As I sit here all snug and cozy in my living room, a landscape of white outside from the recent snow – the Christmas lights illuminating the room while Bing Crosby croons in the background, I am overwhelmed with the festivity of the season. My youngest and her friends are baking cookies and laughing in the kitchen, I am sipping a warm, mulled wine with my wife, and my 20-year old cat (bless her soul) is actually curled up next…
I was forced into town this past weekend to pick up the final touches to complete my Christmas shopping for this year. While I bought most of my gifts online (an absolute joy at this time of year), there were some stocking stuffers and other knick-knacks that had me out and about among the masses to complete my Christmas lists. And oh, what masses there were. The parking lots were full, the mall was crowded, and I had to wait…
It’s that time of year. So much going on – so much to get done. The house needs to be decorated, there are presents to buy and wrap, holiday school events to attend, college kids to pick-up, and meals to plan. Did you get your Christmas cards done and in the mail? How about those packages that need sent out in order arrive on or before December 25th? What day are you baking your holiday cookies or assembling that gingerbread…
Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means our household can now turn its attention to the upcoming Christmas season. Unlike more and more of my friends and neighbors, in our castle we DO give Turkey Day its due and hold off on the fluff and floof of Christmas until at least the day AFTER Thanksgiving (which even I think is a little early, but am generally overruled by a gaggle of women who are in full-on “Holy Jolly”…
In addition to our own busy preparations for the upcoming holiday season, there are so many local events that you can attend or participate in to help get you into the holiday spirit. Tree lighting events, fun runs, live nativities – the four-state area is flush with seasonal splendor. While there are way too many to mention here, listed below are a few of my annual favorites. Christmas at the Roundhouse (Hagerstown, MD) This annual exhibit features the “Trains of…
Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I too can get into the Christmas spirit. It begins with the annual decorating of the inside and outside of the house, which if you have kids, you quickly realize is one of the many highly anticipated events of the holiday season. Mine have been bugging me to trudge up into the attic and drag out the Christmas boxes ever since the turkey platter went cold on November 23rd. We were out of…
Ahhhh, memories. I hearken back to a day when each holiday got its due. I fondly recall my days as a young school-aged lad, making cut-out jack-o-lanterns in October, drawing around my hand to make a turkey in November – and then – in December, we’d talk about the upcoming Christmas holiday. I know it sounds crazy, but yes – we’d talk about Christmas in December. These days, in our consumer driven world, it seems as if retailers want to…
Since my holiday preparations are woefully behind this year, this past weekend I was forced to wade into the sea of humanity that is the holiday shopping crowd. In my trip to the local mall – between a line at ‘Old Navy’ that literally snaked through the store and proof that yes, sometimes ‘Bath and Bodyworks’ is crowded – I took a few minutes to observe families take part in an annual holiday tradition that has been going on for…
Living in a rural area has its advantages and disadvantages. For example, it’s hard to find fine dining options, but I could probably get you a good deal on a cord of firewood for the winter. One thing that the four-state area has an abundance of; however, is good, old-fashioned Christmas displays and celebrations. One of the best is continuing through this weekend, and you should get out and see it if you can. The Williamsport “Charlie Brown” Christmas at…
Ever since I was little, I’ve loved model trains (and that ladies and gentlemen – is a long time). I love to watch them wind around the track, chugging through tiny worlds that are lovingly created in exact detail. There are tiny shops, tiny trees, and tiny people. It fascinates me, and I could stare at model railroad displays for hours. I can fondly remember traveling out to the Hagerstown Fairgrounds when I was a wee lad to view the…