Making Merry!

Enjoying the 2021 Mistletoe Marketplace Gala!

After a very quiet holiday last year, this Christmas season is looking more like normal. And I couldn't be more pleased! Here are a few of the holiday happenings I've been busy with recently, and I AM NOT DONE YET, people! 

Mistletoe Marketplace

We kicked off the holiday season with the Mistletoe Marketplace Gala. (Though this event was held last year, I opted to paddle the Mississippi River that weekend instead. A safer option, and no less of a wonderful way to begin the season of thanks and giving.) As such, it was my first time attending Mistletoe Marketplace (and the gala) since the Mississippi Trademart and Coliseum had been completely renovated.

The Coliseum was a glittery wonderland.

Oh. My. Goodness. It's fantastic, and the Junior League of Jackson had completely outdone themselves with the decorations. When you stepped into the main party hall, where the band and food were located, it had been utterly transformed. I didn't even realize I was in the Coliseum at first. Just amazing, amazing work. Lit Christmas trees were everywhere, peeping out from a sea of drape. The band was rocking, the food was delicious, and Santa was working the crowd.

Caron (my everlasting Mistletoe Gala date) and I danced, ate, drank, checked out the silent auction, shopped a bit, ran into so many sweet friends, and told Santa that we'd been very, very good. (Note: I saw so many gorgeous women at the gala this year in full-length evening gowns, which hid SPARKLY SNEAKERS on their feet. Genius. This is a life hack that I will definitely be stealing for next year!)

Charity Shopping Spree

Next up was our annual co-worker breakfast and Toys for Tots/Salvation Army Angel Tree shopping spree! I had wept to miss this last year. Wept. So I was ecstatic (and especially grateful) to get back to it for this holiday season. My work peeps and I donned our festive holiday gear and met up at Burgers Blues Barbecue in Madison (which, surprisingly, is open for breakfast) for eggs and coffee. (Not surprisingly, Joey got two breakfasts - a wrap and French toast. When you do triathlons every weekend, this is how you get to eat. Heh.) This was a great little place! Service was quick, food was good, and prices were reasonable. 

Then, it was off to the Madison Wal-Mart, where we not only bought items for the Toys for Tots box, but also chose angels from the Salvation Army Angel Tree. (Our friends from Y101 were manning the Angel Tree booth, and I found a wish list from the sweetest 9-year-old little girl, Malaysia, who was hoping for a purse and some makeup. I found that for her, then threw in a new outfit for good measure.) Doing this with my team again felt so good. I had missed it so last year. 

We bought all the toys we wish we'd been given for
Toys for Tots and the Salvation Army Angel Tree!

Out and About 

A few nights later, Caron, Susan, and I met up for the Christmas Open House at The Township. We started with a filling dinner at Anjou (I love their mussels with fries!), where they also had a free wine tasting. Then, we headed straight for photos with Santa. (I'm not sure how many photos with adults Santa usually takes, but he got a big kick out of us. He may have asked how many margaritas we'd had that night. Heh.) 

We told him we'd been veryvery good.
So, yeah. We lied. But I think he bought it.

Then, we strolled for a bit, enjoying the lights, before ending up at Fusion Coffee House for free hot chocolate and the music of a jazz trio in the open air. Parents and their children danced along the sidewalk, and before too long, we all had the holiday spirit!

Lighting Up the Night!

Next up, sweet Anita and I met up for Capital City Lights in downtown Jackson. This was so much fun! We started with dinner at Estelle, where they had their gorgeous lobby tree up and "Festival of Trees" lining the large event hall. From there, we made our way to the Mississippi Museum of Art, which was open late so visitors could admire their gorgeous Bethlehem Tree. (This exhibit is a smaller version of the one they put up each Christmas season at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. I've seen them both, and they are both so beautiful.) 

The beautiful tree at the Capitol Building

When we stepped out of the museum, we could hear music floating through the open air. We followed our ears to a lovely outdoor courtyard lit with candles, where an opera singer and a pianist were creating beautiful music under the starry sky. We stayed there a moment, as it was so moving and peaceful. 

