This newsletter is brought to you by the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum and was delivered to your mailbox because you directly subscribe to it or gave your e-mail address as part of your membership registration. If you have changed your mind and wish to unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of this page.

While you may view our full program on the Events Page of our website, we are pleased to highlight these upcoming programs.

December 2021

The year is old, the wind is cold, the trees whisper together and bend in the wind they lean.
- Robin Williamson

Dear Friend,

The Trustees and Staff of the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum wish you a warm year-end and a very Happy New Year.

Hit hard by this seemingly never-ending pandemic, the Friends shifted to on-line forums in 2020-2021 and provided virtual programs and events in support of the community and The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Like most, our dedicated staff and volunteer trustees worked remotely, literally bringing our work home. In other words, we learned to bend in the wind. At the same time nature and the Great Outdoors became a requisite piece of our lives in a time of large-scale development of our natural areas. How many occasions this year has a walk in the park pulled you up and pushed you along? The Friends’ pledge to educate the community to the natural world in a sustainable way and inspire private thoughts through beautification of our public spaces grows more essential every day.

Today I reach out to ask for your help. Help us plant bulbs and summer annuals, provide horticultural interns for a beleaguered staff, support programs to underserved schools, and deliver more plants, plants, plants at our Annual Plant Sale under the tent. There’s still time to contribute this year! As a member you are a driving force in our organization, and we’d not be able to do what we do without you. Today, thanks to your membership dollars, generous donations, and a leg up from government grants, we remain financially sound and true to our mission. But our ability to fundraise in support of what we do is still severely hampered.

You’ve already demonstrated a commitment to our organization’s mission of Building Community Through Horticulture. No donation is too small to matter as, like seeds, it takes many of them to build a garden. A lot of modest donations will add to the ability of the Friends to make a difference to our Arboretum as a place for you to enrich your relationship with nature.

Please join us by making a gift through our online donation form at www.arboretumfriends.org or by sending a check to the address below. If your organization participates in a charitable match program, please contact mennist@arboretumfriends.net. She will assist you in completing any required forms or paperwork.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours in horticulture,

Heather Emelander
President, Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

The Holly and the Ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The Holly bears the crown ...

Traditional British Folk Christmas Carol

Traditionally, Holly has been associated with Christmas and way before Christianity, with the Winter Solstice Festival, where it was believed to ward off evil spirits and to celebrate new growth. Holly and Ivy are both evergreen, a symbol of fidelity and everlasting life - All good things to ponder as we prepare to celebrate Christmas in our own ways.

Merry Christmas to all our Friends, may you have a wonderful day full of family and friends!!!

FRIENDS YOUTUBE CHANNEL

We are happy to announce that the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum now have a YouTube channel.

Please visit by clicking the image (or go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCwLu6l-05_VnSNQlkvi3Aw)

YOU CAN STILL REGISTER FOR PREVIOUS ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

We are pleased to make several of our previously recorded events available in case you missed one or another of them.

Go to our new prerecorded-events Events page for more information and to register and pay online.

Retail Partners

When shopping at our fine Retail Partners, please remember to present your Membership card at the beginning of your check out transaction. Our Retail Partners need to enter the discount at the beginning of that process.

If you have not yet used this wonderful Member Benefit, you can view our full list of Retail Partners by clicking here.

Amazon Smile

Don't forget to "SMILE!"Amazon Smile, that is!

Amazon, through the AmazonSmile Foundation will contribute 0.5% of your purchases on Amazon to a charitable organization you select. Please consider selecting The Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum as your designated recipient from this wonderful program.

Click here and log in to your amazon account to designate the Friends as your charity.

That's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. Tell your friends about this handy way to keep up with activities at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum (click here for complete directions for subscribing.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Friends Staff will be out of the office until Fall 2021, however we will continue working remotely. Please note our new Post Office Box number and staff emails.

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENTS

PANDEMIC SCHEDULE

Morris County Park Commission has reopened the Frelinghuysen, Willowwood and Bamboo Brook Arboreta 7 days a week, from 8am to dusk.

• Parking is limited. Buildings remain closed. Portajohns are available.
• HUNTING IN THE PARKS - Be aware that deer hunting is permitted in many of the MCPC facilities, including the arboreta, during the fall and winter. The schedule and type (bow or firearm) is listed on the MCPC website here.

We will keep you posted as further updates become available.

Visit our website: https://www.arboretumfriends.org.
Email your comments or suggestions to webmaster@arboretumfriends.org.

The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is a facility of the Morris County Park Commission