Oktoberfest Man

We are getting ready for a big weekend. It's Oktoberfest! Let the oom pah pah begin and the beer flow. This is the official kick off of our Fall season and we are very excited about all the fun events that are are lined up for the next few months. The annual Oktoberfest celebration will be held at Marktplatz October 2-4. Oktoberfest is an opportunity for Fredericksburg residents and our guests to celebrate their cultural heritage. It's food, fun, drink, music and shopping. What could be better. We'll see you in the 'burg this weekend!

Yuengling-America's Oldest Brewery

America's Oldest Brewery is celebrating their 180th Anniversary this year. The Yuengling (pronounced Ying-Ling) Brewery in Pottsville Pennsylvania began brewing beer in 1829. Currently the company brews 1.8 million barrels annually and sells their brew in 13 Southern and Eastern states.

The designers at Department 56 have done a wonderful Original Snow Village building to commemorate this historic business. There are also two accessories pieces that go with The Yuengling Brewery. The first is Yuengling Delivery and the other one is entitled The Yuengling Champs.

We are proud of our German friends in Pennsylvania for their longevity and perseverance as a family owned business. If you would like more information about The Yuengling click through to http://www.yuengling.com/ . As always we can be reached at 800-944-1882 or http://www.christmasstorefred.com/

The Yellow Rose of Texas

This is one of my favorite ornaments for 2009. All Texans love "The Yellow Rose of Texas", and can probably hum the song without much difficulty. The lyrics are a different story though since there are several versions.

"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song which has long been popular in the United States and is considered an unofficial state song of Texas. The actual author is unknown; the original publisher (Firth, Pond & Co.) only stated that it was composed and arranged expressly for Charles H. Brown by "J.K." The A. Henry Moss Papers in the Center for American History has an unpublished early handwritten version of what may be a similar song, perhaps dating from the time of the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836.

All I know for sure is that this is one beautiful ornament and would make a great gift for your favorite Texan.

Not to be Outdone....

My last post debuted the UT Santa and today, to be fair to all the Aggie fans out there, here is the new A&M Santa from Joy to the World Collectables. This guy is stunningly handsome and would make a great addition to any Aggie's Christmas Tree.

As you know, today is the first day of Fall and it is a fact that Christmas is quickly approaching. These collegiate Santa's have already sold out one time this year and they are quickly flying off the shelves again. Call us at 800-944-1882 to order your ornament or contact us online at www.christmasstorefred.com Gig 'em!

Hook 'em Santa

We have picked up a new line of glass that includes wonderful collegiate pieces. We now carry University of Texas and Texas A&M University Santas. These are fabulous. There are many other styles available and can be special ordered. We have a catalog at The Christmas Store that customers can peruse for ordering. Joy to the World has a wide variety of unique Texas ornaments as well as the collegiate collection. Come on in and let us help you find a fantastic momento for your favorite sports fan or that special Texan in your life. I will be adding some of these ornaments to the website this next week. Feel free to visit us at www.christmasstorefred.com and check out Joy to the World.

It's Officially Official

We have finally started receiving some of our 2009 Patience Brewster merchandise. We have had a long dry spell with nothing new from Patience and now the warehouse is beginning to see some new product. We have a smattering at this time but in the next few weeks we should be fully stocked. We have moved this product within the store in anticpation of the new merchandise to arrive. Quantities will be very limited this year so be sure and peruse our website at www.ChristmasStoreFred.com and select your favorites. Remember as always, we are happy to put items on lay away.

A Dose of Reality

Sometimes I worry about Fredericksburg losing it's rural charm. Then I get a dose of reality. Last week I walked out of the back of The Christmas Store and encountered this rooster in our parking lot. At that point, my worry about urban sprawl eating us up was put to rest.

This guy made himself at home around our box trailer. The last I saw of him he was wandering off across the Chase Bank parking lot. Hopefully he was headed back to take care of his hens. Thankfully Fredericksburg still has lots of rural charm and friendly people. Why don't you and your family come on over this weekend and see us? In Fredericksburg you can slow down and enjoy a slower pace of life and friendly faces all around. See you in the 'burg!

Picture Perfect....

Days like today are the reason I tolerate the dog days of a Texas Summer. The temperature here is picture perfect beautiful and there is a hint of the cooler weather we can look forward to this Fall. Last weeks rains have greened up our pastures and yards and given our drought ridden earth a brief reprieve. We are very thankful for God's provision.

We have so many wonderful things to anticipate in the coming weeks. The Christmas Store's 15th Anniversary Celebration will take place the first weekend of October and coincides with Oktoberfest which is, in my opinion, the best festival weekend in Fredericksburg all year long. Make your plans now. Accomodations will fill up quickly and we want to see you here. Get ready for Fall Y'all.

