Good Morning Gloucester

My favorite part of Christmas has to be Christmas Cards!  I know people are getting away from it because of the expense and the digital age, but I still enjoy receiving and sending them.   It’s fun seeing the kids grow up each year in their Christmas outfits, but my kind of Christmas card is usually a silly one.   Once my girls got to be early teens it became such a chore to get them together for a “nice” Christmas photo.   One year I suggested the older two tie their sister up in lights, and they were more than happy to oblige…and so began “The Mathews Family” crazy Christmas cards.   Every year I say this is the last one, but the kids still grudgingly amuse their mother by participating each year.   I’ve even got my future son-in-law to join in!    I’ll pick a few over the next few days to share with you in hopes that we might stir some future creativity in your families!

This one was from 2009 and my first attempt at Photoshop layers.   It was about 6 different photos and every time we moved we put a post it on the spot so we wouldn’t duplicate positions!

If I were Santa….this is what I’d be doing on December 26th.

Over the past decade or so, you may have seen James Montgomery at various venues in Gloucester.  He’s played at Cape Ann Marina’s Pavilion tent, on the Beauport Princess cruise ship and made a special appearance at Harbor Loop.

This New Year’s Eve you can PARTY with James Montgomery, Sax Attacks horns and friends right down the road at Beverly’s Vittori-Rocci Post — directly off Rte 128 with plenty of free on-site parking.  The party includes a scrumptious dinner buffet by Fresh Food Catering, dancing, midnight champagne toast and party favors with a full cash bar available.

And you can feel even better knowing you’ll be doing some good by supporting V is for Veterans (the charity founded by James Montgomery that supports veterans particularly with food and housing assistance).

Let’s say goodbye to 2016 and welcome 2017 with music, dancing and lots of fun together!  Here are some videos of James Montgomery to get you in the party mood! GET TICKETS HERE

Typically, we save all of the holiday cards that arrive in our mailbox for just one year.  The boys love opening them each night and we keep them on display until it is time to pack up the other holiday decorations and Christmas tree ornaments.  We then pack them away carefully and look forward to seeing the cards again the next year.  After looking through them 12 months later, they are then recycled….even though it hurts a little to do so.

That being the case, I was surprised when my husband brought a large pile of cards down from the attic this year that were actually much older.  This stack of cards was from the year 2000.  16 years ago.

16 years, it turns out, is a long time in Christmas Card years.  For example, during the Christmas season of the year 2000, we were very recently engaged….but were not married and had no children.  We had, in fact, not even sent out Christmas cards that year….but we had received a lot.

Going through that stack of cards ended up being rather bittersweet.  A lot had changed. Some for the better, some for worse.  Addresses…landscapes….faces….family dynamics….hair color….hair lines….furry friends….and more.  Some single friends are now “coupled.” Some couples without children….now have several.  Some married friends are now divorced….and some remarried.  And, the hardest to discover, some (too many) of the cards were sent by friends and family who have since passed away.  Worst of all are the family photos now missing a member….whose void is hard to believe.

Much love to all who are missing someone special this holiday season….and to those who know those voids all too well.