After stopping by City Hall to take in their towering lit tree, we made our way to the office of the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau, where we enjoyed cocoa, cookies, and photos with Santa! (This Santa was big fun! I promised him that he didn't need to check the nice list for my name, as I was sure it was already there. He told me that, unfortunately, he couldn't take my word for it. Heh. Before we left, he asked *me* to text *him* the photos of us together that I took on my phone. A hoot!)

We enjoyed more music on the outdoor stage on Capitol Street, and we ended the night with a four-piece jazz band at the gloriously decorated Capitol Building. A perfect night!

Hey there, Santa! 

Supporting Local Artists

Last weekend, my friend Laura and I met up for brunch at Primo's (Their cheese grits are legendary.) before popping over to the Mississippi Crafts Center for the annual Chimneyville Arts Festival. This annual event features wares from all kinds of local artists, and it's a fantastic place to meet the crafters and find unique gifts. There are all kinds of things on offer: fiber arts and quilts, pottery of all kinds, wood crafts, handmade knives, jewelry, glass art, just everything you can think of. 

I found presents for both of my sisters, as well as a gorgeous, handmade wooden box for myself! They also had food trucks and a Cathead Vodka booth on site, though we were both still too full from brunch to partake.  

Gorgeous glass at Chimneyville! 

Decking the District

A few days later, hubs and I decided to go for dinner at The District, where they had live music, lights, specialty cocktails, and snow! This was so fun! We started at Cultivation Food Hall, where we had delicious bowls from Birdie's and split a decadent dessert from La Brioche. After picking up a hot toddy, we made our way to the green space in the center of The District, where we found a live band belting out traditional Christmas carols, fake snow drifting down (much to the delight of many children in attendance, as well as this big kid), a huge lit tree, and tons of families enjoying the mild evening. 

Two nerds in love!

We took hokey selfies in front of the sign, settled into some open Adirondack chairs, and enjoyed the night as we sipped our drinks. 

Winter Concert

Our son is a percussionist in the high school band. Last year, they had to perform their Winter Concert socially distanced in the cafeteria, and parents couldn't attend. They videotaped it, and then sent us all a link. While it was a good workaround (and I got to see my little xylophonist shine at the beginning of "All I Want for Christmas"), it felt so good this year to go up to the school with the other students and parents and enjoy the band's Winter Concert earlier this week.

I was so impressed by the band, and their rendition of "Sleigh Bells" sounded so much like what you hear on the radio that I did a double-take! My son played the xylophone, the bass drum and the tambourine this time! Proud!

Book Club Brunch

I'm a member of a couple of different book clubs, and I hosted a holiday brunch for one of them recently. It's a group of about nine ladies, and we read a book that has somehow been adapted into a movie or television series (which we also watch). Then, we meet, chat, eat, drink, and generally roar with laughter. Everyone brings a dish, the wine and cocktails flow, and we have a great time.

Book? What book? Heh.

For our holiday brunch, I made hot cocoa (which was liberally spiked with peanut butter whiskey and topped with whipped cream), coffee, and a lovely quiche. The gals filled in with all manner of delicious dishes - hashbrown casserole, blueberry bread pudding, green salad, fruit salad, scones, sausage dip, and copious amounts of champagne. Everyone wore over-the-top holiday accessories, we took goofy photos, and a good time was had by all. 

Interspersed amongst all of the above has been decorating (We have live wreath and garland on the front of our house this year, and I love the woodsy smell of it.), present wrapping, cozy nights by the fire, and otherwise enjoying the season. 

Though we certainly haven't finished with our merriment this year, I am so, so grateful to return to some of the traditional events and much-loved friends that I yearn for this holiday season. Everyone in our little family has been vaccinated, and hubs and I both have our boosters, which has made me feel comfortable leaning into the most wonderful time of the year!

More to come!

The tree at City Hall