Christmas Present …
continued
The thought of not seeing our West Coast children and grandchildren over the holidays prompted my husband and me to drive across the country in November. With the exception of an unexpected snowstorm, our cross-country trip proved to be more enjoyable than we had anticipated. Our trip took us through Nashville, Fort Smith, Amarillo and Albuquerque with a slight detour to Santa Fe. In Arizona we took the old Route 66 and enjoyed many roadside attractions from the 1950s. We are now renting a house down the street from our daughter in Santa Barbara. Since arriving in California we have enjoyed hiking and biking with the kids and spending time at the beach. Yes, there is a reason why people put up with fires and earthquakes to live here! Our son and his family are visiting from Seattle for the month of December. We feel very fortunate to have our family together. These difficult times certainly make us appreciate family and friends. Wishing you all good health and happiness in the New Year!
Diane Morse, FoCH Co-President In this year of the pandemic, I will miss most of all participating in the annual Christmas Tea. The farmhouse would always be elegantly decorated with Victorian Christmas ornaments and arrangements, the tea sandwiches and sweets perfectly suited to the season, Mrs. Blaisdale (aka Kaye Oman) would tell stories about past Christmas celebrations at Cherry Hill and the excitement of the attendees arriving at the door of the farmhouse for the tea was obvious and contagious. Maureen and I would have our Christmas aprons on as we welcomed everyone and served the tea. I don't remember it ever snowing on a tea day but that didn't lessen the spirits of the tea goers. I'm sure we're all looking forward to when Cherry Hill farmhouse will be used for teas and other community events.
Ruth Rodgers
Here in beautiful Southern California, where the newsletter gets compiled, it has been a long, rough year. We’ve experienced record heat, destructive winds, drought, catastrophic fires and one of the worst COVID infection records in the nation. We are currently back under the highest level of closure again, with some areas under curfew. It will last through Christmas and probably be extended. Needless to say, we don’t get out much! The high points of my year have been when Maureen sends a note to say we are getting ready to start on the next issue of the Cherry Hill newsletter! I love those mega-issues! Thanks for allowing me to be part of the team! Holly Fenelon
The April birth of my first great-grandchild, a smiley active baby girl, is my best news this year. I have also worked on family history projects. Most recently, a neighbor who is good in crafts made three copies of a cloth Christmas tree that I made some years ago. They are preChristmas gifts for my three local grandchildren. Deane Dierksen
Like many of us, I mark certain times of the year with traditions. Since moving here four years ago, one of my favorites has been gift wrapping for the Children's Holiday Shoppe. Being in that wonderful old house filled with children's happy voices is magic. I love the intensity some of the shoppers bring to their task (read: detailed shopping lists) and the careless abandon of others. But my favorite thing of all are the conversations I have with every child as I wrap their gifts. While they lend a finger to help tie ribbons, they half-lean on the table and tell me all about the sister or brother, mom or dad, best friend or grandparent the gift is for, and why they think they will love it. Sometimes the reasons are hilarious, and sometimes they are touching, but it never fails that I go home that day feeling like I have been given a gift. Jennifer de Vignier