Nothing Beats the Holidays

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! There is excitement in the air! So much going one! It seems to make many happy just to know Christmas is coming. Of course there is a lot of work, planning, cooking, buying and wrapping coming up, but that’s all part of it, and “it is what you make it”! I need to bake cookies, address cards, buy gifts, hmmm, what to buy??? Wrap gifts, get the tree up, go to parties, go to church, and lean back and enjoy the festivities that are in store for all of us!   

* This Christmas season began with a party at Mike and Marian’s home and it was so decorated for Christmas that you couldn’t help but get in the spirit when you walked in the door! She had many trees up everywhere, and the food was outstanding.  From ham and turkey to side dishes, pastries, and lots of punch and stuff to drink! One guest brought “beer cheese” and crackers!  Umm, yumm – delicious! No one found the Pickle on the tree though! Some of you know that right now, Mike cannot lift anything heavier than two pounds, and he must take it easy to continue healing. Do you know that the men from his church, United Church of Marco Island, contacted his wife and told her they will take all the Christmas decorations down, wrap them and put them away, to help them. They did not want Mike to even worry about it! Now THAT is what Christmas is all about! How beautiful! Marion and I went to see “The Christmas Story” presented by the Naples players, and Marion was taken aback at how outstanding the actor who played Scrooge played the part.   

* Many other things are going on as we enter this time of celebration…like construction. First there is a Hampton Inn being built behind Culver’s Frozen Custard building which has been needed for a few years now. Wait till they see how many people use the East Naples Community Park behind it when the Pickleball Tournaments begins, but then people from all over the world come to the “Pickleball Park” to practice and try it out. I’m sure you know that Naples is the Pickleball Capital of the WORLD! Just a few years ago, no one had ever even heard of the game. Now we are in the center of the whole Pickleball industry. We’ve come a long way, Baby!    

* And in that same area you’ll notice another building in the first stage of building and it will be a Suncoast Credit Union building. It will be just another feather in our cap.

* You also noted last week in this column that another very upscale car dealership is being built in that same area: a Lamborghini Dealership will be a part of this new upcoming area. I can hardly wait to see what it will look like. Wow, those vehicles look spectacular. That’s what some people love, and I don’t blame them.   

* Then, as I mentioned last week, a new restaurant is coming to Restaurant Row at 951/U.S. 41 and it’s Miller’s Ale House, similar to the one in North Naples with great food and lots of fun going on. The building is up and on its way to be another successful business in East Naples.   

* The East Naples Civic Association is in the midst of creating a zoning overlay for this area.  They have had three community meetings inviting the citizens to view and discuss and offer suggestions and thoughts of what is needed and what they would like to see. They have a web page that you might want to check out and it will tell you where they are, and probably offer suggestions as to how to reach them with ideas and suggestions. See: https://bit.ly/414 east overlay. Jacob Winge, (Pronounced “win-gee”) East Naples Civic and Commerce President would love to hear from you, as well as Michelle Mosca from the County Growth Management Division. They are intricately involved with the plan.  

Stay well and happy!