Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas At Stella’s

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As you’re planning your shopping this season, consider supporting small businesses that provide a special experience while you shop for things you won’t find anywhere else.

I stopped by Stella’s Mercantile after my hike Saturday and was delighted to see they are decorated for Christmas. Life sized nutcrackers flank the front door that’s always painted a festive red.

Step through those red doors and warm greetings abound in a space that feels like something out of a Hallmark movie. This building operated as Fout’s Store for generations until I was a kid and I have fond memories of the old wood floors and fixtures. They’ve done a great job of holding onto the historic charm of the space while shifting their focus to local artists, candy makers and others who make things.

Here you’ll find paintings, plants, quilts, jewelry, and so much more. There’s fudge and candy, bread and cinnamon rolls. Don’t forget the cinnamon rolls.

There are so many goodies to enjoy and gifts to take home for yourself and for folks on your list.

One of my favorite memories from this place when I was a kid was going there for bulk Christmas candy. They currently have bulk candy in jars on the counter so you can take home a few pieces or a whole bag!

Check out the vintage tinsel tree that belonged to the grandparents of one of the owners.

I like a place that gives me an experience rather than just a thing. You feel something when you walk into a place like Stella’s. You feel the history, the community and charm that have made it what it is today and I think that’s way better than a big box store where no one thinks to greet you and no one cares that you get that special thing that makes you smile.

I bought myself a Christmas gift Saturday and the owner remembered that I had missed out on getting something similar earlier this year. That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me.

They’ll have Santa on Saturday, December 13. What a fun environment it would be to meet Santa!

I have written about Stella’s before. I hope you’ll take a minute to read that story. Also, I wrote about the old Fout’s Store at Christmas. I hope you’ll read that one too.

It’s a special place. Go visit. Support their efforts to give local people a venue to sell their things and to breathe new life into a historic space. I think you’ll like it!

However, if you’re not in Vinton County, Ohio this Christmas, be sure to support local businesses near you!

Christmas Can Be Hard

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My favorite Christmas songs all have a note of bittersweetness about them. Judy Garland almost tearfully sang her rendition of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Bing Crosby is dreaming of a white Christmas like the ones he used to know “where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow.” He goes on to sing “may your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white.”

Global warming has changed our winters here in southern Ohio from a climate where we would have snow on the ground all winter to one where snow is a rarity even in the depths of winter. A white Christmas is a rare treat. 

And are your holidays merry and bright? 

For some, the holidays are merry and bright. For others, Christmas is a reminder of what they don’t have anymore. The loss of family members is a hard one to move past during Christmas. Financial difficulties and all around life instability make it hard to celebrate. No matter how much you try to count your blessings, it’s possible that you are living in circumstances that are just tough on any given day without facing the expectation you be happy because society says so. 

Here’s to those who have empty seats at the table this year. It’s ok to be sad as you remember the good times and struggle to think of the holidays ahead and how you can make them merry and bright again. You don’t have to. 

Here’s to those who face illness and just don’t have the energy to meet the expectation that you still keep up with traditions of old when you’re barely keeping yourself alive. You don’t have to. 

Here’s to those who have lost income and simply can’t afford to keep up with the Jones’ this year. You don’t have to. 

Here’s to those who have lost family because they don’t approve of your politics, your lifestyle or simply put, your true self. You may be tempted to try to adapt and compromise your standards for the sake of keeping peace. You don’t have to. 

And here’s to those who are suffering in silence for  unspoken reasons or for something you can’t begin to understand or explain even when people ask. You don’t have to. 

There is something we can all do. Regardless of your circumstances or difficulties or maybe everything is ok and you have no good reason to struggle this holiday season, remember this: give yourself a little grace. 

It is a season of giving and we do tend to feel better when we are kind to others. Sometimes, though, we need to be kind to ourselves too. Take a nap, drink lots of water, go for a walk, breathe fresh air, take a long shower, eat a cookie, have a good cry, say no to the people who are stressing you out. Choose one or five of these things and do for yourself. Just be kind to yourself. One deep breath and one step in front of the other will work wonders toward healing your own wellbeing. 

I tell you to make the journey fun. That’s the title of this blog and it’s a sort of life mission. Even on a normal day, I like to look for ways big and small to brighten my day. It’s a good way to live, really, and I’m glad I can do that. But it’s not possible every day. In fact, some days are just hard. In a world where people on the internet are so determined to make their lives look perfect, I’ll be the first to tell you mine isn’t perfect and that trying to keep up  with the perfection or the merry and bright myth can be a recipe for disaster. 

You don’t have to be happy. You don’t have to be merry and bright, no matter what the songs say. But you do have to keep going because you deserve to be here.

One step, one breath. One step, one breath. One step, one breath.

You’ve got this.

Neapolitan Presepio: A Christmas Tradition For Generations

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Many households have a holiday tradition that involves displaying some kind of nativity portraying the birth of Jesus Christ. They come in all shapes and sizes from paintings or wall carvings to tabletop displays of ceramic, wood or plastic. In America they often show just Joseph and Mary with the newborn Jesus.

I own a beautiful porcelain set that depicts the wise men, angels, innkeeper, a shepherd, and numerous animals. Mine is lovely but it pales in comparison to something I saw at the Carnegie Art Museum in Pittsburgh this last trip. 

Since 1957, the Carnegie has displayed a Neapolitan Presepio which is essentially an elaborate nativity surrounded by scenes of everyday life in 18th century Naples. 

