From One Holiday to the Next

We are now at the point in the year when we are moving rapidly from one holiday to the next. How much fun is this? Can we not do this all year long? You know, the part about gathering with friends and family to enjoy the company of each other. We could do that more often, don't you think? I watched my family (at least half of them) interact with their Uncle Bob and his family this week in great jovial exchange with each other. Once a year is about all they can manage to be with most all of the "clan". It really is too bad because they have so much FUN together. This is something we will work on for sure at our house.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week:
Inventory Reduction Sale
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature our Inventory Reduction Sale. What that means is that we have identified items that can be drastically reduced in price to you. This includes an unbelievable number of items from our regular stock that have deep price cuts. You may find just the item you have been waiting for in this sale. Items are from all departments in our shop. Once again this is so unbelievable that you just must come in to find out what is included! Values range up to 75% off.

Last Week for Special Financing
Special Financing with GE Money ends on December 31, 2010. Not only that, we have special prices on many models of Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machines. We cannot publish the prices because they are so low, but we can tell you that they are definitely worth your investigation. Come to Heirlooms & Comforts to test sew on these models to find out which is best suited to you. We are happy to pass the savings on to you!

Winter Class Schedule is Posted
The Heirlooms & Comforts Winter Schedule for Classes is now posted on our web site ready for you to choose the classes you wish to take. Sign up and complete your registration/payment by January 8, 2011, and get 20% off class supplies listed by the instructor of your chosen class. This is a great saving for you when you complete your payment by January 8. We are ready for you.

Heirlooms & Comforts Holiday Hours

• December 30: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• December 31: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• January 1 & 2: Closed
• January 3: Return to regular hours

Thinking of Others

This is the time of year that those who are economically and personally "ill" have difficulty coping with the customs and habits of our society. There is depression and despair among persons who feel inadequate in the Season of Giving to their families and friends. This is a time when we who have comfort and plenty can aid those who are less fortunate. We have, for some years now, recognized a quilter among us who plies her art/craft to try to supplement her disability income to make her life more comfortable in her aged years. She sells her handicraft to get "spending" money. We can bring into the shop her quilts, which include African-themed models, for you to purchase; or we can take donations at the shop to be delivered to her either at Christmas or at her 86th Birthday on December 27. She always has a need of some sort that her income does not cover and is always grateful for contributions. It is amazing how good you can feel about making this kind of donation.

It is always a sad time when a quilter friend passes away. Word has come of the passing of a wonderful quilter and friend, Lucille Kriegle. Lucille touched many lives in her 79 years. She made many beautiful quilts and passed them on to others who found comfort and cheer in their warmth. She will be missed by many of us across the upstate.

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: 25% off One Item of your Choice
25% off One Item of your Choice this week at Heirlooms & Comforts
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will continue the 25% 0ff any one item of your choice.

Exemptions apply: Sewing machines, sergers, software suites, and cabinets. Tell your personal Santa to check us out for holiday savings on your wish list.

Special Financing Available
Designer Topaz 30, Designer Ruby, and Designer Diamond are available with special terms with the Home Design card from GE Money: 36 or 48 months no interest (special conditions apply).

This special will end on December 31, 2010. These machines are in stock and ready to go. Be among the first to commit for these! We can assist you with the application to GE Money if you don't already have a Home Design Card.

Winter Class Schedule is Posted
The Heirlooms & Comforts Winter Schedule for Classes is now posted on our web site ready for you to choose the classes you wish to take. Sign up and complete your registration/payment by January 8, 2011, and get 20% off class supplies listed by the instructor of your chosen class. This is a great saving for you when you complete your payment by January 8. We are ready for you.

Click here to see the class listing.

Heirlooms & Comforts Holiday Hours

* December 24: Close at 2:00PM
* December 27: Open at 10:00AM
* December 30: Close at 2:00PM
* January 2: Open at 10:AM.

How Do the Others Celebrate?

