12/20/2023
God is in the details.
I am not much of one that shares details because I am more of a whatever we need to do to get things done person but when God is in the details I feel it's my responsibility as a Christian to share them.
People show up to SANTA in Barnesville's Winter Wonderland and have an amazing, magical time but don't get to experience the joy that comes from seeing everything come together including in the planning stages so let me take a minute to share those beautiful details that I can only give God the credit for and am honored to do so.
Starting with the sleigh, I wanted a permanent sleigh to make it's appearance at our last year's Santa in A Winter Wonderland so bad but it just didn't work out. And by appearance I mean one that would come out for the event and would stay there till December 31st. We have been so very lucky to have a mobile sleigh come out for the night that everyone loved, it has been such a blessing to everyone over the years.
For the last year I worked really hard trying to knock out all of the details on having a permanent sleigh but nothing seemed to work. Several months ago I made a post as a final attempt to see if someone local could help with creating a sleigh, as most people know this event is centered around local businesses and local organizations. In that post Roger Bubba Samples with Bubba built woodworking LLC was tagged by several people. He messaged me and asked me to call him with the details, he was familiar with the event and honestly loved the idea of helping create something like a sleigh for Downtown Barnesville that would stay there and provide a place for families to come and take pictures for the holidays. He is a busy man with a beautiful business of building everything you can think of but he didn't hesitate on tackling the sleigh! He is also so big on doing things for kids within our community already through the Rec Department. He messaged me at the beginning of December that this beautiful sleigh was ready for pick up!
Peyton, my 14 year old, spent acouple days painting it with me, it has many coats, lol.
We knew the importance of the sleigh we were working on so we didn't take any shortcuts on the brand of paint and the richness of the paint colors either.
I went back and forth on several designs for the gold accents but I knew I couldn't do it justice in the same way Becky Patterson with Brushes & Boxwoods could. Give her a paint brush and there is nothing she can't do! I called her the week of the event because I kept hearing "you never know till you just ask". She had a busy week so wasn't sure but said she would let me know. She too loved the idea of being apart of a having a sleigh for our community. In Mrs. Becky fashion, she showed up Friday afternoon and added the most beautiful gold detailing to the sleigh, completing it in every way. The sleigh will become a permanent holiday decor that will remain throughout the Christmas holiday each and every year from this year forward.
When you take your family to Downtown Barnesville and stop for pictures in the sleigh know that that beautiful sleigh would not exist without several businesses and people within our community that have such a love and passion for our community.
The smores, they are something we do each year and several businesses over the years have provided them but this year was a crazy year for so many and previous businesses just couldn't.
It took one message to Jennifer Cromer Maurice and she said YES!, Maurice Automotive would love to do them both nights! If you know Jennifer & Drew Maurice you know their hearts are in doing whatever they can for the community and especially the kids and families within it! So with a day or 2 notice they were covered!
Ragan Deanne Peluso with Junk King Macon always, each year goes above and beyond, I swear she is magical! She just shows up at every turn and to see everything through, from setting up to sponsoring and to spearheading projects! Junk King provided the cocoa Friday evening.
I will jump at any opportunity to work with organizations that make up the families and children within our community and one of my favorites is the Lamar County Boys & Girls Club with Sandra Watts ❤️ She messaged me Saturday morning and said they were going to be there that evening and use it as an amazing opportunity to be a fundraiser for our Boys & Girls Club. Even in the cold and rain she said it was such a successful fundraiser for them❤️
The entire Christmas scene also only took 2 days to bring to life because of a whole crew of people devoting their time to making sure it was nothing short of amazing for the kids and families that make up our community.
People recognize me alot but you see it's not just me, God aligns the details up perfectly for each year to run so very smooth. We start each event, each year the same, with a word of prayer and don't shy at giving Him the glory and praise for so much, I think that's why He shows up in every detail, even the smallest ones every single time❤️
Barnesville's Winter Wonderland by SIPM
