Bay Weekly: Editorial

Counting the blessings of Chesapeake Country is such long work that you had better time your Thanksgiving feast early, lest appetites overtake the blessing.

And you certainly had better not bring Bay Weekly’s “Local Bounty” to the table, for the 225 celebrations, festivities and outings that make up this year’s annual Month of Holidays are that many more blessings to be thankful for. Add to them the holiday offerings of our advertisers, and it might be dark before turkey time.

But once you’ve eaten the turkey and pumpkin pie, it’s time to settle down in your best armchair for the feast that’s just beginning. Don’t worry if you nap; as long as Local Bounty is in your lap, your dreams are sure to be of sugarplums and Christmases future.

When you wake, you’ll have 40 more days to celebrate before we see what 2002 will bring. Our “Indispensible Guide to Holidays on the Bay” is packed more full of fun than the 12 Days of Christmas is with gifts. Here’s a sample of the bounty you’ll find inside:

One Gingerbread House show, at Darnall’s Chance Museum in Upper Marlboro.

Two decorated lighthouses, Drum Point and Piney Point.

Three Christmas Carols, including the well-loved and annually awaited productions of Colonial Players and Chesapeake Music Hall, plus a nothern version by Musical Artist Theatre at Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts in Brooklyn Park.

Four dozen Santa visits, where the generous elf waits to hear your wishes.

Five Messiah concerts, where the finest singers and musicians in Chesapeake Country — including the Naval Academy Glee Club and even you and me — raise their voices to the heavens to celebrate the meaning of the season.

Six wreath workshops, where you’ll learn the artistry of greens.

Seven Nutcrackers, each ballet with its own special touch from jazz syncopation to classical chamber music.

Eight Christmas booksignings.

Nine candlelit tours of historic homes.

Ten D.C. day trips to bring you to our lovely Capital city for Christmas.

Eleventh hour shopping on December 13 in downtown Annapolis.

Twelve illuminations, where on land and sea brilliant lights add hope and delight these darkest of nights.

Have we left anything out?

Ah, yes, the giving of gifts.

We’ll be shopping locally this year, buying our gifts from the advertisers whose support means that Bay Weekly lives rather than dies. This year, when the tragedy of September 11 has renewed our sense of community, shopping locally is an even better idea. For each of the businesses that serve us thrives only through local commerce. From antiques to beauty treatments and backyard spas to home furnishings to new furnaces, we’re giving and asking for gifts that enrich Chesapeake Country.

All that and more is what you’ll find in Local Bounty.