Just Ask Ida

It’s Festival Time!

Yup, the old holiday express is picking up steam, here in Mahoosuc Mills. Everyone is getting ready for our Down Home Holiday Festival this weekend. It used to be the “Down Home Christmas Festival,” but we are now politically correct. The Saint Hyacinth Christmas Bazaar is part of the Festival. I suppose we should call it the “Holiday Bazaar,” but hey, we’re Catholic! Who are we kidding? 

Oh, the town’s decorated real cute, and all the stores will be open. You got your Kiwanis Club selling trees in the vacant lot where Pomaleau’s store used to be, a horse drawn sleigh for the kids up to Bucky Dumont’s field, and on Enchanted Mountain, the little bunny slope with a rope tow on the edge of town, the Rotary Club’s made an ice slide again and there’s goin’ to be a toboggan race (helmets and costumes required). Oh God, folks really get into it, and you should see some of the outfits they come up with. I think my favorite might have been when the Lambert brothers dressed up like the Beatles and tricked out their toboggan to look like a yellow submarine. Half way down they hit a bump, and their wigs went flying. God, did we laugh!

Just like we do every year, the Women Who Run With the Moose will have table down to Saint Hyacinths where we sell crafts. It’s the second most popular booth at the Christmas Bazaar (well, third really, if you count the baked goods table). The most popular, hands down, is the Blessed Bling Boutique. I swear, the deals in that booth are unreal! I set aside some pin money, and am really hoping to score something nice, maybe a statement necklace or some sparkly holiday bracelets or something. Can’t wait!

Every year us girls pick a theme for our craft table, and this year, it’s “Drink Safe”. We consider it a community service. You know, there are so many parties this time of year. Plus, it’s cold and flu season. There’s nothing more disconcerting than being at a party and drinking out of someone else’s bottle, can or glass. You ever done that? Yuck-a-rooney! So, we’re selling crochet beer cozies in a wide variety of colors and designs. Mine are the ones with the snowflakes on them. Talk about practical, not only will you be able to recognize your beer can, but they keep the beer cold and your hands warm. Well, they don’t call it a cozy for nothing!

We also made these cute little wine glass markers. You know, those little things you put on your wine stem so you know which glass is yours? Betty found the idea on the internet. We got everything we needed down to The Beaded Moose (How perfect is that?) in Bangor. Heck, we had so much fun there, we’re going to take some sort of beading class together, come the new year. So anyways, you make the wine glass markers with your basic hoop earrings and some pretty beads. We had a blast putting them together, and, gosh, they’re adorable, if I do say so myself.

Now what do you think is the hardest part of the Christmas Bazaar? No, it isn’t being nice. Granted, that’s exhausting, but it takes just as much effort to be a grump. So, it’s a wash. Nope, the hardest part is staying away from that darned baked goods table! A couple of years back, we started requesting that our craft table be on the opposite side of the hall. Then, if we give into temptation (which we always do, repeatedly), we get to work off some of those calories walking back and forth from our table to theirs. Well, that’s the theory, anyways.

That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side! 

IDA's PODCAST: It's Festival Time 

Coming up this week:

December 13: Book signing, "Finding Your Inner Moose," 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Islandport Press Book Kiosk, 364 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, ME

It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

I don’t know about where you live, but up here in Mahoosuc Mills, seems like the minute Turkey Day was over, folks were flying into Christmas. Big time! Well, Thanksgiving was so late this year. It’s starting to look mightly festive, and you can’t help but being swept up in it. 

Across the street, the Phinney’s put out their crèche, and it’s beautiful as ever. And Hank and Pearl Plaisted have really gone to town with them icicle lights. Ever since Hank took that header while hanging lights a few years back, they let their son-in-law do all the ladder work. Hank stays earth bound, thank goodness, and keeps busy throwing net lights over their shrubs. Those are a little too regular for my taste, but they do add pizzazz.

If there’s anyone ‘round here keeping the Christmas spirit alive, though, it’s Guy Charbonneau. You should see his place. Come December, it’s like the Taj Mahal! He’s got it lit night and day, energy crisis be damned! He considers it a community service.

Guy outlines his house and the garage, and the shed and the trees. And that’s just for starters! Up on the roof, he’s got Santa and his sleigh with all eight reindeer, and the whole thing is mechanical. Santa waves, the reindeer gallop, and Rudolph’s nose blinks on and off. Down below, there are angels perched in the shrubs or flying up above. There’s animated snowmen and women, a Victorian scene with kids skating on a pond, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, a crèche (life sized, of course), Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang. And inflatable giant snow globes galore. It’s just amazing!

That’s not all. Last year, he started piping in Christmas Carols through these speakers he strung up all over the yard. Those are playing ‘round the clock, too. Luckily, Guy lives on a country road outside of town, so there aren’t any neighbors to take issue with his Christmas cheer. I have no idea how the Charbonneau’s sleep at night, what with all that singing and the yard lit up like it’s high noon.

Guy prides himself on adding something new each December. All of Mahoosuc Mills waits with baited breath. In fact, they had a pool going at Charlie’s work with all the guys were betting on what it was going to be this year. No one even came close to guessing, though. Get this: an entire inflatable penguin village at the North Pole, complete with igloos. Somehow, Guy found room to squeeze it in beside Mrs. Claus, the elves and Santa’s workshop. It’s unreal!

Every year some TV station from Bangor or Portland or both come up and interview Guy. He’s quite a celebrity, come the holidays. He’s even got a back up generator in case the power goes off. Well, with all those inflatables, it’s worth it. I mean, there’s nothing sadder than a half deflated Santa.

Sometimes in the evening, Charlie and me drive over to the Charbonneau’s place after supper and check out the show. If Guy’s effort doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, nothing will. We park across the street and stare in wonder, like kids.

That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!

IDA's PODCAST: It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

Upcoming Performances and Book Events

December 13: Book signing, "Finding Your Inner Moose," 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Islandport Press Book Kiosk, 364 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, ME

December 22: Filming The View From He’ah, with guest Jennifer Armstrong, 7:00 p.m., PPMtv, Portsmouth, NH