Parchment Paths

Christmas has always been a special time for my family and I. When my brother and I were little kids, we’d open presents on Christmas Eve and then travel to my grandmother’s house on Christmas morning. Of course, now that we are adults, the holidays have changed quite a bit. He’s married with two kids of his own and I work retail, which means I’m busy with work for most of the Christmas festivities. So, I was thrilled to spend some time my niece and nephew enjoying the holiday. They had off school this past Monday and we decided to spend the day at HillsideFarms.   Aside from seeing the animals and getting some ice cream, I wanted the kids to see the farm at Christmastime. I knew from last year that the barns would be decorated and I was not disappointed this year. Brightly colored lights were strewn across the rafters, and Santa’s sleigh was parked amid piles of wrapped presents and decorated trees.  The baby goats were even celebrating in their tiny Christmas sweaters.

Another season has come and gone at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.  As usual, the season seemed to fly by, but also as usual I had an excellent time and cannot wait for next season. I attended both days of closing weekend and had a wonderful experience each time with different sets of friends.  Saturday found me traveling to the faire with my best friend since first grade Mary, her husband, Chris, and her sister, Corrie. We arrived while King’s Court was in session and stood in the back while the All Hallows Eve version of the court was unveiled. The Sword in the Stone and Morgan LeFay made an entrance. After that, we wondered about the shire, watching the Duo of Woo, enjoying lunch, and doing some shopping.  Mary and Corey bought enough tea to last through an extensive Doctor Who marathon and I did some Christmas shopping. We squeezed in Human Chess, which was my first time seeing it all season.  We all loved seeing the shire decked out with