Beginning on Wednesday, December 21st, we start by discounting all Christmas Decorations* by 10%. Then on the 22nd, it’s 20% off, on Friday the 23rd, 30% off, and on Saturday, the 24th, 40% off. That’s the Before part of the sale.

The After part starts when we open up on Monday, the 26th. At that precise moment (9:30 a.m.), Christmas Decorations go on sale at 50% off!

* Just to clarify: Flowers & Music are not included in this sale.

Holiday Hours:

We’ll be open our usual hours (9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) this week with the exception of Saturday (Christmas Eve) when we’ll be closing somewhere around 4:00 p.m.

We are once again stocked up on everybody’s favorite word games Bananagrams, Appletters, and Pairs in Pears. We have also secured a supply of their new games – Zip-It and Fruitominoes.

ZIP-IT is an exhilarating, high-speed, two-player game played with 24 lettered cubes and colored scoring zippers that come built into the pouch. Each player takes 12 cubes and races against their opponent to build a word grid. One hand can be played in as little as 20 seconds, and everything you need is in the bag! Playable on an airplane or train tray, ZIP-IT is the ultimate travel game. Each pouch includes a WEORDS dictionary of weird words that win word games!

Fruitominoes is a fresh, fruity, and colorful twist to the classic game of dominoes! Each player takes turns matching the six attractive fruit patterns. Twenty-eight Fruitominoes in a compact pouch make this a game that’s great for young and old.

Most years, we just wander around until we find a climbable tree, stomp our way through the underbrush, find some way to get into the tree, ascend to a dizzying height, and clip away at the decorative parasites. They are then gently tossed from the “harvester” down to the “catcher” who generally gets a facefull of mistletoe, moss, an occasional branch, and perhaps a small tree dwelling rodent.
This year, remembering many trees that were just too hard to get into, we decided to try attaching monofilament (fishing line) to an arrow and shooting the arrow over a branch. We would then tie a rope to the monofilament and pull the rope over the branch. Then we (meaning Thea) could climb the rope to a bountiful harvest. Well as luck would have it, the first tree we happened upon was easy to climb and yielded an abundance of mistletoe.

We could have just called it a day and gone to sit by the fire, but no, we had to try out our new system. Presently, we found a suitable tree and Robin prepared the arrow and monofilament. He then proceeded to test the arrow by lightly shooting it across a field. Away flew the arrow, snap went the monofilament, and it was a surprise to all just how far that arrow flew. Across the field, uphill and into the brush it went. After a fruitless and arrowless search we returned to the tree. Robin got out his lighter bow, another arrow, and attached the monofilament. I must say that Robin is quite a good shot and if Miranda hadn’t been standing on the monofilament, he would have gotten the line in the tree in no time.

Eventually we did succeed in getting the line in the tree, but it wasn’t strong enough to pull the rope over the branch.  It did make for an interesting illusion on the way up though. So as the sun began to set and the chill settled in, we decided to go make some hot chocolate and sit by the fire.

Here’s hoping your holiday season is filled with adventure.
And yes, we do have mistletoe.
Peace,
Brian

First up, is the music of John Huling. He’s just released Winter Solstice – Southwest Meditations, an album of musical stories with haunting Native American flute melodies and meditative drumming enveloped in the sounds of nature. This is contemplative, peaceful music for meditation, dreaming, and healing your spirit.

Hmmm…I guess that may not sound like most people’s idea of party music. Never fear, we have another selection.

A solstice CD that I plan to add to my personal collection is Song of Solstice by Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra. This album of Celtic music offers original and traditional songs for midwinter. From pieces that encourage introspection to lively tunes that will have you singing along, this CD is a gift to help banish the winter gloom.

If you’re starting to deck your deck, porch, and eaves with holiday decorations, be sure to check out our selection of Cedar Garland, Evergreen Wreaths & Swags, and Fresh Cut Greens. These are all locally made and as fresh as can be (unless you make them yourself).
Of particular interest are the wreaths from Jim Kreutzbender. Jim has been making wreaths for over 20 years and I’m sure he doesn’t want to think about how many he’s made in all that time. His signature style is a combination of evergreens, colorful dried statice, holly and juniper. Hang one on your door as a symbol of welcome to friends and family.

Peace,
Brian

“What exactly is Fair Trade?” you may ask. “And why is it important to me and my little corner of the planet?”

Well, Fair Trade is a system that exists to give a chance to small farmers, artisans and workers around the world, so they can also benefit from globalization. This philosophy provides a platform that enables these disadvantaged people to rise above poverty and improve their standard of living.

While globalization has opened the doors for different countries to communicate, share ideas and engage in trade that should ultimately develop the world, in many situations it has also opened the door to exploitation. Many third world countries do not have the resources to compete equally with developed nations. In many cases, the powerful corporations in these nations set up a factory, a plantation or a mine under the pretense that they will pay the workers a salary (which is better than no salary), pay taxes, and improve the local economy. What often ends up happening is that people are overworked and are not compensated for all the sacrifices they make (their health, their family, their dignity).

It is no one’s fault that this system started, since people were just following the economic theories they knew. However, we are at a point where we realize that this is an unethical way of doing business. That is why people from both developed and developing nations have created the system of Fair Trade. It aims to empower the artisans, farmers and miners with education, access to credit, information about the markets, and communications tools so they can compete in the globalized economy. In the end, Fair Traders hope to create a system where the artisans and farmers become independent and self-sustainable. That is why Fair Trade exists: to create justice, to empower people, to break the poverty cycle, and ultimately so everyone can produce and buy products that are healthy for the people and the planet.
Fair Trade is anti-slavery and anti-child labor. It supports the conservation of the environment by using locally sourced materials, it respects and appreciates the hard work of people, it empowers women and minorities, and it provides a living wage for producers.

By supporting Fair Trade products, you are taking a step towards making the world a better place.

To learn more about Fair Trade and one of the nice companies that is supporting this movement, check out Handmade Expressions at:
www.handmadeexpressions.net

Natalie keeping warm in Cagoule Fleece

Here’s a link to a cool video that shows how they make their hats:
Cagoule Fleece

And while we’re on a musical holiday theme, I’d like to point out a couple of delightful new titles:

Winter Warm
~ Tom Grant & Rebecca Kilgore

Pianist Tom Grant and vocalist Rebecca Kilgore, two seasoned Northwest jazz performers , weave their respective talents to create a mosaic of festive elegance, offering unique renditions of Christmas classics with a jazzy twist. The music is effervescent and romantic, reminiscent of something you’d hear in a cozy corner jazz bar, with shades of Bacharach and Vince Guaraldi in the arrangements. Aside from evergreens like “Let it Snow” and “Sleigh Ride,” the music also includes lesser known, but equally appropriate numbers like “A Song for Christmas,” “Snowbound” and “Christmas Dreaming.” A great album for those who like understated, eloquent jazz.

A Passion for Pavarotti: The Christmas Album
~ Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti will go down in history as one of the legendary tenors of classical music. The label Opera d’Oro offers a series of collections that highlight some of Pavarotti’s best moments from his career; in this case, focusing on his holiday themed material. Included here are beautiful arias and hymns from the realm of classical music, including Handel’s majestic “Hallelujah” chorus from “Messiah,” Franck’s sublime “Panis Angelicus,” Schubert’s soaring version of “Ave Maria,” and a few more common holiday favorites – “O Holy Night,” “Adestes Fideles” and “Silent Night.” A breathtaking, listening experience for your holiday festivities.