Preparing for the holiday rush
This past Saturday morning we all woke up to a chilling temperature of 29 degrees and the wind made it feel like it was 24 degrees. It feels like the holiday season has finally begun. It seems each year after Halloween ends that the days speed up, and before you know it the holidays are upon us.
The downtown open house was held last Thursday and the stores were lively with shoppers. However, COVID and the flu is running rampant this season and kept some shoppers at bay but overall it looked like a good turnout. If you happen to be one of the unlucky few that got stuck with a cold this past week, fear not, because there is still plenty of time to shop at our local stores in Holly Springs. There are also plenty of shopping destinations in Byhalia, Potts Camp, Red Banks, and Ashland. It’s that time of year again where we must consider what we are buying friends and family for Christmas.
The downtown open house was held last Thursday and the stores were lively with shoppers. However, COVID and the flu is running rampant this season and kept some shoppers at bay but overall it looked like a good turnout. If you happen to be one of the unlucky few that got stuck with a cold this past week, fear not, because there is still plenty of time to shop at our local stores in Holly Springs. There are also plenty of shopping destinations in Byhalia, Potts Camp, Red Banks, and Ashland. It’s that time of year again where we must consider what we are buying friends and family for Christmas.
But before we can get to Christmas, we must get to Thanksgiving first. I am challenging myself this year by getting more organized before the holidays begin, although there have been several years in the past where I have procrastinated on some of the most important tasks. Boy was that fun! But now Thanksgiving is only a week away and I still have a few things left to do on my list.
Lots of people, including myself, have been shopping those great buys at our locally owned grocery stores, Carlisle’s Cash Saver, Reed’s Market in Byhalia and Food Giant in Ashland just to name a few. Getting ready for the holidays can be a tremendously daunting task, or it can be something fun and worthy of pride.
Picking out the right size turkey or ham is the first thing on the list and finding the perfect one to feed the Thanksgiving crew can be a difficult thing to do. I was surprised just this past weekend at how many turkeys had already sold out!
My daughter Emily and I went to the grocery store this past weekend on the hunt to find the perfect turkey thinking we were ahead of the game. Shockingly, the pickings were slim for a 10-12 pound turkey, which would be the perfect size for our family. They only had one 13 pound turkey and several 15-20 pound turkeys left that evening. As we dug around in the freezer there was a sweet elderly couple looking, too. Like us, they were trying to find the smallest one. It was an unspoken challenge to see who found the smallest one first. Emily was so thoughtful and offered the smallest one she found in the freezer, a 13- pound turkey, to the sweet elderly lady. The lady thanked her and quickly ran to her buggy. I stuck my head out of the freezer and almost stopped the lady to steal back the only small turkey in the freezer, but quickly realized Emily had done the right thing. We both laughed, shrugged our shoulders and took a 14.1 pound turkey instead. As we checked out the clerk at the register said, “Oh, my that’s a big bird!” Our thoughts exactly. I’ll make sure I have plenty of to-go boxes this Thanksgiving or we will be eating turkey sandwiches until Christmas.
Ah yes, Christmas, it is only five weeks away. The count down officially begins the day after Thanksgiving in my family. I’m always searching for Christmas events to get myself in the holiday cheer. Luckily there are plenty of Christmas plays, concerts, parades, and fun activities scheduled in our schools, churches and downtown. The streets, businesses and homes will be beautifully decorated in Christmas colors and lights. It is, in fact, the most magical time of the year.
Remember to shop your local downtown merchants this holiday season. They have so much to offer. I’m confident that you can find the perfect gift for that special someone.
A visit to see Santa will be on many kids’ lists too. When I was a kid, Santa came to the town square for a day or two. I will never forget stopping by his little white house in front of the courthouse. I love to make a good Christmas list for everyone close to me, both family and friends. But, some may choose to write Santa this year. I imagine some will email a letter to the north pole and others may decide to mail a letter by dropping it off at the United States Post Office. I remember several years ago when USPS used to send letters from Santa to every home in town. It was magical
The thing on the forefront of everyone’s mind right now is that the holidays are upon us so we all need to set our pace and enjoy the days ahead. Remember the most important thing about the holidays is family and friends coming together. So make your hot chocolate, light a fire in the fireplace, decorate your Christmas tree, and gather with your family to make precious memories for the years ahead this holiday season.