Clinton Township Newsletter

3 d e c e m b e r 2 0 2 3 –Julie Flynn Oriental Rug Specialist Since 1934 Sale & Service of Oriental Rugs & Carpets When my own family last visited Disney World years ago, it occurred to me that Disney's Main Street is the fake version of our wonderful little Victorian Town of Clinton, a main street that we can visit anytime we like. (I would choose Clinton over Disney any day.) Clinton looks much like it did in the 1860s, without the horses and carriages, with the addition of paved roads. I hope you remember to visit Downtown Clinton during Dickens' Days! I love the fact that downtown Clinton looks a lot like it did during Dicken's actual life. My family has lived in Hunterdon County for 25 years now. We moved to this gorgeous area from Morris County, where we lived for five years and, before that, Hoboken and, before that Manhattan. So, like many of you, we gradually left the hustle and bustle of those crowded places for the bucolic rolling hills of Clinton Township where, to paraphrase the late Garrison Keiller in Lake Wobegon, a fictional town in Minnesota, "all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." We in Hunterdon County are blessed with several historic downtowns, brimming with beautiful backdrops, quaint scenery, and fascinating history. The fact that we live so close to New York City, about 60 miles or so, but also live in such a rural area with fantastic schools makes us lucky indeed. I have so many memories over these past quarter of a century of our life here – 39 years of local schooling (for our three children), countless friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, so many events, so many seasons... and 25 Christmases! I remember all of the winter celebrations at the children's schools – making the cupcakes and crafts to bring to them seemed stressful at the time, and then going to Liberty Village in Flemington and not being able to find parking, except at the very far end of the lot. Crowds of people swarmed there from all over to shop for high-end goods at bargain prices. I remember taking my children to see the Christmas Parade in downtown Clinton, where the hot chocolate and the festive camaraderie kept us warm. I remember our whole family journeying out to cut down a tree at one of the historic Christmas Tree farms in Jugtown Mountain, only to return in the car with five cranky, sweaty Flynns plus a small but decent tree. I decided that that was a tradition better left to other families, and from then on I kept the tree-buying trips to myself and perhaps my husband and/or one child. It's a chore done as quickly as possible now, as is the decorating. We love our tree at Christmastime but are not in the elfy-instagrammy mood to make it into a big deal. Our Christmas Day now, however, has become much more relaxed and poignant, and our family is expanding with a new daughter-in-law-to-be! Several of those friends from our early days in Clinton Township have recently become grandparents and, from the looks of it, there's nothing better! My current favorite Christmas traditions? Spending time with my loved ones and remembering to breathe. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate... and please, don't forget to breathe! DAYS TO KEEP IN MIND Fri Dec 1 World AIDS Day Sun Dec 3 First Sunday of Advent Sun Dec 3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities Mon Dec 4 Wildlife Conservation Day Tues Dec 5 International Volunteer Day Thurs Dec 7 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Thurs Dec 7 First Day of Hanukkah Fri Dec 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception Thurs Dec 21 Winter Solstice Sun Dec 24 Christmas Eve Mon Dec 25 Christmas Day Tues Dec 26 Kwanzaa Tues Dec 26 Boxing Day Thurs Dec 28 Pledge of Allegiance Day December 29, 1890: The Battle of Wounded Knee, nearly 300 Lakota people shot and killed by soldiers of the US Army near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota Sun Dec 31 New Year's Eve from Carol Beder's

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