A presepio is comprised of handmade painted wood and terracotta pieces likely created by talented artists between 1700 and 1830. They were made for aristocratic households and assembling all of the pieces may have taken a lifetime. This particular presepio comes from Neapolitan collector Eugenio Catello (1898-1958) and has been displayed in Pittsburgh during the holidays each year since 1957. 

There are dozens of pieces including small items of produce sold by vendors, animals and angels that hang from the ceiling. Many of the figures are identifiable people and the museum points out that there is much significance in the placement of the people and of the dozing shepherd who represents the slumber of humankind as Christ came into the world.

Each figure has an expressive, detailed face and there is a sense of motion about them all. You can almost hear the din of voices and the cluck of chickens at the market. There’s a sense that if you come back after hours, when the museum is dark and guests have gone home, you might catch the flutter of angel wings or the movement of livestock through the village streets.

When it comes to the nativity scene, the tendency is to think of a more pastoral scene. I like that the story is depicted here as part of a busy village where life went on while this important birth took place high on a hill. For the folks working and trading it’s an ordinary day. 

Context is important in any story and I truly enjoyed the context, perspective and detail depicted here. 

The Neapolitan Presepio will be on display through January 12, 2025 before it’s put away for next year. While the collection is delicate, know that the museum did replace the clothing in 2007 as part of the presepio’s fiftieth anniversary at the museum. Much of the clothing had been lost to time and the results are extraordinary. Don’t miss out. Go see it if you can!

Kennywood Christmas

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Not every community can claim to have its own amusement park and it’s rare to find one that’s as authentic and historic as Kennywood in Pittsburgh.

Kennywood dates to 1898 when Anthony Kenny leased land to the Monongahela Street Railway Company for a recreational trolley park. It started with a dance hall, carousel, athletic contests, and pony rides, growing over time to include things like roller coasters and bumper cars.

While the place has a vintage flair, the 2019 Steel Curtain ride is the tallest roller coaster in the state, has the most inversions in North America and the tallest inversion in the world. 

But that’s not why you go to Kennywood in December. Instead, the park is all decked out in Christmas lights so bright and glorious that even the Grinchiest among us will be pleased. We rode the Thomas the Tank Train around Thomas Town while strangers broke out into spontaneous Christmas carols. We enjoyed life sized gingerbread men, saw Rudolph and admired beautiful carousel animals.

With over three million Christmas lights and the tallest Christmas tree in Pennsylvania, the electric glow of the holidays is visible all around. Kennywood is a time honored tradition for Pittsburghers and I can see why. It’s a charming place.

We were there on an extremely cold night but we dressed in layers and were fine. Some of the rides don’t operate under forty degrees but there’s plenty of fun to be found even without the thrills and chills of a roller coaster. 

Want to know more? Click here!

Finding Festive Fun In Pittsburgh

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Holiday spirit has been elusive in my world but I finally caught the bug this week. These last several days I have spent with my East Coast Adventure Pal Nichola doing all the Christmasey things her town has to offer.

Friends, Pittsburgh knows how to celebrate the holidays. 

Christmas trees in the Hall of Architecture at the Carnegie Museum of Art, lights at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, more lights at Kennywood, an awe inspiring holiday model train display at the Trolley Museum and Christmas With The Pops at the Pittsburgh Symphony were the big things. 

We also enjoyed holiday lights across the city, sipped hot chocolate and enjoyed way more Christmas sweets than should be legal.

Looking at things unfamiliar was good for my brain and to jumpstart some creativity. A great example is Randyland, an outdoor art installation like nothing I have ever seen. There were bookstores, breakfast at a Mexican bakery and a slice of pop culture at the Andy Warhol Museum.  

Oh, the stories I have to tell!

With Christmas on the horizon, I’ll show you some of the festive stuff first and we will circle back later to the things that aren’t so timely.

A change of scenery and time with my friend is exactly what my mental health needed. A few hours in and all the stress and anxiety of my regular life was nearly forgotten. I slept well and my mind went quiet. Also, after a few days of eating and drinking basically whatever I liked, going back to healthier eating habits sounds, if not welcome, at least tolerable! 

My friend has family memberships to several museums around her city, an investment in the places but also a way to pop in and out at will, taking with her friends and family for fun outings. This made our adventure much more affordable as did staying at her house and cooking at home some.  After being in and out of the cold all day, it was wonderful coming home to a warm meal. 

All of this contributed to the affordability and fun of the trip. 

This is my rather un-subtle way of reminding you that adventure comes in many, many forms. It doesn’t have to involve a cruise ship or a resort. In fact, I would encourage you to look for other things including places close to home or those where you have friends and family willing to host you for a few days. In fact, I have many friends who have moved away who complain that they have to come home to see loved ones and that no one ever comes to visit them. I think it means a lot when someone they care about cares enough to go to them occasionally. 

And remember to start saving those credit card points and to figure out the hotel rewards program that works best for you so you can go further, longer! Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Tomorrow we go to Kennywood!

Sometimes

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Waking up to a snowy world on a day when you have no real responsibilities, a book to read and a pretty Christmas tree to admire is one of life’s great gifts.

The book I’m reading today is a kid’s chapter book but it’s exactly what I need right now.

Sometimes we all need to give our brains and bodies a break and stop trying to be so smart and productive. Sometimes, a fourth grade reading level is exactly where we need to be. Sometimes a sweet story about a diverse group of little animals who live and work together despite their differences is the perfect choice for a tired mind.

Don’t worry, friends. This adventurer will rest for now but has fun plans for later today. I hope you do as well.