Meeting new friends and having them join my Holiday Kissing Balls and Evergreens Creations class is an honor, so I was especially happy when several new attendees signed up for my class this year.

Natasha was one of those new people from last Saturday’s class.  As seen in this photo, she and I were having a great time.  She is a happy person, with an infectious laugh.  I met Natasha at a holiday party last year, and I was the new person in the room that evening.  I didn’t know anyone except the hostess.

But Natasha struck up a conversation with me and we continued talking throughout the evening.  Her personality was warm and happy and we discussed both of our businesses too.

Sometimes, you just click with an individual for whatever reason.  So this year, she decided to attend my class, and I thought it was funny when she asked me how I knew about all these evergreens and their names, saying, “How do you know a white pine is a white pine?” with her Russian accent.

I responded with that I attended horticulture classes, and explained how I also had to study the Latin names of 200+ perennials, by the genus, species, and cultivar – AND the plants did not have flowers on them – in order to pass a final exam.  I also commented that I think it wasn’t too difficult to memorize them because I grew up in a home with a second language – French Canadian, so for some reason, I remembered how to spell them correctly, etc.

Natasha is from Russia and she seemed to understand the connection of a second language.  I didn’t have too much difficulty memorizing the Latin or botanical names of plants during my studies.  She understood my explanation, but then I joked I am terrible at math however, and then she laughed with that infectious giggle.

Organizing and instructing this holiday evergreens class has taught me more about evergreens which I pass onto the class attendees, including a hand-out with instructions on how to best use the greens in their designs and a few tips on the do’s and don’ts for evergreen care and use in the arrangements made by everyone.  Every year, I add a new one to the list of evergreen available so we can test out how they work in the designs of the kissing balls, and other items made in class.

Natasha seemed to have a great time with all the other attendees.  And now she officially knows what all the evergreens are from this class held annually in December.

She also left me a gift – it was chocolate covered marshmallows.  I texted her later that day to say, “That’s it – We are soul mates…I love marshmallows!”

She replied with, “We are a couple of marshmallows”.  This made me laugh out loud.

Perhaps you will be a new attendee next year, or if you missed this class and are interested in learning how to make an evergreen items such as a wreath, kissing ball, or candle centerpiece, feel free to contact me with questions.

Cathy Testa