We’ve had our first real snowfall of the season and, like the song, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” Amazingly, only a couple of days ago, we were still enjoying some perfect blossoms on some of our rose bushes and harvesting some chives from the vegetable garden.

We have turned over the bowls on the birdbaths so that they don’t crack when ice forms on them. Eventually I may ask Santa for granite ones that may be kept outside year-round with no worry of cracking during the winter months.

Yesterday we filled the kitchen window birdfeeder with birdseed for the first time this season. No longer do we fill the feeders during summers as we used to do in the past. After all, we want our feathered friends to eat the bad bugs when they’re hungry.

Speaking of bad bugs, we’ve begun to see lots of brown moths under our outside lights and on our screen doors. They’re probably winter moths. Not so happy about that!

Still have some leftover daffodil bulbs to plant. It’s something I can do so long as I can dig the soil. If I don’t get to it, I can always plant them in potting soil in some pots that can spend the winter in our unheated porch. Would love to find some crocus bulbs to plant in our so-called lawn. They look so pretty in the spring and have gone by the time to take out the lawn mower. Although we’ve gotten rid of most of the lawn, we do keep an area where we can play croquet and badminton with our precious grandson.

I keep getting asked what would be a good gift for a gardener. How about a Massachusetts Horticultural Society membership? Among the many benefits are free tickets to the Boston Flower and Garden Show; free admission to the beautiful gardens at Elm Bank; gift certificates at White Flower Farm and Weston Nurseries; discounts on Mass Hort workshops, classes and many special events; borrowing privileges at the Mass Hort library and archives, and much more.

Oh, yes! Time to get into the Holiday Spirit for sure!