The potting mix should feel dry to the touch before watering.

Water them in the kitchen sink and when finished draining, place the pot in a saucer and enjoy. The magazine also explained in detail how to keep the plant so that it will rebloom again next year.

Mt. Olivet Church was honored Sunday to have Jan Linder Roberts as special soloist for the morning service. Her mother, Louvine Linder, recalls at the age of three Jan sang her first song at the church. Jan became my student at an early age and at 12 years old she sang Let There Be Peace on Earth  at the church.

After attending college, she taught music in the public school for over 30 years. She was also a piano teacher and church pianist. She and her husband Bob Roberts moved back to Batesville after retirement a number of years ago. I had been wanting her to come back and sing the same song again.

After 50 years we were honored to have her not only sing Let there Be Peace on Earth, but Come on, Ring Those Bells as well. She will be invited back often, as the congregation thoroughly received a blessing.

The Christmas program is planned for Dec.19  at the 11 a.m service. The theme is Because of the Manger… Because of the Cross. There will be a reading of Don’t Leave the Baby in the Manger. All are invited to attend.

Call or text me your favorite family Christmas…. What was your favorite toy?

Text or call Donna at (901) 828-8824.