The Birthday Boys

Happy Birthday to Don and John. We had a small dinner party to celebrate September 14th and the fact that the twins came into the world that day. Don was out of town at another birthday party, (he is a social butterfly!) but John took the reins and managed to celebrate their birthdays in style. The best cook in town, Marissa, made us all a wonderful dinner and provided phenomenal wine to accompany our meal. Birthday hats off to everyone who planned and helped celebrate the party. I'm glad September 14th only rolls around once a year as I was a tad bleary eyed this morning.

Cristen and Brock

If you have been a customer or friend of The Christmas Store for

any length of time you have probably met Adeline. She has been working at The Christmas Store since 1994. That's fifteen years!!! Adeline is a key member of the "make it look good" team and we value her work highly. By the way, she is our only employee that can converse with our German tourists in their own language and we appreciate her for that skill. Adeline has not only worked at The Christmas Store all these years , she has been my friend. We have shared our lives, our joys and our sorrows and now there is more happy news to share. Adeline's granddaughter Cristen is marrying her best friend Brock tomorrow. I want to take this occasion to wish the happy couple my very best and to let Cristen know she has an awesome Mamaw.

Rain, rain, rain, rain

The big news here is we have been receiving priceless rainfall. The Hill Country will start to spring to life in short order. As most of you know we have been in an extreme drought since late 2007. I know that throughout Central and South Texas rain has been falling over the past week and there is more on the way. God is good and so faithful in providing for our needs. My hope is that you are receiving your portion of God's blessings where you live.

The other big news for The Christmas Store is that we have received our Christmas trees into the warehouse, or as we call it the wherehouse (as in "where is that merchandise hiding?"). We have a small selection of pre-lit trees from 7 to 9.5 feet. We have inverted trees, which are very popular as well as traditional profiles. Our trees are very natural looking. We have flocked and regular evergreen styles. Please call us asap if you need a new Christmas Tree this year as they will sell out very fast. We can be reached at 800-944-1882 or online at http://www.christmasstorefred.com/

Brave Americans

This little boy, Daylan, has a birthday today. He is two years old. I have a feeling his second birthday will be overshadowed. You see Daylan's daddy was a brave American soldier. On Friday Daylan's daddy, Darryn, was killed in Afghanistan.

Our prayers go out to Daylan and his mommy, Julie and all their family. We are absolutely heart broken and ask for your prayers for this family. They will have much to deal with and we hold them up to God for His loving grace and compassion.

Labor Day Weekend

Woo hoo Labor Day is here. We have almost reached the end of Summer 2009. This weekend is the last hurrah. We are hoping lots of you will come and visit us this weekend. There is alot of excitement around The Christmas Store and around town. We are all refreshed after our summer vacations and ready to hit the ground running during the Fall months. Fredericksburg, as always, has lots of festivals and events planned for the next few months. One of the best events planned for this weekend is the Doss Volunteer Fire Department Fish Fry. If you have never been to this event in Doss you are really missing a wonderful slice of life in the Texas Hill Country. I strongly suggest you make plans to go out there Saturday night and let the fine folks in Doss serve you up some good Hill Country hospitality.

Fall is in the air!

Happy September!!!! It is hard to believe that 2009 has flown by this way and that eight months of the year are gone. I don't know why I am surprised. As I age, every year goes by faster than the previous ones. Life is like that. At The Christmas Store we have been busy merchandising our Autumn produt. We have a great selection of florals, home decor and gifts for the season.

Today I placed an order for our Fall Yankee Candles. They should arrive soon. There is just something special about this time of year. I start to anticipate cooler weather, football, holidays, family time and all the special activities that coincide with this time of year.

I wish you a blessed day and rest assured, we are counting our blessings since Tiffanie Carroll (Tamara's daughter) came through her surgery so well. I would like to thank everyone for their prayers.

New Blankies in the Baby Area

We have a new vendor in the baby area that is making the most adorable soft, snuggly blankets for little ones. We are happy to carry fabric snugglies designed by Carrie. These blankies are so soft and adorable. Carrie uses uber soft minky dot fabric on one side and vintage look fabrics on the other. All blankies are hand made with love. The blankies come in two sizes. There is a small size perfect for cuddling and a set that includes a large baby blanket and matching snuggly. These will make a perfect gift as they are small, light weight and easily packable. Children love these blankies as the texture of the fabrics are wonderful. Carrie can be reached for custom color combinations and orders at care_e_24@hotmail.com