Pack up the kiddos, mix up the cocoa (or pick up some at one of our local eateries) and load up the minivan for a holiday excursion to remember. Or, if you’re already an empty nester phone a friend and make a plan to visit our hospitable, historic John James Audubon river town during the holidays-there’s plenty of things to do, see and experience.

From complete Toyland courts dressed in twinkling toy soldier attire to a turn of the century historic mansion bathed in blue hues, Henderson is a must see town during the Christmas holiday season.

Here’s a short list of highlighted homes and events in Henderson to brighten your holiday spirits!

Higgs Home
973 Frontier Drive
The Griswolds have nothing on the Higgs family when it comes to holiday lights. This must see extravagant display will have the kiddos wide-eyed and wanting to take another loop around the block.

Colonial Court Toyland
1-6 Colonial Court (Colonial at North Main Street)
A magical white twinkle light street where 6 neighbors coordinate their lighting décor to create an enchanted Toyland holiday destination.

Radient Blue Gadient Home
626 N Main Street
A brilliant display of cool blue LED lights adorn this historic Main Street mansion in a vibrating exhibition of the grandest scale.

Peace on Earth, musical Priest/Gibson Home
330 N Water
Let there be peace on Earth is the theme of this multi-color dancing light display. Don’t forget to roll your windows down for this stop to get the full effect.

Rudy Rowland Funeral Home
604 Center Street
Elegant traditional décor adorn this historic turn of the century funeral parlor along with a signature lit 50 ft evergreen.

Keen Home Highlander Acres
352 Bittersweet Lane
Holiday lights and festive décor will surely put you in the perfect holiday spirit.

McConnell Home
1882 South Green Street
A southern classic home with traditional décor including spot lights and lots of evergreens.

Fulton Home
2223 Wentworth Ave
Described as the Griswold’s on Wentworth-Inflatables, loud Christmas carols, lights-a-plenty and a new edition each year. Thousands of lights line the roof, animated snow globes it’s a fun filled holiday home display.

Other Holiday Miscellaia

Central Park Santa’s Workshop
Washington & Main Streets
Stroll through Christmas cutouts, animal and character displays in Tivoli lit walkways. Henderson’s Central downtown park is transformed into a children’s holiday paradise with Santa hours some days to meet and talk to the children.

Downtown Henderson Christmas Parade
Saturday, December 3^rd 10:00 am
Begins 5^th & Main Streets continues south on Main then east on Washington Street then north on Elm and back to 5^th Street. Floats, marching bands, clowns, Santa and more roll into town the first weekend of December.

Christmas on the Farm
November 25 & 26th
8124 State Route 268
Corydon, KY 42406 (Geneva area on the west side of Henderson County)
It’s Christmas country style with hay rides, pony rides, petting zoos, pictures with Santa, beautifully decorated barns, Santa and so much more. A must experience event in its 3^rd year.

Added tips for Holiday Light Seekers

• If you’re planning to overnight consider one of our beautiful, comfy downtown inns, L&N Bed and Breakfast-located next to the active elevated railroad or Victorian Quarters on the corner of Powell & Water Streets.

• Most light displays illuminate at dusk (in late November, approximately 4:30 pm)

• Watch for children and pedestrians as you drive looking at lights.

• Be cautious of other vehicles in front of and behind your automobile.

• Tune into your favorite local or satellite holiday radio station to enhance your experience.

• Enjoy quality time together with your family and friends by continuing or beginning an annual holiday light tradition.

For additional holiday venues, events and activities take a look at the calendar section of our local tourism website hendersonky.org

The leaves are changing, there’s a brisk chill in the air, bonfires and fire pits crackel, pop and dance and the cool crisp air has the comforting scents of chrysanthimums, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. All our senses are touched with autumn colors, familiar smells, traditional foods and layered outer wear.

The season brings to mind it’s also a time of thanksgiving and so many blessings.

We as Americans have so much for which to be thankful. All the freedoms we have-those involving religion, the freedom to vote as we choose, peace, safety, and the list seemingly goes on into infinity. In a world where we hear so many people complaining on a daily basis about candidates, election outcomes, the weather, employment, family members, yada, yada, yada-let us pause for a moment to consider how much we have to be grateful.

As we gather together around our family’s table this month (whatever family may mean to each of us) let us truly stop and reflect on what this season means and to not only count our blessings but also be grateful for the many people and places we forget to recognize and reflect upon.

The air is filled with fall festivities, flavors and hues, let us remember to be grateful for all the many seasons of our lives.

And in the lyrics of Tim McGraw may we always be “Humble & Kind” in all that we do and say.

Enjoy Tim’s video.

https://youtu.be/awzNHuGqoMc

Friday, November 4^th beginning at 5pm downtown businesses and empty commercial spaces are transformed into pop-up art galleries for a very limited time. Art Hop 2016, the 9^th annual signature art event features 43 artists and 10 galleries scattered throughout downtown Henderson.

Come stroll with us down Main Street and experience original works of art, live music, and delectable refreshments including local vineyard samples in a vibrant, sidewalk filled downtown setting.  Traverse the sidewalks after hours and wander in and out of businesses whose lobbies and public spaces will be transformed into pop-up art galleries.

Come shop early, and secure one-of-a-kind wonderful works of art because the event won’t last long and in the blink of an eye they’ll be gone again till next November’s first Friday.

Art Hop Henderson, Friday, November 4, 2016 beginning at 5pm in beautiful downtown Henderson, KY.

Art, it’s our nature!

