Wow...another Christmas is here! Did I get everyone a gift? Will they like what I've given them? Have I mailed out all the Christmas cards? These are just a few of the questions that run through my head.

Sometimes the joy of Christmas can be overtaken by the many challenges we face this time of the year. How do we juggle the housework, our jobs, the cookies that need to be baked, the cards that need to be mailed, the kids with their plays and sporting events? When is there time left over to play a game, or have a cup of hot cocoa with my husband and rejoice in the birth of Jesus? When all is said and done, I think the simple gifts of Christmas are the most memorable ones.

We should keep the traditions of the "good old days" alive. I remember when we were kids, we had fresh oranges at Christmas. That was a real treat for us, as there were a lot of mouths to feed and fresh fruit was a rarity. I still remember the sweet taste of those oranges.

In the days leading up to Christmas, my twin sister and I would eagerly leaf through the Spiegel catalog at the beautiful clothes they had for sale. We knew Mom would not be buying those items for us, but it was good enough to dream of wearing them someday.

My heart was full of anticipation of what "would be" in the future. We would write our letters to Santa, asking for a Barbie doll, a new pair of shoes, or one of those extra large candy canes.

My brothers and sisters and I would spend hours making Christmas cards for each other and making fancy snowflakes for the windows. We used to staple the red and green strips of paper together to make long strands of garland to decorate the school. When I look back on those times, it was the activities we did as a family that I cherish the most.

This year, I have enjoyed watching and helping our customers who knit special gifts for their loved ones. They sit at the knitting table in our store and share their progress on open knitting night or when they have time to come into our shop. I challenge each and every one of you to make cocoa for the kids, rejoice in your dreams, play games together, and make family memories that will last a lifetime.

For those of you who knit, come in and show us your beautiful hand-knit projects. If you get stuck while knitting your project, we'll get you back on the road to success. If you are not a knitter and want to learn, we have classes to get you started.

For those of you who don't knit, we have really nice warm socks, hats and scarves for these cold winter nights. Give the gift of warmth to someone you love and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In case you have not heard about us, Alpaca Direct is a direct merchant of high quality yarn, socks, apparel and gifts. We carry a full line of fiber art accessories, including hundreds of needles and thousands of yarns. Our unique selection of products also includes Peruvian alpaca sweaters, hand-loomed lace scarves, warm alpaca socks and cuddly alpaca teddy bears.

Our building is easy to find, and handicap accessible with ample parking. We are located just two blocks west of Hwy 95 in Hayden.

Our store is open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday. Visit us at 1016 W. Hayden Ave. or online at www.AlpacaDirect.com - your local destination for luxury yarn, apparel & gifts. "Like" us on Facebook and Yelp for exclusive coupons, product spotlights & news!