December had its highs and lows this year. We bid a sad farewell to dear friends and a fond hello to new ones. It is a time for reflection amidst the joy of being with loved ones. My emotions were on a rollercoaster and happy tears flowed along with the sad ones.

You can pack a lot into a month and I sure did. Some of the

high points were sharing my book with the girls at Connie

and Lily’s book club (see my last post)

and participating in the RiverCross Craft Fair where there were fairies trapped in jars and purple decorations and gifts everywhere. Gifts of the Crysnix just fit right in! I set up shop in the library along with author, Lisa Young. Visit her website here.

Between the two of us, we had great fun selling our books and visiting with the many people who came by the craft fair. Below is a slideshow of the day. Enjoy.

The month carried on and I found myself back in Arizona where I went to Vicki O’Connor’s Open House. Remember it last year? I showcased my book there but this year I relaxed as a guest and enjoyed the beauty and range of Vicki’s artistic talents and was off-duty. 😉

To find more of Vicki’s work you can see it here.

The showcased author this year was Sally Schrempf who was promoting her new book Forget the Fad and Eat the Food. Sally’s warm and funny personality shines through as she guides us to eat healthy and have fun doing it. You can buy it here.

December wouldn’t be December without Laura’s cookie making party!

Thanks to my elves for helping with the decorating! Those shortbread trees travel across continents and borders and have been a tradition in my family for many years. Yummy!!

Special sunsets and visits with family and new friends rounded out the Arizona trip. I won’t embarrass my daughter with pictures of her but we sure lucked out with the sunset that had the bonus of the full (almost super) moon rising.

Up to Canada we went and Christmas set into full swing! The weather even cooperated with a beautiful dump of snow on Christmas Eve. The table was packed as usual and the kids big and small, all had a ball.

It was a month of first steps and first time on skis for my grandsons, and first words for our granddaughter. A year for weddings – my son in July and an engagement for my step-daughter. And a year for tough things that test us; broken bones and broken hearts with the loss of too many friends.

This is the month when we touch base with the many people who mean so much to us. It is a time to reflect on our good fortune and make promises to ourselves to be better people. So love yourself and be good to your loved ones. My very best wishes to you all for a wonderful New Year.