Laugh a little today with this funny story!

Enjoy this preview of the Winter 2022-23 issue of GreenPrints. You’ll love this story! [GreenPrints]( December 1, 2022  [CELEBRATE THE JOY — AND LAUGHTER — OF THE SEASON!]( Sometimes the best laid plans go awry for unexpected reasons, and all we can really do is laugh. I always try to keep my sense of humor within easy reach whenever I head out to the garden. In GreenPrints, we bring you stories that inspire, entertain, and even heal. These “gardening stories from the heart” are all about the love of gardening—you’ll always find a good chuckle or two whenever you read an issue! [Don’t miss a single story!]( For example, check out this story from the new Winter 2022-23 issue of GreenPrints—a hilarious tale of holiday spirit gone wild: [Stuffed with Christmas Joy]( The Girl, the Cookies, the Crafts, and the Mouse. By Georgia A. Hubley [Stuffed with Christmas Joy] At Christmastime, I like to think back to the mid-1950s when I was 10 years old. It was the beginning of my two-week Christmas vacation. I had big plans for when I got home, but our 70-acre Ohio farm was 10 miles from school. The long bus ride home seemed endless. When the bus finally stopped at our farmhouse lane, I leapt down the steps and ran all the way to the front porch. I raced in the front door, gulping for air, and shouted, “I’m ready to help make Christmas gifts!” Mom smiled. “Grab a cookie from the cookie jar and have a seat,” she said. “While you eat, you can watch how I stuff a sachet bag with our homemade potpourri. Then you can give it a try.” I marveled at how Mom had turned odds and ends of floral print fabric remnants into a dozen unique drawstring bags to hold potpourri. As I munched on my chocolate-chip cookie, Mom grabbed a small tin measuring cup, scooped potpourri from a crock canister, and filled the sachet bag. Besides being an expert seamstress, my mother also had a green thumb. Her flower beds were treasure troves of plants ideal for making potpourri for Christmas gifts. From mid-May through August, I’d helped Mom gather the various-colored petals, buds, blossoms, and seedpods from her peonies, roses, bachelor’s buttons, calendula, spirea, hydrangeas, and chrysanthemums for making holiday gifts for family, friends, and neighbors. Once the flowers were dried, we added dried orange peels and variations of whole cloves, nutmeg berries, and cinnamon sticks to enhance the fragrance of the potpourri. “Your turn,” Mom said, as she handed me a tin measuring cup and a sachet bag. I worked very carefully—and had no spills whatsoever! After we tied each bag with colorful ribbon, Mom suggested I make red and green paper chains for the Christmas tree that Dad would soon chop down. “I can’t make chains, my jar of paste is empty,” I groaned. “We can make do with what we have on hand,” Mom grinned. “I’ll teach you how to make silly paste.” Silly paste? I wondered. What’s that? In no time, Mom mixed one part flour, two parts water, and a dash of salt together to create a homemade paste. She told me it would be ideal for paper chains for the tree and other paper Christmas crafts. With a small bowl of the silly paste in one hand and a small Mason jar full of potpourri in the other, I headed to my bedroom. I gathered scissors, red and green construction paper, and white ribbon. Carefully, I cut out the chains, securing them with dabs of paste. Then I made my Christmas cards, decorating them with bits and pieces of potpourri and white ribbon, all attached with more of the paste. I placed them on my desk to dry overnight, leaving the bowl of leftover paste to clean the following morning. Just before bedtime, we had hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies while Mom pulled out her Christmas book and read, ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse … I tingled with anticipation as she said the words aloud. When Mom tucked me in bed that night, I whispered, “Don’t peek. I have Christmas secrets drying on my desk.” “I won’t,” she said, smiling, and kissed my forehead. Suddenly, around midnight, I was awakened by a rustling noise. Moonlight filtered through my bedroom curtains, but I couldn’t see anything in the room. Frightened, I sprang from the bed and headed for my parents’ bedroom. “Come quick!” I shouted. “There’s something in my room!” Dad jumped out of bed. “Stay here with your mother,” he whispered. Soon we heard Dad laughing uproariously. We all raced to my bedroom and saw Dad holding a pudgy brown mouse full of paste, paper, and potpourri. “This noisy little creature has been helping himself to quite the midnight snack,” he said, chuckling. “He’s so stuffed with Christmas joy he couldn’t run away!” At first, I wasn’t amused—my paper chains and Christmas cards were ruined! But when Dad freed the mouse on the back porch and we all watched it waddle away, even I couldn’t help but laugh. The next day, Dad surprised me with a store-bought jar of paste. I was able to quickly complete my Christmas crafts. Since then, every Christmas season when someone recites Clement Clarke Moore’s poem and gets to the line, “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,” I smile to myself and fondly remember a little brown mouse that indeed was stirring: Stuffing itself with Christmas joy. ❖ Illustrations by Heather Graham Dear Reader, What a great story! Author Georgia Hubley takes us back in time to that hilarious night; you can imagine that well-fed mouse waddling away! GreenPrints has published many humorous stories just like this—stories that will tickle your funny bone, such as: - “The Hairy Boggart” (Autumn 2021 issue, p. 24) - “Naked Ladies” (Winter 2019-20 issue, p. 58) - “Shotweed: A Love Story” (Spring 2021 issue, p. 42) - “Faceoff at the Fish Pond” (Summer 2021 issue, p. 46) And tons more humorous and inspirational stories in our