Christmas traditions are plentiful for florists, too, Duane McGraw notes with a smile.
Not only are poinsettias popular this time of year, but Duane’s Flowers, which has been a part of the Iola retail community since 1976, offers up a wide variety of holiday service this year.
McGraw spoke on a wide variety of topics related to the holidays, including how he almost wasn’t a part of this year’s Christmas shopping scene.
Two priorities have taken center stage this month.
First, McGraw and his crew will decorate more than 40 grave sites with floral arrangements for Christmas.
“That’s just something we’ve been doing all along,” McGraw explained,. Many customers from across the country have standing orders with the flower shop to decorate loved ones’ graves at certain times of the year.
“Of course, Memorial Day is the big day,” he said. “Others just want new flowers in the spring, others in the fall. And we have quite a few who do it for Christmas.”
On Wednesday, just hours before the first snowstorm of the season, McGraw had decorated nine graves in Bronson, and made it back to Iola before the first flakes fell.
“Glad I got it done when I did,” he said.
Meanwhile, McGraw, wife Judy and daughter Kristina DeLaTorre also are busy preparing the flower shop for Friday night’s Spirit of Christmas shopping event in downtown Iola.
Like other merchants along and near the courthouse square, Duane’s will be open until 7 p.m. Friday, with refreshments at the ready, ornate flower and gift arrangements on display, and a drawing for a free gift item planned.
“To me, this place is prettier at night,” McGraw said. “We have all these lights that really show off at night.”
McGraw notes the elegant ornaments adorning his tree are not just for decoration, they are for sell, too.
“Don’t act like you can’t buy something off the tree,” he said with a chuckle. “People haven’t realized those decorations are for sell.”
Temperatures are supposed to be cool, but not bitterly cold, by Friday evening, which should give the perfect atmosphere, McGraw said.
“Last year’s event was pretty warm, so I stood outside with apple cider with the door open,” he recalled. “That worked until a bird flew into the store. It took us forever to try to get that bird out of there, and he finally flew out without any of us knowing it.”
