December in the Folsom Historic District

This article originally appeared on The Folsom Telegraph.

The ice rink is open. The Christmas Tree will be lit by the time you read this.  The shops are decorated and feel warm and festive inside. There is a nip in the air that creates the cherry-pink cheeks of winter, which adds to the merry and bright feelings of the season.  It's fun to wear coats and scarves and see your breath when you walk down the street. 

The 50th Annual Arts and Crafts fair will also have happened by the time you read this….hope you attended. It’s bound to be a great event - sold-out vendor spots this year meant that there was plenty to offer everyone.

Lucky, lucky, lucky….we are so lucky to be the recipient of a visit from the Budweiser Clydesdales on December 4th. This is a promotional program that Budweiser does, visiting businesses who offer their products and thanking them by making a front door delivery by the official Budweiser Clydesdale Team. An excellent opportunity to come to The District for a bit of nip-in-the-air/cherry cheeks fun.

The following weekend more Christmas festivities happen…the Holiday Home Tour is the 8th and 9th, and will feature ten Historic District homes decorated in all the glory the holiday (and their decorators) can bring upon them. Tickets must be purchased in advance for this event, so don’t hesitate if you are interested: www.folsomhistoricalsociety.org 

The same weekend, on December 9th, from 12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. (all day!!) will be a new event, called Tots for Toys. This could also be called a Tot Crawl. Bring an unwrapped toy to Marley and Moo, Sam Hornes, Fat Rabbit, Heckle Alehouse, Hacienda del Rio, or Snooks (yes, Snooks…think dessert tots),  and you will receive a free Tater Tot special. If you bring six toys, you can visit each of the sites and make a full day out of it…and all for a good cause…the donated toys will go to our local Toys for Tots program. 

As the month rolls on, the shops in the Historic District will, as always, be a source for you to find gifts and holiday items, as well as provide a feel-good, nostalgic shopping vibe. Think of the Historic District as charming atmosphere, neat-o nooks and crannies, and shops that have shopkeepers who you will meet when you come into their store. 

Finally, a personal note…as well as running Karen’s Bakery Café, one of my current roles is President of the Historic District. I am so proud to work within this charming ‘hood…to be a part of the efforts to provide the people of our community with such a unique place to eat/shop/visit/play. The work that happens in this district stays within our community, and continues to build a wonderful city center that started back in the 1850”s (some will say even earlier!). I like being tied to the history of our area-knowing neighbors, business owners, landowners, friends, and politicians who are continuing to work earnestly to preserve those roots, while at the same time, continuing to help us grow, keeping our wheels moving forward,  and our vision focused on a bright future. 

Happy Holidays to all of you. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.