Several years ago, Jerilyn (my favorite cousin) and I had a business in Crothersville called ‘Country Cousins.’ It was in the building where CJ’s garage was for many years before that. We were the ‘crafty crafters’ making tons of country items — big at Christmastime. We sold items in bulk through Cracker Barrel and to corporations for employee gifts as well as to walk-in customers at the shop. And then… we went to this big Christmas show in Indy…
To be a part of this expo you had to be ‘jurored-in’ — basically, it required sending a product to be reviewed by a panel of this magazine/event promotor, and if it was good enough you could buy booth space. (I wish I could remember the name of the magazine because at the time, it was a really big deal.) People paid for admittance to the expo at the Indy Fairgrounds just to buy stuff. OUR stuff. Jerilyn and I worked around the clock making holiday items and the MasterSbilt crew loaded it all into trailers and helped us set-up. We made these dried flower swags that we displayed near the front of our booth and women FOUGHT over these things!! We were totally sold out of swags before the end of the first day. Our night in the hotel was spent surrounded by spanish moss and dried flowers with hot glue melted in an electric skillet.
I will never forget this particular holiday season for two reasons. The obvious is that Jerilyn and I did something as a team that we’d never done before and it was a successful venture. But the main reason I remember it so vividly is because of what happened AFTER the Christmas Expo. We took the decorated tree we used in the show to a family who didn’t have one. I’ll never forget delivering it… lights, ornaments and all…
Parts of the linoleum flooring in the home was gone exposing the earth. Neatly swept and clean inside, it was almost as cold in their living room as it was outside. I can remember daylight filtering in from holes in the exterior of the house. The two children living there were over-the-moon from the second they saw what we had! I remember Jerilyn and I getting back in the truck wiping tears we kept hidden while inside. With little conversation, we drove straight to K-Mart (long gone from Scottsburg but was the shopping outlet back then) and spent our expo profit buying toys and food for the family.
While I may not remember the gifts I received or even gave last year… the above is one holiday memory I will never forget.
Snow is Gracie’s Christmas gift this year. The deeper the better…
