Weekend Whirl

36f, overcast, damp chill in the air.

The air certainly feels like December! And outside my windows it looks like December too. My sister on the other side of this state posted photos of snow, but alas all we had was icy drizzle. 

But Friday and Saturday were warm enough to go out in only light jackets, at least in the daytime. We went out for a day of fun with our friend Lynne Friday. We met at  Mea Cuppa Coffee in the Charleston Farmer's Market, where I saw this brilliant tree:

After coffee we rode together to Lynne's favorite antique mall, Brown's Antiques in Nitro, WV. A great place to browse, with some really quirky items, like this funeral display from the 1920s, I believe.

I came home with some treasures, including this little silver tree that I just couldn't pass up for $2.50. The photo doesn't nearly capture its sparkle.  I think it is older because none of the needles came off as so often happens with the newer ones.

After that we returned to the farmer's market for their new event, a small version of a German Christmas market, which was to offer German food and vendors. Kind of a disappointment there, as the line was very long and the food was only brats or pretzels. The market was nicely decorated though, and I think that given the huge success this event will be improved next year. 

We gave the food a pass, checked out the vendors, and then went to the Brawley Walkway and our favorite Charleston eatery, the Fife Street Brewery. With patio heaters available, we opted to eat outside and enjoy the lights and crowds. 

My Black Friday sandwich, so delicious. The dip is made with cranberries and is addictive, I swear.

I saw another great tree as we walked back to our car, a book tree.

Saturday we had shopping to do,  mainly groceries for the holidays. We hit up Aldi's for ham, crackers, delicious English and Irish cheeses, wine, chocolate, and champagne. At Aldi's prices, we could afford to splurge a bit. 

Yesterday we were out again, for the fourth day in a row, a rarity for us. We had been invited to a friend's home for dinner after the afternoon matinee of a Christmas play put on by the local theater group. So I spent the morning making cherry and mincemeat tarts, 

but our friend had to cancel due to illness, so I froze the treats and we went to the play anyway. It was great. Written by a local lawyer, performed by locals in our tiny performance theater, the play featured many musical numbers. 

The theater was packed, with a standing room only sellout, which made me happy. Support like this is so critical for small venues and local arts 

After the play we stopped at our favorite little restaurant/artisan market--I do mean little, only seats about 12 people--and ran into friends who had also attended the play. I had a perfect hot chocolate while Larry enjoyed a beer and a loaded hotdog. We had a lovely visit with our friends, then headed home for fire, dogs, and a Christmas movie.

It was a really nice weekend, and for me, the kind of Christmas doings that I like. I was thinking the other day that since we don't have TV service, only listen to public radio, and don't shop big box stores and such, we never get overloaded with all the commercial hype. We can create the kind of holiday season we really enjoy. It works for us, anyway. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.