Now that we’re closing in on the holiday season, I’d be willing to bet that a great number of you have spent a significant amount of time making lists and shopping for the perfect gift for each of your friends and loved ones.

I’m not a big shopper, but I love trying to find the perfect gift for each person in my life. I enjoy making my own home made gifts, or, failing that, buying a unique handmade gift from a local and/or independent artisan.

It may seem odd to think about the winter holidays in June, but when I’m out at LakeFest each summer, I try to take a bit of time to walk around our fine arts and crafts show and sale, identifying those artisans whose products would make great gifts for my friends. If I’m shopping online, I try to check out websites like Etsy – an online marketplace where you can find creative people from all around the world selling handmade items. In fact, some of our ArtPark artists have their own virtual “shops” on Etsy. At the bottom of this blog post, I’ve included the links to some of these shops.

We at the Festival are also doing a bit of “shopping” this time of year too. We spend the months of December, January, and February trying to identify those performing artists who would be the perfect gift to our community in June. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait few more months to unwrap this present – but that doesn’t mean you can’t add the Festival to your gift list!

I’d be remiss in my role as Fundraising Coordinator if I didn’t mention that you can make a donation to the Festival by simply going online. Your contribution to the Columbia Festival of the Arts will help us to continue giving the gift of the arts to our community this year and in years to come. Plus, making a donation in honor of a friend or family member is a lovely gift for that person in your life who seems to have everything.

Happy Shopping!

Diana Fooksman

Fundraising Coordinator

As promised, here are just a few of our 2011 ArtPark artists with online shops:

never ever boutique

NAR Creations

B-Muses

Sara Knox Originals

Janice Fowler

Stephanie Grutzmacher Photography

So woop-de do, and hickory dock, and don’t forget to hang up your sock….holiday words of wisdom from Andy Williams, via The Holiday Season.  I am reminded of this holiday classic annually when I make my first holiday trip to the Mall.  It is forever burned into my brain from the time I spent working at an Italian restaurant as an undergrad, where it was piped in with other holiday fare on a seemingly endless loop.  I know the lyrics the way I know the national anthem.

If you braved the crowds for some post-Thanksgiving shopping, chances are you might have heard this tune, or others such as  White Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby & David Bowie – MUST SEE!), or the dreaded Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.  With the exception of the novelty Grandma tune (30 years old now) it seems there is very little contemporary music that has been absorbed into the holiday cannon.  I am not sure the reason for this, though I suspect it has to do with the role traditions play during the holidays.  Just try introducing a fake tree into a house that cuts down a live one every year.  Or maybe you’d like to be the family member who suggests ham instead of turkey?

2012 will mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Festival.  And while it’s hard to compete with holiday traditions, we are very grateful for the opportunity to serve in some small part as a summer tradition for patrons of the arts here in Columbia, Howard County, and greater Maryland.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Enjoy the weeks ahead as you sit back and relax with friends and family and celebrate your favorite holiday traditions.  I know my season will have officially started just as soon as CBS airs A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Happy Holidays

Josh Stoltzfus, Programming Manager