Wellfleet's December blizzard

Ok, that doesn’t look so bad does it?  Nah.  But you can’t really tell from the photo just how much of the white stuff is on the ground.

This might give you a better idea:

The courtyard behind the house after the blizzard

Are ya gettin’ the idea?  The cold weather stuck around for almost a week, and so did the snow.  Temperatures did finally start to creep back up above freezing on Thursday and we had highs in the low 40’s & 50’s for three days, so it’s pretty much gone now.  It did make for a white Christmas, the first one in the ten years I’ve lived here, so that’s good.

Speaking of Christmas, I hope everyone had a good one.  A good friend invited me over to her house for Christmas dinner with family & friends, which was lovely.  I made a chocolate-orange poundcake to bring, a recipe that could use a little more tweaking but was still pretty darned good.  I also made sparkling cranberries.  Those were just on a whim, a friend had sent a link to the recipe, they looked gorgeous & easy plus I had fresh cranberries in my refrigerator.  I’ve gotta tell you, they were really good.  Here’s a picture:

Sparkling Cranberries

Can you imagine a more perfect addition to a holiday table?  The best part is they can accompany food or just be eaten as a snack.  They are kind of addictive, though, so watch out!

Guest-wise, things have been fairly quiet around here.  Thanksgiving was busy followed by a totally dead weekend, then I had a stretch of about 8 days where there were guests every night and then nothing the following weekend.  That’s not so unusual, though.  The period between the holidays is often one of the slowest of the year and I’m fine with that.  I have a few guests this week and then we’ll see what the final holiday weekend of the year brings.

Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy and safe New Year.  See you in 2010!

Related posts:

1. Holiday Musings
2. Solstice
3. Please Plan Ahead – a cautionary tale

Some towns go all out for the holidays with tons of decorations, a huge tree & lighting ceremony, house tours, concerts, plays, caroling and so forth.   Not so much in Wellfleet.  A lot of the shops and restaurants are closed.  Decorations are understated: two large, living trees in front of town hall are lit with strings of white lights (LED of course) and the doorway of town hall is similarly surrounded.  Green wreaths are attached to a few lamp posts on Main Street.  Preservation Hall had a holiday sale one weekend and there’s an event for local kids with Santa followed by a free matinee movie at the cinema.  That’s about it.  Drive through the center of town after dark and there are a hand full of cars in front of The Lighthouse but the scene is utterly subdued and peaceful.

Not being a Christmas person myself, I like it this way.  On the other hand, it would also be nice if there was something to attract guests here during this time.  The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are often the quietest of the winter.  I’ve been thinking of making my own event next year but it would have to  be something unique.  Perhaps even a NON-Christmas event; something to get away from all the holiday stuff.  What do you all think about this?  Any ideas for what would be a fun way to get away and forget about Christmas for a night or two?  Post any and all ideas in the comments and if I use your idea in an event next year you’ll get your choice of one night free on the event weekend or $50 off your next stay at the inn.

Related posts:

1. More Musings
2. Thanksgiving
3. October Rituals