This weekend was our Mahoosuc Mills Down Home Holiday Festival. It’s always the second weekend of December, and people come from all over to experience our down home holiday fun. The St. Hyacinth’s Christmas Bazaar is part of the festival, and The Women Who Run With the Moose have a table down there where we sell crafts. It’s the second most popular booth at the Christmas Bazaar, if I do say so myself. The first is still the Blessed Bling Boutique. They rake it in. For some reason, the whole thing crept up on us this year. I think it’s because Thanksgiving was so late, and then we had that storm last week. Usually we …

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone again. I had a hard time wrapping my head around it this year. See, Thanksgiving was always my mom’s favorite holiday, so it’s not the same without her fussing around the kitchen, getting everything just right. It’s been fifteen years since she passed, and lately I’ve been really missing her. Don’t know why. Maybe because dad’s pushing 87 and fading. He’s still with us, sure, but his world is getting smaller by the day and with it, his interest in, well, life, too. He’s no longer the guy with the stories and the quick come back at the table. To be honest, nowadays Thanksgiving just seems like a problem …

We’re coming up on a very special anniversary, my friends. That’s right, the death of Elvis Presley. August 16, 1977, a date burned into my memory. That’s when the King relocated to heaven, taking all his talent and charisma with him. Forty-two years later, you know what? I still miss him. What a sexy man! Fat or thin, I don’t care, there was something about Elvis. When I think of him, though, I mostly think of the young Elvis. That first time on Ed Sullivan, oh mister man! We’d never seen anything like him. Even though they only showed him from the waist up, which made it even more tantalizing. Us girls were all a-flutter …

A new gal was getting her hair done down to Hair Affair a couple weeks ago. Merry just moved to Mahoosuc Mills, and was lucky enough to get an appointment with Pasty. (She must know someone.) So we’re gabbing like you do at the hair dressers. At one point, Merry was talking about how she lost someone dear to her (she didn’t share who). “I feel sad every once and awhile, sure,” Merry says. “But I made a decision to honor her by packing as much joy as possible into my life.” Wow, I’m thinking. What a great way to look at things! I’m taking that and running with it. It’s my birthday month. I …

Sunday, we had a birthday brunch for our Dad, over to Irene and Jimbo’s. She made the “Egg Dish” (there’s only one) which is something our mom used to make involving about a dozen eggs, butter, bread, milk and cheese. How can you go wrong with that combination, right? You whip it up the night before, and the next morning it bakes up nice and light. I brought along some fruit salad and cranberry nut bread, and Jimbo fried up a whole mess of bacon. As far as we’re concerned, if there ever was a “the food of the Gods,” bacon is it. Charlie and me picked up Dad from Mahoosuc Green. They had already …

Valentine’s Day always arrives just in the nick of time. We’ve dried out from all the sugar we ate Halloween through New Years. Mud season is around the corner, but we still have a ways to go before the crocus are in bloom. We’re bored out of our trees, and frankly, we need a reason, any reason, to celebrate. Getting to wear red and eat candy just sweetens the deal. Remember “sending” Valentine’s cards to everyone in your class? (I wonder if they still do that.) We‘re talking elementary school, here. We had these heart shaped “mail boxes” made of red construction paper with our name printed on the front pocket. That where you put …

We’re closing in on the first of the year, and none too soon, huh? Boy, working down to the A&P, I’ve seen some mighty stressed out people, let me tell you! No need to name names. You know who you are. And if you’re not one of ‘em, you’ve seen ‘em, too, I’m sure. Men on a mission, running in to get that one last thing their wife forgot. With the eye of the tiger and no time for hellos, they dash into the produce section or down an aisle only to appear at the express lane five or ten or sometimes fifteen minutes later, deer in the headlights, sweat on their upper lip. You …

It’s Christmas Eve day. My husband Charlie and the boys, Bud, Smitty, Pat, Tommy and Junior (a.k.a. the Husbands of the Women Who Run With the Moose) are out delivering presents. See, every year we have this tree down to Town Hall with stars on it. On each star is a request for a present from a kid in town. You know, a kid whose family needs a little help. Anyone can go down there, take a star, buy the present, wrap it and drop it back to Town Hall. If there are any stars left over, the Knights of Columbus buy the rest of the gifts. Then, on December 24th, Charlie and the boys …

I just love Christmas. I love the whole holiday season. From Halloween to New Year’s, it’s just one eating opportunity after another! What’s not to like about that? In our house, Charlie and me sing the “Twelve Days of Christmas” a little different, so I thought I’d share it with you. I’m no Dolly Parton, but I’m gonna give it a shot. Personally, I’ve always found the song a little long, so I’ll cut right to the chase with the twelfth day of Christmas, Maine style. On the twelfth day of Christmas, My Charlie gave to me Twelve lovely roses Eleven Klondike bars Ten toes a painted Nine Powerball tickets Ate at Bonanza Seven Eleven Slushy …

I don’t know about where you live, but up here in Mahoosuc Mills, seems like the minute Turkey Day was over, folks were flying into Christmas. Big time! It’s starting to look mighty festive, and you can’t help but being swept up in it. Across the street, the Phinney’s put out their crèche, and it’s beautiful as ever. And Hank and Pearl Plaisted have really gone to town with them icicle lights. Hank seems to have recovered from his pre-Thankgiving pneumonia, but he’s slowing down, that’s for sure. Ever since he took that header while hanging lights a few years back, they let their son-in-law do all the ladder work. Hank stays earth bound, thank …