Please help me with this quandary: Holly Jolly is coming up fast and I am not sure how I want to participate. For those who don’t know what this is, Holly Jolly is a Black Mountain tradition that takes place on the first Friday night of December and kicks off the Christmas season. Cherry and Sutton Streets are closed, and the shops are open late. There are performances all over town and Santa makes an appearance. Guests pour into the shops where they are served refreshments in every one. It’s a lot of fun, even though they leave piles of candy wrappers and empty paper cups in their wake, and we merchants have to clean up the mess.
Here’s my problem: The event takes place both in the street and indoors, all over town, and there are literally thousands of people participating. In other words, there will be a large number of guests in the shop with no masks on, as I can’t imagine that they will be putting masks on indoors while the are refreshments to be eaten, and I don’t want to be the mask police. I’m afraid this event could result in a Covid spike! I’m vaccinated, but I am aware that others might not be. What do I do?
The alternative for me would be to keep the shop closed and to stand outside giving out the chocolates I bought for that purpose along with wine for my adult friends. What do you think? Am I being ridiculous? What should I do? Take a chance and open up just like pre-pandemic days, or stand outside like a dork in a Santa hat?
One thing I have no doubt about, though, is my collection of barn quilts by the Turners of Morganton. I am crazy about these works of art, and I can’t imagine myself capable of making one. The angles and dimensions are perfectly plotted out and creatiively painted There is math involved which would leave me in the dark! They came by this week and brought a couple of new ones. They are made to hang either indoors or outside on your barn, your garage, or beside your back door.
I love their original designs and their choice of colors. Their prices range from $250 for the 2×2 foot ones to $350 for the 3×3 foot ones. Come by to see them in person and do a little shopping!
