Holiday Rat Race
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Holiday Rat Race |
Photos: Santa Claus in a past Millsboro Christmas parade (top). Carolers in Ocean View. It seems to happen earlier every year.
It's easy to feel as if you're on a runaway train this time of year -- caught up in the holiday rat race with no chance to catch your breath. Fortuntely, there are quite a few ways to get out and have some fun this time of year without being beat over the head with a big, blinking, garish Christmas ball. Give yourself a chance to actually celebrate Thanksgiving -- rather than using it as a jumping-off point for The Big One. Start by attending the community Thanksgiving Eve service at St. Ann's Church on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at St. Ann's Church on Route 26 in Bethany Beach. The service begins at 7 p.m. -- be sure to bring a non-perishable food item to share with those less fortunate. One of my favorites is the Southeastern Delaware Artists' Studio Tour, set for Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30. The tour, now in its eighth year, offers chance to get in your car and drive around the coastal and inland towns -- sans summer traffic! -- and visit some of the countys' finest and friendliest artisans.
In all, there are 14 artists on the self-guided tour. Maps are available free of charge at a number of area businesses, as well as at the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce office at the north end of Fenwick Island on Route 1. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Be sure to enter the "Art in the Hat" drawing at each studio. The artists have donated works of art -- drop your ticket in the hat at each location. Proceeds from the drawing benefit arts education in the community -- last year, art programs at two local schools were the beneficiaries. For more details on the tour, call Pat Frey at 732-6172or e-mail pwftef@netzero.net. One of the best things about the holiday season is the comfort of family traditions. A number of upcoming events have worked their way onto Sussex families' holiday to-do lists year after year. We all have things that we have to do or it just doesn't seem like Christmas, such as:
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You know what It is -- the commercial hype that is associated with the Christmas season. This year, it seemed as if Thanksgiving got lost somehow -- the Halloween stuff was cleared away and out came Christmas.
I've done the tour several times, and it's always a joy to see the work being done right here in our backyard. The artists themselves make the tour really special, though. They're some of my favorite Sussex County people There's Tom Frey, an engaging fellow who works miracles with pieces of wood -- you have to see it to really appreciate it. And there's Judi Campanelli, a warm and friendly woman whose works in clay reflect her innate whimsy and dignity all at the same time. Grant Massey is a quiet guy who makes incredible lights and other pieces with glass, metal, stone and wood. And Ellen Rice is an articulate artist whose paintings have a spiritual quality that's a breath of fresh air in this crazy season.
