By Georgia Osten
Well, almost. I’m in full swing though. I’ve gotten lists from a few members of the family, but some of the others just come natural. I know a gift when I see it and some members of this family are so easy to shop for anyway. Trying to save a little stash for the upcoming Nutcracker Market. Oh, so much fun to be had! I’ve heard we’re expecting a cold front, down in the 60’s. That’ll really put us in the spirit! We’ll tailgate as usual, so Leigh has planned a menu depending on what everybody’s bringing. Mel will bring her famous chicken salad, Barbara will bring her Pigs in a Blanket, Leigh will bring the beverages and a cheese and meat tray, bagels & cream cheese & blueberry muffins, Linda & Wendy will bring some sweets, I’ll bring ham & cheese sliders for Kelly & Addyson, who will be flying in from Tampa on Friday evening. Oh, and Addyson requested strawberries & pineapple with Grandma’s famous fruit dip. I’m not really famous for the dip, Strawberry cream cheese and marshmallow cream are though.

Our tail gating is the jealousy of a lot of the Nutcracker Market goers, but it’s really catching on. More and more of our fellow shoppers are joining in the fun. Hopefully, the Nutcracker officianados won’t get wind of our shenanigans and shut us off from such frivolous behavior.

My favorite time of year. I love these upcoming holidays. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they won’t be happening in my neck of the woods. I’m really looking forward to each one. Traveling to Indiana for Thanksgiving and traveling to Tampa for Christmas. We have family in Indiana, so we’ve sent our grocery and libations lists to them.

We’ll drive to Tampa, so carrying Christmas gifts will be a breeze, just have to save room for Maezy. I’m a little concerned about decorating for Christmas, so is my husband. He’s hoping he doesn’t have to drag the tree out from the storage closet. We both love looking at the tree all the Christmas season, but not having to do it will make the next year so much more inviting.

Sending “Christmas” to Indiana will a challenge, but no hill for a climber! Been there, done that! Remote family has become the norm, California, North Carolina & most recently, Israel. We have our Christmas Names list made out. Addyson suggested candy bars, so, of course, we agreed. PawPaw has already made out the list! There’s M&M’s, Almond Joy, Butterfinger, Kit Kat, you name it. It’s a big family, so he didn’t have a problem coming up with a candy bar.

Y’all enjoy this cold front coming. Light up those fire pits, grab some grahams, marshmallows and Hersheys & get some fresh COLD air!

Till next time …
From mi Casa to yours!

[GO: Nov-8-2022]