Library—and coming up in future issues! Please read what some subscribers say about how GreenPrints affects their lives: “The wonderful stories in the magazine have given me hope about mankind. We are surrounded by sad and difficult times in a polarized culture. Your heartful approach and spirit shine through. Thank you!” —Cathy Gornick, New Hartford, NY “I’m renewing for three years. I’m not sure I’ll be around in three years. But I want to make sure you are!” —Susan Ward, Middleton, WI “Thank you, GreenPrints family, for providing calm, joy, and wisdom in these crazy times.” —Lee Ann Hawkins, Marion, IN Including this featured story—“Stuffed with Christmas Joy”—you get all 15 stories in the Winter 2022-23 issue of GreenPrints with an [All-Access Membership](. Filled with stories that inspire and inform, GreenPrints also includes specially commissioned artwork with every article, to enhance the stories and entertain you—illustrations that are thought-provoking and just plain fun! Here is what one subscriber says about GreenPrints: “Thank you! BEST EVER Magazine!! It's like the finding a ‘treasure’ in the mailbox. Artwork is amazing!” —Jo Glenn, Port Royal, PA Here are the stories included in the Winter 2022-23 issue: - “Stuffed with Christmas Joy” - “The Gardener’s December” - “The Boysenberry Saga” - “Lily Bushes” - “The Upside-Down Flower Tree” - “Mother Hen” - “Winter is Coming” - “The Sole in my Father’s Garden” - “The Waiting is the Hardest Part” - “Rundown Garden, Brand-New Friend” - “Setting Down Roots” - “A Real Gardener” - “My First Orchid” - “For the Birds” - “The Flower Shop” [Winter 2022-23 Issue]( Now, you can [order your own single copy]( of the GreenPrints Winter 2022-23 issue for $15, plus shipping and handling (and in some jurisdictions, you have to pay tax—you’ll end up paying more than $20 for a single copy with shipping, handling, and tax). Or, better yet, for just $20 (no shipping or handling … and no tax!), you can get [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( for an entire year—with a whole year’s worth of stories in a full subscription to GreenPrints, both print and digital editions … and benefits galore! [$20 SPECIAL! GET A 67% DISCOUNT WHEN YOU CLAIM YOUR BENEFITS TODAY!]( [Claim your GreenPrints All Access Membership now, and you’ll get all the gardening stories to delight you, make you laugh, and fill you with heartwarming inspiration and motivation. Claim your benefits now!]( [GreenPrints all access]( [ONLY $20 FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR!]( Right now, you’re eligible for this limited-time invitation—to claim a premium [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( with this Special Offer. You get a full year of membership in a club that provides you all the gardening stories to warm your heart, inspire you, and make you laugh. And for only $20 right now, that’s 67% off the regular $60 price! [Introducing GreenPrints All-Access Membership—Only $20 for an Entire Year!]( Your [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( has privileges and benefits that are reserved exclusively for premium members like you. [Claim Your $20 Membership Now!]( Summary of All-Access Membership Benefits 01 A full year of GreenPrints All-Access Membership, an exclusive club for those who want to enjoy the greatest gardening stories ever—save $40 off the annual cover price, a 67% discount! $60/year Now Only: $20/year! 02 1-year subscription to the GreenPrints Magazine, quarterly issues filled with humorous and heartwarming stories—in print, delivered directly to your door, and sent to you digitally as soon as issues are published! INCLUDED 03 Full and immediate access to the GreenPrints Digital Library—your membership includes access to the current digital magazine issue and back issues, a digital version of The Weeder’s Reader—plus the library is constantly growing with new content regularly added! INCLUDED 04 Instant and unlimited access to all GreenPrints Collections—curated and comprehensive collections of stories from the heart, organized around specific topics such as humor, joy, romance, mystical and healing gardens, and gardening mishaps. INCLUDED 05 FREE BONUS: The Weeder’s Reader—a compilation of the sixteen greatest stories ever published by GreenPrints. You get a FREE copy mailed to you, plus instant and unlimited access to the digital version in the library! FREE [Claim Your $20 Membership Now!]( Become a [GreenPrints All-Access Member]( today—while this special $20 offer lasts! Sincerely, [Bill Dugan] Bill Dugan Editor & Publisher GreenPrints P.S. Claim your benefits with a spot in [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( today—only $20 for an entire year with this Special Offer, a 67% discount off the regular price! P.P.S. You deserve to have regular hope and happiness in your life—please act now to claim your [GreenPrints All-Access Membership]( and get inspired and motivated every day! [GreenPrints All-Access Membership Special Offer—Only $20!]( 67% Off the Regular Price Now! [GreenPrints all access](  Claim your GreenPrints All-Access Membership today and get all the greatest gardening stories ever—heartwarming and funny, for you now! [YES, SIGN ME UP FOR JUST $20 FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR!]( About GreenPrints Magazine: GreenPrints shares the absolute best true stories of gardeners from all across the country. It’s the most inspiring, humorous, and heartfelt gardening magazine of them all. There is nothing else like it. We’re no spring seedling, either—we’ve been publishing for over 30 years. If you love to garden, you will love GreenPrints, THE magazine of personal gardening stories from the heart. You are receiving this email as part of your free subscription to email updates from GreenPrints Magazine. 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