Christmas Eve in a small town

Dec 25, 2011 by Renee

I was dreading the post office in Denver so I waited until I was in Georgetown to mail my last package. I walked the short distance there and was a little surprised that I was the only customer (maybe people in Georgetown don’t wait until the last day to mail a package). Even though we have had a p.o. box for a year, I had never checked it and even forgot the number. I asked the woman if I could find out the number being sure to tell her I had my i.d. on me if they needed it. She called back to the other woman asking for the McMichael box number and the other one called back with my number. A man came in while I was being helped and got a phone call. His ring tone was from the movie the good the bad and the ugly. He said his wife is the good and he’s the bad and ugly. I went to the knit shop afterwards and bought yarn and needles for a new scarf. Ruth, the owner, showed me how to do a lace pattern. I couldn’t believe the total for my how to book, 2 skeins of yarn, needles, and 2 free patterns. In Denver, I would pay the same for 1 skein of yarn and I have never received any free patterns. I stopped in a little antique store to get a magnifying glass for a last minute gift to all of us (even the kids seem to have a hard time reading the words in the dictionary). I spent $12 for a beautiful gift and had a

nice conversation with the women there. I was surprised to see a new shoe store in the old toy shop that was only open once in awhile. I have been wanting to get a pair of Dansko’s for ages and found the perfect black Mary Jane’s. I got the local discount and made two more friends (the mothers of the young couple who own the shop). I stopped at Anderson’s grocery store which is the main reason we bought a house in Georgetown. I never saw my great grandparent’s grocery store in Chautauqua, Kansas, but I heard enough about it to know that this is the same kind of store. We met Coralou, a 3rd generation family member to run the store, on our first visit to look at houses. The store is soooo charming and has a lot of yummy European foods including cheese and crackers (which I stocked up on). Coralou was/is so nice and knows about any Georgetown events. My last stop was at Cake to see what kind of goodies I could get. There were 4 gorgeous looking cinnamon rolls so I bought those for Christmas morning. I felt like I was in a little European town being able to get all of my errands accomplished without having to drive and for the goods and special customer service I received.

We went to the Catholic church for Christmas eve service. The regulars squished together for the visitors. We found a spot large enough for all of us and when I leaned over to say thank you to the people for sharing their space, I saw Ruth, the owner of the knit shop. We ran home after the service for our traditional crab dinner and opening of our present (we always open new pajamas on Christmas Eve). We read a few Christmas books and fell fast asleep.

It is now Christmas day. We had opened presents and ate breakfast by 8 a.m. After lounging around for a few hours, Greg and the kids went skiing. They sent me a couple of videos already and it looks like they are the only ones on the slopes of Loveland. I am getting ready to go for a walk with the dogs. Having it be beautiful, sunny, and not very cold are just a few things that make me so very thankful.