LOCKERLY: My Favorite Things

Published 9:03 am Wednesday, December 4, 2024

My parents raised my sister and me on Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. Therefore, no holiday season was complete without watching “The Sound of Music.” My sister and I loved the number “My Favorite Things.” We loved the music and the lyrics, but we also were jealous of the children being allowed to stand, jump and bounce on the beds, which we never would have been allowed to do! 

When I watch the movie during the holiday season, it reminds me of my own favorite things. For this article, I asked the Lockerly staff what their own favorite things are at Lockerly, during this time of year. Here is our combined list:

This time of year, we all love:

—Holly trees

—Garland around Rose Hill

—Holiday lights reflecting on the pond

—Camellia (sasanqua) flowers

—Wildlife (red fox by woods museum after hours, deer routinely in the afternoons, hawks, snakes, animal tracks)

—the cool crisp weather

Specific to Lockerly in Lights, everyone has their own favorite section or display, but a few stand out:

—Ornament Globe

—Silly Squirrels

—Candy Cane Lane

—S’mores

—Shooting Stars

—Corn Field and Popcorn

The last one there baffles me a bit. Everyone always goes crazy over the cornfield at Lockerly in Lights, and I don’t get it. It’s a corn field. What does corn have to do with the holidays?! Who knows. But if our guests like it, it doesn’t matter what I think and we’re having fun handing out free popcorn at that location each night. If you have not yet visited Lockerly in Lights, please go onto our website and get your tickets today: www.Lockerly.org/Lockerly-in-lights 

As for me, I have a few particular favorites:

—All of the above. Yes, even the corn, though I’ll admit to being partial to the camellias and the shooting stars.

—The wonderful staff and board of Lockerly who work unbelievably hard to make Lockerly a gift to our community.

—Our Dirt Digger volunteers, who work tirelessly on everything from mulching, pruning and planting, to putting together the s’mores packets each week for Lockerly in Lights.

—You, the wonderful people in this community who come to walk, enjoy nature, enjoy Lockerly in Lights and remind us why we come to work every day. Lockerly exists for you.

—Our members. Lockerly exists because of you. Members of Lockerly are the people who recognize the hard work of staff and volunteers, they see the potential for Lockerly as an arboretum and the potential for what Lockerly can be in our community and in Georgia. Our members are committed to helping us reach that potential by making a financial contribution. To all our members who have made the conscious decision to invest in Lockerly’s future, we thank you.

If you have come to Lockerly, and enjoyed it even a little, I encourage you to consider becoming a member. Also, memberships make great presents! Your brother-in-law doesn’t need another tie or pair of socks; but a membership at Lockerly will give him free admission to over 300 public gardens across the country through the Reciprocal Admissions Program. Gift memberships can be purchased on our website at www.lockerly.org, or you can call the office or stop by after you’ve strolled the grounds.

I hope you get to enjoy your own Favorite Things during the holiday season. I hope you’ll consider adding Lockerly Arboretum to that list, whether it is by coming to Lockerly in Lights, becoming a member, or by taking a moment to walk, relax and breathe on our peaceful grounds. 

—Jennifer Pollard is executive director of Lockerly Arboretum. She can be reached at jenniferpollard@lockerly.org .