Tis the Season (Almost) by kristin

Yesterday,  fellow blogger Mary Elizabeth, with two kids and her (former) boyfriend in tow, took to the road to visit her Dad for Thanksgiving. Last year they got lots of snow.

Martine Lussier is wisely driving south and taking the night train up to Shasta to meet her boyfriend. Here in Fort Bragg it is raining cats and dogs, and I don’t have to drive far to share a Thanksgiving meal, for which I am grateful. That’s the only thing about the holidays – it really is kind of over the river and through the woods – only nowadays we listen to the news about gas prices and freeway routes instead of hitching up the old gray mare. I remember one starry night when I lived up in northern British Columbia (where my son still lives). We hitched up a sleigh to two big Clydesdale horses, and stopped at different neighbors’ houses on the way to the lodge for a holiday gathering. Memorable. Really, that’s what the holidays do for me – bring back memories of different times, places, and people. I like to listen to Frank Sinatra and songs of the 1940s, because that’s what my Mom liked to play during the holidays. And I like to watch old movies for the same reason. Well, I’ve resisted long enough. I started to get out some decorations this morning, and over the weekend I’ll put them up. I think I’ll go for the natural look this year:  eco-friendly, and all that jazz. We’ll be putting together a list of eco-friendly gift ideas from Living Light Marketplace. Stay tuned.

Our Second Favorite by mary elizabeth

Did you know that Halloween is this country’s second largest commercial holiday? I didn’t, but am happy to learn it. I mean, if our holidays must be commercial I’d just as soon we spend our money on skeletons and false eye lashes than anything else. Anyhow – I like our big commercial amalgam of a celebration. It’s drawn from so many traditions – Celtic, Greek, Roman, Christian – you name it. I guess everyone needs to embrace the darkness sometimes.     

Living Light is celebrating the second largest commercial holiday by participating in a local Day of the Dead celebration. We are going to have two altars on exhibit from October 25^th to November 2nd  – one in the Marketplace and one in the Café. We had one in the Marketplace last year upon which employees were encouraged to bring remembrances of their honored dead. We had items ranging from grandpa’s fishing gear to an Elvis cookbook. It was fabulous! I’m not sure what this year’s altars will bear, but I’ll keep you posted – and locals should come down and see them. Last year, there was an altar tour and reception with local goodies served, including a trio of raw chocolate delights from Living Light. Yum!