Making Christmas

Tim and I are celebrating a year together. When I sat my suitcase down last year, and two unruly pups walked in with me, it was a whole different house. There were three rooms in chaos as sheet rock and paint were coming together. We simply celebrated how we could, but mostly we celebrated being under the same roof. It took years and faith to be together, but it was right.




This year we are settled in and even though there is chaos still, it is of a different sort. There has been a big show in Ohio, a wave of wee folk that have been adopted as never before....and pattern orders that have not slowed down in December as they usually do. In it all, we are trying to find our way as to making the Holiday season ours by making our own traditions. It is our hope that some day, the kids will take from them as they start their own families.

It didn't take much arm twisting to decide that the theater is one thing that we would like to keep doing. Last year we saw the Albany Repertory Production of "A Christmas Story" and we loved it.  After a couple years of a slow economy and a reminder that supporting our area small business would help and create jobs, why not make the theater top of our list? The arts usually have the biggest and first cuts. We are just outside the city, why not take advantage of it all? This year, it was off to Proctors Theater (which has a long history of it's own) and "A Miracle On 34th Street".  I'm loving it all! This small town country girl has had a wonderful time seeing the city light up this holiday and I'm loving the window displays!

One tradition now has a great start. Now for our Christmas. Christmas Eve is spent with Tim's family and is always great fun. A dish to pass, gifts to exchange and babies to enjoy! Our Christmas day will be one of travel, as long as roads are passable, we will be there for my Mom and my girls. 

It is our Christmas Day meal that we have long pondered. Tim is Irish, I am a good mix of Scottish, Irish and Welsh....but mostly Italian. We decided that Christmas dinner should be a wink and a nod to the Irish/Scottish and Welsh  side of things. So off we go today, to see the local butcher to order our leg of lamb.We will make a side of colcannon and decide upon our dessert. It will all fall into place and we are both full of happiness, not only to be celebrating as a couple, but in starting our own traditions. Not to mention, supporting our local businesses. The circle goes round as we put our earnings into small businesses as many of my customers have done for me. Thank you everyone, for all of your orders and adoptions. You have kept me working and made it possible for us to  in turn keep others working or possibly creating jobs. I can't help but think that while it is nice to make Christmas for ourselves, we've done a greater thing by making so much more for others.