And so it begins...

Yesterday was the first day of the official shopping season for Christmas: Black Friday for those of you who aren't versed in American lingo. We avoid the sale shopping frenetics and spend the day perusing ornaments. Over hill and dale, we shop for the perfect bobble, until we are blurred from from fatigue, we return home with trinkets for our tree. 

 The Grinch would grimace at all of the sparkles and glitter there is to behold (as would Conchscooter), 

but the initiation of Christmas cheer and good will is one we never pass up.  

It is tempting to view the season as a glutton of solipsism or one that threatens to put us in a financial crunch because our obligation to give is focused on the shiniest, newest as opposed to meaningful. But if that's all it has become, then it is one that should be cast off immediately.   

 Gift giving should be the search to find the best gift for the person to whom one is giving and one that will make their heart light -not the gift that will impress them the most. And no mistake it is no small task to give a gift that is meaningful without bankrupting oneself. 

Yet the toil is light when viewed from one's memory and one recalls the eyes lit up, the lips in a broad smile as the gift is lifted from the box and into the arms of the one it was purchased it for.  

Truly, the right spirit of Christmas, as the Grinch came to learn, is about giving and sharing and thought for all we come into contact with. 

So each year, we celebrate the first day by finding the perfect ornament to commemorate the day. The one that will remind us of the good will we experience during the season and the one which we hope will continue on throughout the New Year. 

What traditions do you have that keep the true spirit of Christmas? 

Don't call me a super hero just yet!

Circulation Clerk for Denver Public Library by day...
Writer by night...
Intrepid Photographer whenever I get the opportunity...
So for those of you new to my blog-- I combine my love of photography with my writing as often as possible. I hope you enjoy... 

Forty-five minutes from our front door (depending on how sardine-like the highway is) lies the liberal mecca of Colorado... Boulder. Boulder is well known for it's progressive policies in these parts-- maintaining their open spaces whilst Denver was expanding and growing, almost exploding while nearby Jefferson County would  have loved to have swallowed parts of Boulder County up into plans for FUTURE DEVELOPMENT! Boulder would have none of it, however, and many parts of the city remain quaint and old townish and the county itself is indeed, full of that shameful OPEN SPACE! It's a favorite place to visit, having the attraction that there are nearby rocks to climb (someday I'll tell you about my fear of heights!) and great bookstores and a lovely street shopping mall...

The Pearl Street Mall

The day we determined to head out, it turned out, was the near perfect day to hit the mall considering it was December and Boulder lies nestled next to the foothills and can be several degrees cooler and blusterier than it's big city counterpart. The sun was shining (YAY!!!) and we found parking a few blocks away without having to ask for a loan from the bank (YAY!!!!) (okay, I exaggerate... a little). Ostensibly we were Christmas shopping...

 but the temptations are too great. We can never pass up the opportunity to hit the great bookstores here. Besides we do buy books for the kids and each other (although to be honest I think the books had been purchased already)

After we made our purchases we were ready for some real shopping and we headed down the street.
There are many eye catchers as you walk past the eclectic residents of Boulder.
Buskers
and Street Performers abound
but because it was December,
the most astounding thing caught my eye...

Purple Pansies coloring the flower beds in the center of the walkway. Pansies are one of my favorite flowers because of their hardiness and their lovely coloring-- if there were a flower that I could choose to be it might be a just that- recalling springtime and summer while the cold winds blow just above and though the snows might cover them for a while, they often manage to come out from under it unscathed. But I digress...

  

So off we went...Oops!

Well, waylaid a bit. This bookstore is also terrific and cannot be passed up. Just look at those lovely shelves, chalk full of just about any book you could wish to find! Most of my favorite authors are covered here-- Jeannette Winterson, Paul West, Italo Calvino... You name it, they probably have it! New or used. Don't these shoppers look excited? And here they are looking over books that have stood the test of time as well as looking for exciting new authors-- 

All right, now really it's time to get to some other shops. Lets make our purchases and head out-- there is so much to offer here....

Outside the bookstore, a sad looking gentleman is struggling to play a chord or two while singing a song that is I believe made up as he goes along. He was in rather better shape than some of the other homeless performers we saw that day... one guy's guitar was duct taped together so poorly that I wondered that it made any sound at all.  

The dirty little secret about progressive Boulder policies is that the city hands out tickets to "campers." This means that if your caught in your sleeping bag on public property, too bad for you! You'll be handed a ticket which you can't afford to pay to add insult to your homelessness.

Nearby, we stop at a favorite shop with home decor and gifts aplenty. Ann Taintor (I love her!) mugs, lip balms, napkins, sticky notes, you name it are all found here. This was a new one that I enjoyed:

Sleighbells are ringing and the day is getting short! There's a candy store nearby that is too die for!

They are noted for their retro style candies. You can buy Snickers or a Hersheys but why would you... 

when they have candy that you may not find anywhere else on earth?!?!?!

This guy doesn't know what to do with himself! 

Even I was at a loss when it was time to choose just one before we left the store...

 Really? 

Just ONE??? 

A favorite kitchen store with just about anything one might need for their culinary pleasure and we had hit the best of the best in Boulder for the day..

 Our free but time-limited parking was UP and we had to head back down the mall before we too contributed to the city's slush fund. 

But we'll be back...next time it will most likely be for a more outdoorsy type activity- most likely involving those hills you see in the background and perhaps a tale or two about my fear of heights.