MEET YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REALTOR FAMILY +fv,ryir,

I want to start by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy Holiday Season. It’s almost hard to believe another year has come and gone so quickly. I hope that you get some rest after the hustle and bustle is passed and get to re ect on the past year and look forward to the next.

NEIGHBORHOOD REALTOR FAMILY +fv,ryir, MEET YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REALTOR FAMILY +fv,ryir,

is is usually the time of year where many recipes are shared and so I will share one that has become tradition in my house. Several years ago, I tried the Paleo diet. If you don’t know what that diet entails (or more accurately excludes), it basically excludes all process foods and especially gluten and focuses on eating meat and vegetables with some fruits. e year I tried this diet, I made an entire anksgiving gluten-free. is recipe came out of my search for gluten-free items and though we no longer follow the Paleo diet, this recipe is still requested to this day by my mother, who is a gluten-lover. My mother will still make traditional stu ng stu ed in a turkey and also have this on the table, for both anksgiving and Christmas. If you try it and love it, let me know! e recipe is very detailed and too long for a page here, so please visit https://againstallgrain.com/2011/11/21/grain-free-thanksgiving-stu ng. e rst part involves making your own bread (don’t worry, if I can do it then you certainly can). I will add that I have always done with Greek yogurt instead of goat cheese and it has always come out delicious.

Another tradition we have adopted is getting a live Christmas tree, even though we have several pets that make it their mission to destroy it every year. e kids LOVE going shopping for a tree every year and also a way we like to support local businesses. If you are also a live/real Christmas tree lover and wonder what to do with It afterwards, the city will pick up with on regular trash days in the following weeks after Christmas. e Virginia Zoo might also take it as a donation for enrichment for the animals that can tolerate the trees. When I was a zookeeper (many years ago), we loved watching the animals go wild with the Christmas trees. Same goes for boxes too. Just make sure the staples are taken out and tape removed.

As this is the last issue for the year, I look forward to welcoming everyone into the new year. Have a blessed Holiday Season and a truly joyful New Year!

Reminders for all school families: 10 Veterans Day - Holiday Observed-No school 22-24 anksgiving Holiday