Not 24 hours before I am writing this letter, Bobby and I returned home from a trip to Hungary, Slovenia, Austria and Bavarian Germany. To see how the populations of those areas celebrate winter and the Christmas season as compared to what we do here is a study in contrasts. First, winter is just winter. It is darker earlier and longer. It is cold. It is one of the seasons that they live through. There are down-filled coats and buntings for the babies; there are hats of all descriptions especially with ear covers; there are gloves and mittens; and there are boots to keep out the cold snow and water. Then you just operate as usual. The strollers for the babies are equipped with sleeping-bag-like covers for the babies who are suited up mittens and all so that only the eyes and nose are visible under layers of blankets. The entire family is out-sometimes all six or seven members-in the dark at the Christmas Market shopping, eating and being neighborly with friends. Food is in abundance---cooked in full view on grills and wood-fired stoves and in woks too big to get onto one of our stoves. There are sausages of all varieties and BIG; sauerkraut; potatoes; and breads and pretzels you wouldn't believe! Hot mulled wine seems to be the drink of choice after beer in the markets. And to my surprise, the cups are ceramic, not Styrofoam. There are those whose job it is to collect and clean the cups and wheel them back to the stalls to be used again. How's that for being "green"? Family, from the youngest to the oldest, seems to be a theme in these cold countries.


Christmas is a religious holiday and the churches are central in this celebration. Then the theme of the nativity is carried out into the community. In Passau, Germany, there are 29 crèches or nativity scenes on public display in the city with a map of where you can find them. St. Nicholas Day is celebrated separately from the Christian celebration of the nativity in many places. St. Nicholas was a Bishop who delivered treats to the children; so, that is not totally an a-religious event. It was an impression that the religious event is far more emphatic than we hear in this country. I suppose that can be a personal choice for us who have the freedom to choose our traditional celebrations as we wish. This is not to say that persons in those countries can't choose how they celebrate. It is, to this tourist, a more general public dedication to the religion than I observe in the USA. Do you suppose that those who at some point in their history almost lost their religious freedom are more likely to punctuate it? I am grateful for where I am!

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: 25% off One Item of your Choice
At Heirlooms & Comforts this week we will feature a 25% discount on one item that you choose that is not already reduced in price, nor a machine or cabinet, nor an embroidery software suite. Now is the time to send your Santa in to purchase that larger ticket item that you have wished for. Let him know that machines and software are often priced specially and carry special financing through GEMoney and Home Design Card of 36 to 48 months not interest. Special terms of purchase apply to these financing options and we can explain those when you are in the shop - worth listening to! Special financing ends Dec. 31, 2010.

Reminders

• Visit the Heritage Museum House in Central on Church St. where the Second Graders decorated two trees.
• Visit the shop on Madden Bridge Rd to see how festive we can be!
• Look for the new Winter Class Schedule coming soon on www.heirloomsandcomforts.net
• Look for special deals coming with Winter Class sign-ups.

Got Hot Flashes?

We are rapidly moving toward the closing of the tenth year of this century; can you believe it? Do you remember how time just crept from one birthday to the other when you were seven or eight? Now a year passes at "mach" speed - so fast that you suddenly realize that this is the last page on this year's calendar. So much has gone down the track this year. Start thinking about all the wonderful ways you have been fortunate during 2010. Make a list of the good things you have seen, learned, and done. See if there is something left on your list of resolutions that you can still accomplish in these last few weeks of 2010. Then work at getting it done so you can look back to a completed list. That always feels good - a completed list. I'm working on mine!

Sara

H&C Feature of the Week: Fat Quarters at Show Special Prices
At Heirlooms & Comforts our Feature of the Week this week is Fat Quarters at Show Special Prices: $2.75 each; or 6 for $15; or 12 for $25; or 24 for $48. Make your selections for a beautiful scrap quilt or a fantastic Tuffet or a warm patchwork jacket. Fat quarters combine well with Jelly Rolls to make wonderful quilts, too.

Hot Flashes
At Heirlooms & Comforts our block-of-the-month quilt for the next year is called Hot Flashes and our sample is constructed using the Shades ombre fabrics. Come to see the sample hanging in the classroom that Kathy made using black as the background color. How gorgeous can a quilt be! You can use other colors for the background with equal success. The group that has already had one class has decided to do two blocks each month in order to not postpone the completion of the quilt for so long. You can still join in the class; just call to get details. Kathy is in the shop on Tuesdays and Fridays regularly. Other associates can also help you with details.

Special Financing Available
The 36 to 48 Months no-interest financing through GEMoney Home Design Card system ends with the end of the year. We have models to qualify for these special terms still in stock waiting just for you. Have you ever sewn with a Husqvarna Viking machine, any model? You will love the features that were designed by sewers for sewers. Come in for a demo to see which suits your needs better.