Santa at Willow Creek

This weekend our shopping center had our Champagne and Lights. Guess who showed up. Yep, Santa.
Here I am telling him what a good girl I was this year.I think he is thinking hurry up and get off my lap.
It was a fun evening of shopping, refreshments,and fun. Kids made reindeer food to take home to put out for Santa's reindeer on Christmas eve. Everyone had fun searching for the glass pickle ornaments we had hidden about the shop. If they found one, they got a little gift. We got the idea from the German traditon of a pickle ornament hidden in the Christmas tree. The person who found it first got an additional present.

November Tea

In November, we hosted a fall tea for our customers at the shop. Here is a sampling of some of the goodies. Yum! The cucumber tea sandwiches were very popular. They are not shown because they were gone in an instant! But I do have the recipe for you.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Peel and thinly slice 2 cucumbers. Soak overnight in a mixture of 1 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 3 tbls. sugar. Mix together 1/2 cup softened butter and a couple sprigs of finely chopped fresh basil. Rinse and pat dry cucumber slices. Spread butter mixture on bread slices, layer cucumber slices and top with another buttered bread slice. Trim crusts and quarter sandwich into triangles. Enjoy!