West: From one holiday to another

MIKE WEST

Seems like yesterday was Halloween (and a hot one it was) and looks like Christmas is nearly here. Burrrrrr. Maybe?
Yep, I'm intentionally skipping Thanksgiving. You can blame that on my family(s) tendency to travel everywhere and anywhere for that particular holiday.
Once upon a time, all the restaurants in at least Middle Tennessee were closed for Thanksgiving. Nowadays, many of them are open and very crowded and crammed with families not celebrating Thanksgiving at home. Whew!
So, I'm thinking about country ham and eggs at home. Sounds good doesn't it? But actually it is a fantasy this year, since we are still in the middle of a kitchen upgrade.
The wonderful new stove and the beautiful new cabinets are in, but we are still awaiting the cabinet tops, sink and plumbing. It's a little difficult (and real inconvenient) to wash all those dishes in a little bathroom sink.
Maybe that's why the annual Cannon Country Christmas was even more special than usual this year? No, it's always special!
This year, it was T-shirt weather for Country Christmas, but I still had a great time. It was a blast and would put the world's biggest Scrooge in the mood for the holidays no matter what the temperature was.
Why? Because Woodbury is a little different and I don't mean that in a bad way. For the most part, people are friendly and sincere when it comes to dealing with the public. S-I-N-C-E-R-E was the most important word in the previous sentence.
Folks around here are sincerely happy to see you and welcome your visit to their shops which were all decked out for Christmas. Shop owners and employees went out of their way to help you instead of turning tail and running like they do in other burgs. And everyone seems to share that excitement from age 2 to 92.
You just couldn't avoid the happy grins wreathing every face. Even most grumps enjoy Country Christmas.
Unique items filled the shops in Downtown Woodbury. Scoping out gifts was fun even if your hands are full with camera, pen and notebooks. I had to juggle a bit to handle all the free refreshments, but I managed to inhale my share.
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And don't forget a big event.... The annual Lions Club Day on Saturday, Dec. 3.
That day kicks off with Pancake Breakfast With Santa at 7 to 10 a.m. at the Lions Club building. I'm not sure who enjoyed last year's event the most, me and the Missus might have liked it more than the grandkids. No, the grandkids loved it all including the pancakes, sitting on Santa's lap and viewing Miss Carolyn's collection of Christmas villages.
The annual Christmas Parade kicks off at noon that same day. If you or your group are interested in participating the cost is free, but you have to pre-register at the UT Extension Office on Lehman Street. And remember ... no four wheelers are allowed in the parade.
Lions Day will conclude with the annual Tour of Homes from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets (and maps of the locations) will be available at the Lions Club Building.

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The following weekend, there is the annual Senior Center Christmas Gala on Friday, December 9 @ 6 - 8 p.m.Enjoy a great meal served at lavishly decorated tables, silent auction, entertainment and much more. Contact the Senior Center at 615-563-5304 for information.

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The Arts Center of Cannon County will continue its Christmas events with Elf the Musical Jr, directed by Scarlett Turney on December 9 at 7:30 p.m., December 10 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. and December 11 at 2 p.m.
This Young at Art Series show runs approximately one hour. Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole.