One of the many things I love about Shire City Sanctuary's Holiday Shindy is wandering the aisles with my 10 year old son. The abandoned church has been 're-purposed' for the community. Each year it is brilliantly [and respectfully] transformed into a holiday festival of artisans and admirers, jam-packed with "good things made by good people". As my son soaks up the spirit, he mingles with friends and enjoys visiting with different vendors. I'm not the only one ogling beautiful objects. Allott spends A LOT of time looking through the "secret books" made by Michael Vincent Bushy and treats them like treasures for ever after. His collection is growing as he selects one very special book each year.

What makes the whole experience even more twinkly is that Michael Vincent Bushy takes the time to talk to my son about the techniques and tools he uses to make a wide variety of designs. It isn't a lecture. It's a gentle conversation that sprinkles a gift with meaning. This kind of interaction doesn't happen every day. I sure wish it did, but I suppose if it did, then the spell might be broken. This Christmas, bring your kids to some holiday markets in your neck of the woods and see what magic they get up to!

Look at the State I'm In! From Plymouth Rock to Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts rocks it from its east coast to its western border. Massachusetts has a history of doing new and exciting things... just think, the Fig Newton was named after Newton, MA; Boston built the first US subway system in 1897; the birth control pill was invented at Clark University in Worcester, MA; the first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth in 1621; and Norfolk County Massachusetts is home to 4 US presidents. [Can you name them? If so, comment below.]

Massachusetts also boasts another first - the first time the federal government purchased land for a park with the creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Known for its beauty, the Cape Cod shoreline is inspiration to many artists, writers and poets but it is also revered as a sacred vessel carrying millions of precious childhood memories, and some grown up ones, too. It's where Wellfleet Waters calls home.

Beth and Maryann, the dynamic sister act behind Wellfleet Waters, took their childhood memories and translated them in to something bright and cheerful - just like a summer day on the cape. They created textiles to embrace the color and natural beauty of Cape Cod. The bold colors and simple designs conjure blues from clear waters, greens from dune grass and reds like bright beacons as the sun drops and the smell of pine rises with the night sky.

Wellfleet Waters' unique patterns are printed on to 100% cotton duck canvas, an indoor and outdoor "waterside" fabric. The fabrics are printed in Massachusetts, are water resistant and mildew resistant, too. Like most hardy New England things and people, the fabrics are wicked durable, too.

Wellfleet Waters offers a range of pouches, handbags, totes, duffels, tablecloths, aprons, and place mats. They are affordable and make great gifts. Good Girl is stocking up on wine sacks to give as Christmas gifts [$22]. They're perfect for the great Outer Beach, on your summer table, or right beside you for the Boston Pops at Tanglewood.