As gardeners, we receive many gifts all year

-- Pollinators who do their thing in the garden without any prompting, and do even more with a little encouragement (and plants they love). From almonds to zucchini, the area's crops and our home gardens depend on bees, butterflies and other insects, and the birds, too.

-- The trees that provide valuable shade in summer and give us leaf mulch in the fall. They also can provide food -- even if just for wildlife. (Oh, those hungry squirrels!) And birds depend on trees for shelter, too, of course.

-- The magical soil below us, full of nutrients and microorganisms and earthworms and so many things we're not aware of as we walk over it. Caring for the earth, the soil, is our charge as gardeners, and we reap the rewards.

-- Our gorgeous Mediterranean climate, which even as it's changing lets us work outside nearly year-round and grow so many things so well that we're the envy of many of the country's gardeners.

--The wonder of tiny seeds that turn into 2-pound tomatoes or tender lettuces with just the right amount of care.

-- Finally, the generosity of fellow gardeners, who give freely of seeds, divisions, transplants, produce, tools and advice. Plants I've been given -- that rose, those herbs, that hydrangea -- provide fond memories of the giver. If a new acquaintance says, "Oh, you're a gardener, too!" you have instant rapport. It's a community to cherish.

Happy holidays, everyone. See you in the garden in 2026!