Hello again everyone. Have you recovered from your turkey coma or Black Friday shopping extravaganza? I sure hope you were able to enjoy some time off with family and friends.
So here we are, the first weekend in December and perhaps you are wondering what to do. December for many can be the busiest month of the year, especially if you have kids at home still (the under 18 kind), or if you are preparing to have a large family gathering sometime this month. But what if you have a free Saturday and are looking to do something different? Have you thought about a trip to a nearby small town or several small towns?
Small town life to kids can, at times, seem boring and uninteresting but for adults, small town life can bring friends to a level of closeness that just can't be found in the large cities. This special time of year also has many people reaching out to others and sharing kindness and fellowship with complete strangers. The best places to meet these people are at local events like parades, craft shows, church bazaars, and community dinners. These are important events in the life of a small town and the efforts invested to create a euphoric memory are tremendous.
Here locally there are several parades in December with one in Bedford on Saturday at noon and the other on Sunday evening in downtown Lynchburg. These parades are always filled with holiday cheer and festive floats along with music and good times.
For the more adventuresome folks, I encourage you to take a drive through the smaller towns also and stop in at some of the local events. I have never known a church to turn away a stranger or not share a meal when food is being served. Many churches put on Christmas productions that include drama and singing.
If you are not sure of where to find the churches and local events, do a web based search for churches and events in the small towns. I like using Google maps to find the smaller communities and then use various information websites to find out the details and list of events. With this being such a busy time of the year, there are simply too many holiday related events to list in this post.
I hope you will go out and enjoy what our smaller communities have to offer this December. And don't forget to get those gifts wrapped.