Get in the Spirit

Woo hoo! The holiday season is in full swing, festive lights are popping up all over town, dead trees are being hauled inside houses and strung with popcorn and cranberries. I do love the smell of balsam this time of year! Even if it brings with it those pesky pine needles that seem to need daily vacuuming.

At this time of year, I also love the holiday songs and stories, things I have no interest in listening to at any other time of year, but for three weeks in December just seem to lift my spirits. If you like that too, you might want to head over to Debra’s Natural Gourmet tomorrow night, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m., because store manager Jim Leahy is planning some light holiday reading of his own. For the fourth year in a row, he’ll be reading aloud A Child’s Christmas in Wales, a prose work by Dylan Thomas that’s a nostalgic look at Christmas from a young boy’s point of view. It’s a pretty iconic piece, and if you’ve never heard or seen it, this will be well worth your time.

According to Jim, this tradition grew out of the monthly poetry group that the store had been hosting, and this piece seemed a natural fit for December. And in keeping with the feeling of an English Christmas, Jim serves his own Christmas pudding after the reading. It’s a recipe he developed himself, an homage to his upbringing in England.

Personally, I am a huge fan of Christmas pudding – my grandmother made her own version, plum pudding, every Thanksgiving and Christmas for all my growing up years. And even though she’s still around, at 98 years old she’s pretty much done making pudding. Which is too bad, because it’s a rich, delicious dessert that will make you swoon.

So feel free to join Jim over at Debra’s Natural Gourmet, at 98 Commonwealth Avenue in West Concord, for a Christmas story and pudding. I think you will go home very satisfied, in mind and body.

Need a wreath?

If you’re still looking for that perfect wreath to finish your holiday look, and you missed the , then you need to check out the lobby at 51 Walden. There’s still a nice selection of handcrafted wreaths available, made by Concord resident Linda McConchie and her partner Ronnie Kanarek, as part of their new company, Zany. And here’s the best part: not only do you get a beautiful wreath and the chance to support a local artist, but 25% of the proceeds go to benefit (FOPAC). How can you go wrong??

To buy one of their creations, just email Linda at contactzany@gmail.com, or call her at 617-461-7253, or visit the Zany Facebook page.

I look forward to seeing those wreaths prominently displayed.

Do you have something you would like to share? Contact me at stefanieac@comcast.net or Maureen at mcb23@comcast.net, and we will be happy to help you spread the good news.