Christmastime is here
It really is Christmas season, ain't it?
The tree went up in the Love Grotto during Thanksgiving weekend. It's Rosemary's tree; she brought it up here from Philly, and it's filled with ornaments she's has since childhood. My childhood ornaments are still with my parents, and I doubt I'd keep most of them when I come to collect them. I have a few more ornaments since I picked up a robot Santa and Rudolph from our October trip to Mystic.
Collinsville continues to be awesome at Christmas as it is at Halloween. We checked out a Christmas craft fair at a church in Collinsville last weekend with Mike, Virginia and baby Charlie. The church youth minister was leading his jazz band, and later on we were treated to a hokey-but-fun Christian puppet show by the kids. Our pals Jenny, Kate and Lisa were vending, and we picked up a bunch of gifts. I also got some awesome tree ornaments of glass filled with yarn. We then saw Santa Claus at the local bank, one of those cornerstone-and-red-brick buildings built in the late 1800s, complete with a giant vault door like you see in movies. Charlie had his first meeting with Santa, and Rosemary also got in on the action.
Torrington is a good time for Christmas-type fun, too. We missed the town's big Christmas event with a march up Main Street and a live Nativity (with donkeys!), but we did get up there for the Brazen Betties Vintage Expo. The Bettie Page lookalike contest was lots of fun, and the vendors were great. Picked up quite a few more things and made some more contacts for some other stores. Julia, of course, was dazzling, Rocket Fine Street Food and Burrville Store Pizza & Deli filled our bellies with awesomeness. Follow that up with friends, drinks and delightful rockabilly from Big Fat Combo at Snapper Magee's, and you've got a fantastic day.
This week was more running around, sending Christmas cards, putting together last touches on presents, and figuring out plans. Thursday we saw Tron: Legacy and then went off to some grocery shopping and dinner at this old-man pub we'd drive past all the time, the Fernwood. We were the youngest people in there by at least 15 years, but the food was tasty and we were treated to a full Bing Crosby Christmas album.
And how about some New Haven-style Christmas fun? Friday night we went to a burlesque and variety show put on by CT outfits Red Light Burlesque and Lipgloss Crisis. The burlesque was great stuff from local fixtures such as Lily La Vamp, Nikki Le Villain and Kitty Katastrophe. We caught Julia there, as well as CT Scenic's Katie, and new friends Liz and Igor. The only downside was that the show was at Cafe Nine, which is a tiny, tiny bar with a tiny stage; once the place is full of people, you can see anything. Eventually Rosemary and I fought our way to the front and saw more stuff, and I was damn glad I hung around to see hula-hooping from the amazingly cute Lady Blaze (aka CT RollerGirls' Pam Terror).
Amid all this, I've been putting in extra hours at work and also battling sickness/exhaustion (had to use a sick day). Speaking of work, it's time to hit it.