I love this season of the year. The spirit of Christmas is everywhere – even at our house we’ve started on the festiveness a little at a time.
John Barrett – our go-to guy – and his friend Megan brought boxes of Christmas decorations out of hiding in the garage and attic. Even before opening them to check the contents, I heard sighs of relief from inside – thankful to have survived another year spent under wraps. Each box was opened, its contents checked, and everything looked OK, only to be closed again – other “stuff” gets in the way. So everything is still sitting in the foyer patiently waiting to make their 2017 debut.
Just like the silver sitting there all tarnished and frowny and pitiful and pleading to gleam once again. But all in good time, I promised; they will get our attention and glow soon.
John even refurbished our life-size antique wooden Santa that began life in Athens years ago as our front door decoration. Thanks to John, Santa sports a new belt buckle and repaired boots! Though no longer the front door centerpiece, he stands handsome and tall on the garage door (that needs a coat of paint) and welcomes everyone. Even stray cats and dogs. (Santa is famous. He won first prize for the best Christmas door decoration in our Athens subdivision and was featured in the newspaper one year).
Meanwhile, as we wait to unpack the decorations, clean the silver, and trim the tree Mark will bring, the beautiful, stalwart and bright red poinsettia purchased from Early Bloomers Garden Club and personally delivered by Anne Barrett that will add a bit of glamour to the foyer table.
Though we don’t have it all together yet, the Americus Junior Service League does. The Carnegie is decked out, looking festive and bright and twinkles with decorated trees and bright ornaments in readiness for the league’s annual Mistletoe and Mimosa brunch this morning. The brunch is the league’s new holiday celebration, a change the all-volunteer organization made several years ago. And in my opinion, a welcome change from the time-worn annual dinner-dance and always draws many active members (more than 40 this year) and honoraries.
The highlight will be installation of the league’s 2017 board of directors who will assume duties from the 2016 board.
Congratulations ring out to the league for all the work they do for our community to make this a better place to live and work through its seven service committees: education, community health, breezeway, and humane society, Methodist Youth Home, Silver Spice and Magnolia Manor.
And congratulations most of all to the league’s outgoing President Christy Umbleby and her board. Please stand and give a hearty ovation for the outgoing and incoming league board.
They are President Dr. Patty Fennessy; First Vice President Angie Brunson; Co-chairman Katie Duncan; Second Vice President Emily Anne Strickland; Co-chairman Brittany Singley; Third Vice- resident Ashlee Parks; Co-chairman Kristine Greene; Recording Secretary Mackenzie Greene; Corresponding Secretary Lauren Shemwell; Treasurer Michelle Andrews; Assistant Treasurer Megan Scott and Sergeant-at-Arms Whitney Bowen.
The 2016 Volunteer of the Year is revealed today but that is still a secret since this goes to press before the brunch. We’ll keep that under wraps until next week.
We sure enjoyed seeing and talking to so many former residents who were in town visiting family and friends over Thanksgiving. It was exciting to talk to Tripp and Marysol Pomroy who moved to South Florida a number of years ago and hear their big news: they’re returning to make Americus home again this summer; others we had an opportunity to see and visit with are Kay and Charles Reeves, Tim and Edie Vinson, Betty Hewitt, Bill Capitan, all of St. Simons; Carr and Kathryn Dodson of Macon; Sam and Vickie Lott of Atlanta; Charlie Crisp of Moultrie and daughter Jenny Crisp of Grey Moss Plantation, Leesburg; among family members visiting Bill and Ann Harris last weekend were his sister-in-law Harriet Harris of Bartow, Florida; his niece Katherine Harris of Sarasoto, Florida, and her fiancé Richard Ware of Amarillo, Texas, Walt Harris of Sarasota; Fran and Wes King, and sons Harrison, Mitch and George King of Franklin, Tennessee; David and Mallory Harris and children Margaret and Edward, and Cosh, Lauren and Wells Bryan, all of Columbus.
Ice skating in Rylander Park begins Friday. See you on the rink.

Leila Sisson Case lives in Americus.