Home for the Holidays....Mansfield Style!

Today was a very fun day to live in Mansfield (or there abouts!). The town hosted it's annual Home for the Holidays event. Lemme explain the concept. All kinds of stores, churches, organizations, schools, etc. participate in the whole day long list of events. Stores run sales and are all decorated to compete in the business decorating contest. Different churches sponsor meals. One did breakfast and another church sponsored lunch. The fire hall had craft vendors set up inside. There were three photography sessions, one at the bank for kids and Santa, another at the park's pavilion for Victorian family photos and then the Agway had pets-n-elves photos. There was a 5K run in the morning. Around 11am the teenagers met at the park for a photo scavenger hunt throughout the Main Street area of town. There was a live nativity, lots of different singing groups performing around town, a remembrance service for people who had passed away during 2009, horse drawn wagon rides, cookie decorating parties, kid's craft pavilions and a free movie (A Christmas Story) at the high school. At 5:30 there was a Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the park with the high school's choir there to lead us all in a carol sing-a-long. Finally there was a holiday trivia contest at a local pub. Whew! There was just tons of stuff to do today! We picked what we wanted to go do/see and I've got to tell you...IT WAS A BLAST!

We started off at Holy Child for a breakfast buffet and a visit by Santa. Breakfast was a fantastic "church lady" spread including this yummy french toast casserole. The gentleman serving us said, "Don't be shy." and I wasn't!
Afterwards we did the rounds and visited our friends at Bearly Enough and Ten West Coffee Shop. I got some really cute holiday decorations at Bearly Enough! While chatting with Carol at Ten West we saw groups of teens running around with giant wrapped packages. She explained that they were doing the scavenger hunt. It was SO cool. The teams had one photo and two written clues to a downtown spot. They had to figure it out, go there and get the next clue. They each had to do it in a different order and they looked like they were having fun. Afterwards we drove by the park to check it all out and we saw the craft area set up and tons of kids were making holiday treats and decorating cookies. We had planned on taking the dogs to Agway to have their photos taken, but I read the times wrong. We came home to put the final touches on the porch decorations, and the photo session ended at 3pm, I thought it started at 3! Oops. Well, it was good, 'cause Charles got to take a little nap. Around 4:30 we headed back out again, this time with Kiwi in tow. We went to Smythe Park and gathered with other folks, took our sheet music and once the Mayor lit the tree, we all started singing. There were choir kids mixed in with the rest of us novice singers and I've got to say that it was a very "Who-Ville" moment. The little kids were jumping up and down when we got to sing Jingle Bells! Charles was mighty impressed when I didn't need sheet music for any of the carols. Guess the combo of my extreme love of Christmas music, a church-going upbringing and working at a year-round Christmas store helped burn those lyrics into my brain! Yes, it was corn-ball, but I adored every moment of it! Finally after our carol singing, we headed to Chango's bar for the holiday trivia game. Kiwi used to be a regular in there and the girls who worked there were very happy to see her again. Charles and I made up "Team Liberace" and even with a couple glasses of wine we were able to take second place with trivia questions from the movie A Christmas Story.

I am sure that most of my friends will be sick of hearing me say this, but this town...this life is just the perfect fit for me. I love corn-ball. Love homespun. Love knowing your neighbors, chatting with anyone and everyone. Love the Christmas music and lit snowflakes along Main Street. Love that there is a real Main Street. Now if I could just master the art of walking on iced over snow, I think all will be perfect!