I hope that everyone is enjoying a safe and joyous holiday season. I’ve taken a bit of time off from the gallery to visit family.

I wanted to share an experience this season that truly warms my heart. Last Sunday, after the hustle of last minute custom framing work, Donna and I hurried off to a party at some friends home. We were to bring some type of candy to use in decorating gingerbread houses. We had forgotten the small spice jar with cinnamon flavored sugar sprinkles and decided to show up without it (we did have a bottle of wine). Good thing. When we got to the party and entered the garage, we realized it was probably better that we had not brought that tiny jar of sprinkles. It was an amazing sight to enter the garage with 3 dozen small graham cracker house frames sitting neatly at the tables. There was candy of all kinds piled in the middle of the tables. We realized that we were the amateurs at this event. The piles of candy would have made the best of D Street trick or treaters feel inadequate!

Talk about getting that holiday feeling back! We each started with the basic house structure and a baggy of white icing “glue”. There were also extra graham crackers to use in adding to the basic structure. Most of the people at the party were people we met that night. The common challenge of creating a decorated house broke the ice in a hurry. The laughter and friendly competition made it easy to look over someone’s shoulder to discuss the stability or artistry of their creation. There were so many types of candy that you really had to get up out of your seat and peruse all the tables to understand all the different types of candy available. Some people had been to the event for several years and brought their own edible building materials. One guy brought dill to help build a tropical hut. It was great fun to watch kids of all ages (3 to 70 or so) arrange the candies, pull the liquorice and giggle through the evening. The party really put me in the spirit of the season of giving. Giving a bit of time to sit with new friends and enjoy their company has helped make week grand. So, my thanks to Michael, Suzie & Bryce for their gift of setting the stage for a lovely week. Thanks also to Melissa for sharing her pictures with us! May 2008 bring love and peace to each of you and to the world.