The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Well, it is a fake fireplace festooned with randy cherubs messing with barrels of grapes and unfortunate goats, but the festiveness and the stockings are real. The cherubs are another story entirely. In that vein, however, I’m going full-out balls this year. You get the idea…..
Lights shine and sparkle on convex ornaments of all size. The tree is alive with scent and reflectivity and my living room is cozier and more real for it. My house was feeling empty after the bustle of Thanksgiving, but shining sparkly lights and ornaments help to perk up the space and the mood -- the Gabby cat actively paws the low lying balls which helps, as well. We’ve had some casualties already, but she is amusing me and why would I mind?
And as for the weather? Well, while it snowed two days before Halloween, It is currently 60 F out and not terribly emblematic of Winter. We are expecting several inches of rain, but somehow, despite the weather wackiness this year, it is starting to feel like the holiday season. I think the hot chocolate with Bailey’s is helping, too. What I wouldn’t give for a solid snowfall instead of butterfly bushes and roses still blooming in the hedge. Alas… I’ll have to settle for it dark at 4 and use my imagination for a while. Fresh cookies from the oven should help with that.
Like it or not, the holiday season is here. I like it.
Phoenixville burns with creativity. I have been a fan of my little town since I moved here; and it just keeps getting better and better. You gotta’ love a town that every year builds a wooden structure in an open town space for all to gather ‘round as they set it on fire (the fire department is out in force just in case). I would wager other communities have something similar, but around here, there is nothing like it. Tonight, the firebird burned brightly and brought the masses out in the cold winter weather. 
My first festival involved only a few hundred people, a wobbly wooden structure, and was many years ago when I first moved to Phoenixville. Tonight: Thousands of people showed and that bird was SOLID. Three stories tall, it held a glowing ball in its beak in the waning light and the crowd was massive. I’ve never seen so many people in Phoenixville. Chants began about 30 minutes before the lighting: Burn the Bird – Burn the Bird. The excitement was contagious. 
With Vega resting behind the bird, the flame arrived from its march through town and the bird was ceremoniously set on fire. I was right up close there with the best of them and once that thing started throwing flames, we were no longer cold - in fact, it was HOT. Heat radiated from the beast and ash and embers began to fall on the crowd. No one seemed to mind and I was happy to have my hat on so I could concentrate on the fire instead of protecting my brain from burning debris. 
As the bird fell in pieces and toppled inwardly, the crowd cheered and drums sounded. It was a very primal experience in the middle of a town in Eastern Pennsylvania. Great job Phoenixville! Way to ring in the season of light.
