Inquisitive Felines and Fibers

In less than 72 hours I will be set up and ready to go at our Ag-Ed department’s annual craft fair. This will be my fifth year and I’ve loved doing it every single year. It also clues me in as to my own Christmas shopping as it always takes place on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  Actually the date is another thing I appreciate about it. If it were Thanksgiving weekend I would be a crazy woman all through the holiday trying to get ready for the show (as evidenced in the past few weeks), but since it’s the Saturday before I can relax and truly enjoy my long weekend with good food and good friends.

This is also my expiration date for some of the items that I sell. I take a long hard look at my products when I pack and when I set up my booth. I make the decision then which items become donations if they are still in my booth at the end of the day. The Ag-Ed fair acts as my annual alarm clock. I may forget which other shows I attend or when they are scheduled, but not this one so it makes a perfect time to do some “cleaning” of the ranks. I suspect that this tradition for me began years ago when my son was very young. Every year, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we would sort through our things – he his toys, me my clothes – and donate what we felt we could pass on. It helped cut down on keeping things past their need and making us both think about people less fortunate than ourselves.  It’s a great memory for me.

So I will go home this afternoon and pull down the wicker suitcases that I store my scarves, hats, and sundries in, work up a mental table arrangement, and begin to let go of some of the older items in the process. It’s a good feeling to stop at the shelter on my way home from the show with my donations and it really does get me into the holiday spirit.  What do you do to start your holiday season?