I was at a holiday party and found myself telling a group of people how much I loved living here. We were all transplants and I was the newest at almost five years. One woman who has been in Shepherdstown over 30 years said that she was told that you are not really considered “from here” unless you were conceived here, but she has never felt more at home anywhere else. We ticked off a long list of reasons to live and raise our children here and I left feeling really great.

It has been that kind of month — every week has offered some moment where I thought: I love this place! Jen and I went out to hear great music at the Meck and saw people from all over town –people who we see every week behind desks or counters or strollers — dancing with total abandon. This was quickly followed by the Christmas parade which always proves to be a magical small town event. My son insisted on dressing like a skeleton with full face paint and he was treated like a small celebrity. I went to Mr. Grantham’s stand by the Post Office on Saturday to buy eggs (a highlight of every week), ran into friends, and made plans to go fetch our kids and meet at The Opera House where they were playing Charlie Brown’s Christmas for free –the kids nested in bean bags and parents lined up on couches. I turned to look at our crowd glowing in the movie light and observed total delight on every face. Somehow, the teachers and parents at our school managed to pull off amazing feats of teaching, performing and baking these last weeks culminating in a performance of 35 three to twelve year olds singing holiday songs with gusto for their enthusiastic families. Here at work it has been holiday busy and work busy and because I work with two very creative, smart and good-humored women, it has been fun busy.

My friend, who moved here from Colorado a few years ago, is going to give birth to her third child any minute now, and he is going to be able to really say he is “from here”. Lucky guy. Welcome to the party, “Junior” and happy new year to all the friends and families of Eden Design.