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.

THE FRIENDS WANT TO WISH EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, MAY YOUR CELEBRATIONS BE JOYFUL, HEALTHY AND SAFE!

GINGERBREAD WONDERLAND 2020 GOES VIRTUAL

Celebrating 29 Years of Wonder

We are delighted to announce that we have received over 40 entries for this year's Virtual Gingerbread Wonderland exhibit!!! Thank you to all who submitted a creation.

Voting began on Saturday, December 5 and will continue until Monday, December 28. The winners will be announced early in January.

The link to view and vote for your favorite (or favorites!) is:

https://arboretumfriends.org/virtual-gingerbread-voting

Viewing is free, but in order to vote, we ask that you make a donation (online as part of your viewing experience). This will help defray our Gingerbread Wonderland expenses. Thank you!

We encourage you to share the voting link with your family and friends, the more the merrier!

BOTANICAL DRAWING FOR BEGINNERS with Katy Lyness

Four consecutive Saturdays: January 9, 16, 23 and 30 - 1:00 to 4:00 PM

VIRTUAL ZOOM MEETING

Do you ever wish you could capture the details of a plant long after you've seen it? This introductory class teaches you how to make realistic drawings of plants using a variety of techniques. Learn to draw a selection of plant parts, including branches, stems, leaves and flowers, for pleasure or to expand your drawing skills.

Artist Katy Lyness is a passionate home gardener and teaches botanical illustration at the New York Botanical Garden. She has been represented in international exhibitions and is active in the Tri-State Botanical Artist Group. She received her MA in Art Education from Columbia University Teachers' College.

A materials list will be provided at registration.

Registration is limited to 16 participants.

Please click on the rose to register for this series online.

MEMBERS ONLY NEW YEAR'S PARTY

Sunday, January 10 - 4:00 PM

Join the Friends for a Virtual Tour of the Flora and Fauna of Costa Rica

Phil and Becky Witt are volunteer associate naturalists at New Jersey Audubon's Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary, where they help lead photography workshops. Becky and Phil started as birders while in graduate school and have continued pursuing their love of nature by traveling from Antarctica to Tanzania to photograph the world's wonders.

This program will be a composite of a number of their trips to Costa Rica, a mecca for birders and nature photographers. Because of its diverse habitats, ranging from tropical lowlands to chilly 13, 000-foot-high mountains, the flora and fauna of Costa Rica are equally diverse. Please join Phil and Becky on this virtual journey of some of Costa Rica's natural wonders - You won't regret it!

Please note that registration for this event will close at 12:00 Noon on Friday, January 8, 2021.

Please click on the toucan to register for this free program online.

STARS AT THE ARBORETUM

Over the last couple of weeks, several stars have randomly appeared around the grounds of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. They are part of the Stars in the Garden Scavenger Hunt. Here are a few of them.

Click on an image to see them in our photo gallery.

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 going to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCwLu6l-05_VnSNQlkvi3Aw)

YOU CAN STILL REGISTER FOR PREVIOUS ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

Once you have registered for "Composting and Eco-friendly Yard Care" or "Dahlias", you will receive a link to watch the recorded version.

Go to our Events page 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 January 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.
• Please protect yourselves and fellow visitors by social distancing and by wearing masks.
• 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.
Phone us at (973) 326-7603.

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