That wreath looks a little dried out and brown?  That would be your reminder to take down those Christmas lights and decoration around the house.  If you have not already chopped up your Christmas tree and placed them in the green bin for green-cycle, please do so to eliminate the chance of fire from a dried-out Christmas tree.  Here at Sweet Blossoms Hawaii, we are accepting your holiday and Christmas wreath for wreath-cycle. We separate the wreath apart for proper disposal or recycle.  You can do the same by follow our blog from last year.  Wish you all a healthy 2010. 

 See video of Christmas tree fire at USFA

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/home_fire_prev/holiday-seasonal/treefire.shtm

Help support OUR local economy this Holiday Season. By pledging to spend $150 of your shopping dollars at locally-owned stores this season, you will have a $25 million impact on O‘ahu, an estimated $4 million more than if it was spent at a non-local big box retailer. Honolulu Weekly will automatically enter you to win $1000 in gift certificates from independent locally owned merchants and restaurants.

Make your pledge at Honolulu Weekly! Deadline to pledge is December 20.

http://honoluluweekly.com/pledge/

(Estimate based on numbers from Civic Economics that $0.68 of every dollar spent at a locally owned business stays in the community, while only $0.43 stays when spent at a chain.)

Red roses and Christmas greens arrangement is the perfect gift for the holiday.  The above arrangement is priced at $50.

Other Red Roses Special: Buy 1 dozen of South American roses at $24.99 and get half dozen more for free (while supply last). Or have it arranged into an 18-roses arrangement for $55.99.Happy Holidays.

CSI Annual Holiday Party, UH School of Architecture Scholarship Auction & Celebration for Gilman Hu is tomorrow. One Christmas topiary and one hand made Christmas wreath, created especially for the event by Sweet Blossoms Hawaii will be available at the auction. Join them to honor Gilman Hu’s and support UH School of Architecture Scholarship at this annual holiday party. Call CSI reservations line at 847-1862. All CSI members will receive 15% off until December 26, 2009. Happy Holidays!

It’s time to dispose your Christmas tree and wreaths and it’s tempting to just throw them all in the trash. But it is worth while to separate them out for reuse and recycle first. In Kapahulu area, our next green waste (green bin) pick up is on January 8, Thursday.

Tabletop Christmas tree (topiary) – Pull off all ornaments, save them for next year to be reused. Pull all the greens and dispose them in the (green waste) green bin. Dispose the oasis in the (refuse) gray bin. The vase can be reuse or donate to Goodwill.

Wreath with metal base. – Pull off all ornaments, save them for next year to be reused. The remaining metal base and green is best just thrown in the gray bin. H-power will pick out the metal before burning the rest.

Wreath with natural twig basePull off all ornaments, save them for next year to be reused. Or call your local florist to see if they would take back the wreath. Some would certainly take the time to unwire the greens and save the twig base for future use.

Norfolk Christmas tree is rather easy to set up for treecycle.
1. Take off all the hung ornaments first and store them for future use.
2. Snap off the branches as you untangle the lights, wrapping the lights into a ball and store for next year use.
3. Snap off the remaining branches and bunch them in a pile.
4. Saw the main trunk in two or three pieces.
5. bundle everything and place them in the green bin.

There is still time to bring home and enjoy a locally grown Norfolk Christmas tree. We have just a ONE left at the shop. Christmas trees are best to be Christmas trees at your home. Thank you all for your support for buying local first – even for Christmas trees

6 ft – $52 (2) sold out
7 ft – $62 (2) sold out
9.5 ft – $72 (1) sold out

Now is a good time to order your Christmas dinner centerpieces with island favorite protea, pin cushion with varies Christmas green.

Join the fun. Make a Wreath to enter the City of Honolulu’s 23rd Annual Holiday Wreath Contest.  Don’t delay. Pull out last year’s wreath base. Gather all the flowers, ribbons and decoration. Let’s get started. Entry will be accepted December 1, 10 am to 5 pm.

Heros’ Wreath Contest
Honolulu City Lights

Our table top Christmas trees are hand crafted with Christmas greens, fillers, ribbons and decoration. They are about 1.5 to 2 feet tall. Perfect for family with small children and pets where worry of them pulling down regular size floor standing Christmas trees.

We thought going to the tree farm, pick and cut our own Christmas tree is out of the question when we live in Hawaii. That’s before we heard about Helemano Farms in Wahiawa, Oahu. What is missing is just the snow. (driving direction to the farm)

When you get to the farm, there are signs that will guide you to the sale pavilion. You will see them making wreaths from freshly cut trees and staff help loading the trees. You park your car. Their friendly staffs will bring you and your family down to where the trees are. Row and rows of Christmas trees grown in Hawaii is just unreal. Remember to a camera for a family photos. You pick your tree, they cut it for you and bring it back up to the pavilion. They net it and load it onto your car. And you are on your way to a tree of experience. No more needle mess to clean. No more tree drying out on you before Christmas and cause a fire hazard. More room for those keiki art ornament. Joy to Oahu. Thank you Halemano Farm.

Six reasons why I consider buying a local Norfolk Christmas Tree:

1. Buy Hawaii first. Support our local economy.
2. Our farmers cut and prune our Norfolks carefully so that each stump will eventually grow into another whole new Christmas tree.
3. Our farmer cut them right there and then. No more three to four weeks old tree from the mainland. Once cut down, Norfolk trees will stay green and healthy for at least couple months.
4. Reduce the risk of foreign invasive pests entering into our delicate island environment.
5. You are buying oxygen for the island. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air.
6. It’s fashionable. It’s our island’s favorite Kamaaina Christmas tree.

Norfolk Pines (localy grown) Tree tickets are available at our store right now. Perfect as gift from one family to another.

• 6 ft or shorter – $40
• 6 to 7 ft – $50
• 7 to 8 ft – $60

It is more fun to see the tree at the farm. But if you can’t make the drive down, we can pick up the tree for you for a $12 fee and you can stop by the store for the tree.

Fresh Green Wreaths (locally made)

• 12 in. to 14 in. – $38.99

Holiday season is right around the corner.  Order your flower arrangements early, so you’ll have more time to enjoy the holiday rather than busy at it.  Pin cushion is a little late this year but it definitely be ready to be part of your holiday tropical arrangement.