It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It’s that special holiday time again!  This year has gone by fast and now we are all decorating and getting in the holiday spirit with Christmas only a few weeks away.

In Stillwaters the neighborhood starts to get decorated when the lamp posts get “wrapped” in red ribbon just after Thanksgiving.  This annual event is orchestrated by volunteer organizers extraordinaire, the Garmans and then executed by a dozen or so volunteer wrappers.  Usually it is a wet and freezing cold time of year but this year Mr. Blogger and I were lucky to do our wrapping on a crisp dry day the day after Thanksgiving.  It’s a fun annual hour spent wrapping and saying hi to neighbors.

This week the wrapping and lighting moved to the beautiful Gathering Place and Colonial Residence.  Each year the maintenance crew make these two beautiful buildings sparkle and shine with seasonal cheer.  Neighbors are adding lights and houses are getting decorated.  Some tall and very well-lit trees in the neighborhood put me in awe of the what looks like a strenuous adventure up a ladder and into the tree limbs to decorate.  Walking around the neighborhood on a cold, crisp and sometimes snowy Christmas eve is a real treat.

At the Gathering Place this week the decorations went up in preparation for several festive activities.  Tuesday, December 5th brings a Westminster Bell Choir concert there at 6:30 p.m.  What a great way to start the season – with a holiday concert.

Also this week, Friday, December 8th, brings the Centralia High School Jazz Choir for their annual performance for the neighborhood.  I have seen and heard them perform a number of times and they always provide a fantastic holiday performance.  Make a point of dropping by at 11:30 (or earlier for a good seat) for this fun event.

Sunday, December 10th is the annual Stillwaters Christmas Party in the Gathering Place.  Hosted each year by Dave and Diana Williams, this is a yummy way to welcome the holidays with the Williams and many of your neighbors.  The only thing you need to bring is your Christmas spirit.  The first seating is at 1:30, second seating at 2:30 and third seating at 3:30.  No need to sign up for seatings, just know that if you arrive at 1:30 and the seating is full you may need to return at 2:30 or 3:30.  Most years residents do a good job of spreading themselves out throughout the afternoon.  This is the end of the year event hosted by Dave and Diana Williams to wish all residents a Merry Christmas.

The last event I am going to mention is the Centralia Community’s very own Lighted Tractor Parade on December 9th at 6 p.m.  If you like parades this is the best one all year.  Lighted tractors and all other modes of transportation celebrate Lewis County’s agricultural heritage as they file through the parade route on Main Street and really is a spectacle to behold.  Go prepared for chilly and wet weather and find a good spot along the way to enjoy the show (many areas provide cover against the possible rain).  Each year the parade has gotten larger and more amazing.  80 entries with a minimum of 1000 lights each are expected this year.  Watch for details in the Chronicle for the specific parade route.

Merry Christmas and happy holiday preparation!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. -Theodore Roosevelt

WEATHER:

I have to comment about the weather forecast.  For those of you who may not have looked ahead through the rainy weather this week I am announcing SUNSHINE.  Forecast for most of next week – dry, and sunny with a whiff of holiday in the air.