GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS! HERE COME THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES….

It’s a Peterson tradition, started by Cary so many years ago that I can’t even remember, and now Martha, in Cary’s absence, is carrying on “with a little help from her friends.” This year’s party coincided with our first big snowstorm, which really didn’t hurt it at all. In fact, with a roaring fire and good fellowship, it actually enhanced the gathering. Of course, it meant that any evening parties in New York were impossible, which meant that I missed a big one at Don Harley’s. But it’s a good thing I stayed close to home. By 9 P.M. the car was buried and a pair of cross country skiis was the transportation of choice. Ain’t winter grand?

This will give you a taste of the talent gathered around the table a week ago. Jenny Vitello, hot off the plane from three months doing an internship in Africa, still retained her lead as artist extraordinaire, but there were dozens of other houses too numerous to show. Here are two views of Jenny’s house.

Here are two views of Jimmy Siuty’s masterpiece, which now rests on my dining room table. Am I lucky, or wot? It all fits so well with the Christmas tree, decorated with trinkets and treasures collected over the years, and like the faded Santas and wooden elves adorning the mantelpiece, keep Christmas tradition alive and well in the Peterson family. Hope you and yours had a merry one.