Virgie Hoover, my maternal great-grandmother was a foodie before her time who taught me how to bake love in the shape of a pie. The kind of cook who made the best homemade potato salad, slaw, chess pies, and fried apple fritters.  My mouth waters now just thinking about her scrumptious creations.  Ernestine Seitz, her daughter (my grandmother) was a teacher of many life-lessons, like-hard work pays off, need a job, think self-employment entrepreneurship options first. She could make a grandson feel like a king just the way she loved me, unconditionally. And then there was Pauline Gibson, dad’s mom, who taught me how to draw, color, can foods, make pickles, cook and appreciate country music. She was a rock star in her own band in my book. I loved all my grandmothers and grandfathers for that matter. I’m always dumbfounded when I hear friends say, “I never knew my grandparents,” because until the age of 13, I’d always have six: two paternal, two maternal and two great-grandparents. They were ALL awesome teachers. I learned so very much from each of them and am a better man today because they took the time to teach me so many life lessons that have positively affected my life.

Then there were other teachers, you know them, the ones who were strict and made you tow the line.  On many occasions these teachers we learned the most from. They taught subjects that either came easy, we couldn’t get enough of or just made the hardest subjects sound interesting. For me that would have been my art teachers, those creative geniuses  who impacted me in a life changing way. Joy Haynes was one of those women, at the Eastgate Shopping Center paint store where mom shuttled me to art classes. There were many instructors at the Evansville Museum of Art and Red Spot Paint Store who taught me color mixing, composition, techniques of painting and the list goes on.  At North Middle School, Mr. Hale was a highlight and at HCHS David Ettensohn and Neel Whitledge, whom I will be forever indebted, taught and encouraged me to explore artful mediums, from batik to tie dyeing, pointalism to pastels, and paper mache to print making. Four years of art with these two angels sufficiently prepared me for a university art/design major.

The fall of 1977-78 I attended our local community college (HCC) and experienced great professors like Ronnie Butler and Kathy Hughes.  Then, the following fall I sat out a year from advancing my education and worked in our family’s business while I studied art schools across the nation. During the final campus visits, the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning (DAAP) was selected as the next institution on my educational journey. I was accepted into the six year, architecture program but before classes started that fall, I had changed my major to business, lest I be retirement age when I graduate. The years and business classes continued, 300 level classes like organizational behavior, statistics, micro and macro economics, accounting  and marketing  and I found myself in my junior year with an opportunity to finally choose an elective. Oddly or not odd at all, I chose a drawing class with Professor Martin Tucker in the School of Art within DAAP. I can still remember Professor Tucker asking me, “Greg, why aren’t you enrolled in this college or in some art or design cirriculem. My response, “It’s a long story Marty but the short of it is, I didn’t want to go to school forever.” His reply, maybe you should rethink that option, did just that.  So what did I do, but turn to a classmate, Mike Smith from Chicago to ask, Mike, what’s your major? “Industrial design” (ID) was his reply, you know Greg the designers who style automobiles, create toys and design furniture.” So the next day I enrolled into the 5-year ID program, now I really was going to be a dinosaur or the age of Methuselah when I graduate.

Fast forward a couple of years and professors like Gil Born, Jerry Merchaud and John Stork, all great teachers and designers whom I learned design principles, model making and illustration techniques from also taught me how to be a successful designer.

Teachers provide us with the tools we need to problem solve, be critical thinkers and impact our environment.

Often I’ve entertained the idea of teaching a university level class titled, the business of design, in other words how to prosper in the business world with a professional creative degree. Having first been a business major then a design student, I often experienced fellow classmates who were super designers yet somehow lacked the important nack for turning that talent into a profitable venture. Teachers are right at the top of important occupations that are under recognized.

In a way we’re all teachers of students whether they’re graduating from big wheels to training wheels and or from board rooms to retirement. Teachers span a lifetime and come in all different shapes, colors, ages, and areas of expertise. How often do we pause, take a deep long breath and be a teacher/mentor for those things we love and call hobbies or passions? Or to ask another way, when was the last time we shared one of our God-given gifts/talents with another human being?

Not too many years ago, Nibby and I joined Neal and Lori (brother & sister-in-law) at their house boat on the lake.  Some take a camera or smart phone when they travel, away to document their trip, I take my sketch pad, pens and pencils. A couple of mornings during the vacation, I found myself on the upper deck of the vessel sketching the lakeside flora and fauna.  Before I knew it Kally (niece) and her friend had joined me and we were all drawing. Minutes turned into hours and hours created drawings with campers, camp sites and the scenes from the beautiful tranquil lake.  Other sketches included feet in flip flops, boat gauges and sunsets. We passed some time together, had great conversations, the young students learned some lessons in one vs two point perspectives and how to create interesting compositions. The teacher in this case learned that young minds could be occupied and productive while creating beautiful art. It was a great day on the lake with pens and pads in our laps for both teacher and students.

So what subjects are you teaching others with your actions, both consciously and subconsciously both in and out of the classroom of life? We all are saying something when we let the lady with the two children in front of us in the checkout line or listen rather than talk during a phone conversation?  What message are you sending to your friends, neighbors and strangers with that last Facebook post or google search? What’s important to you?  What do you value most in life? Where do you spend your time, talents and treasures?  To whom are you passing your wealth of knowledge?

I’ve had more than one person say Greg, I didn’t know you drew.  How long have you been creating art?  My response, all my life, ever since I was old enough to hold a crayon and sit in my grandmother’s lap. Teacher’s have taught me techniques and how to be proficient by practicing those art lessons over and again. They have also taught me students can become teachers. I may not be teaching a college or graduate level class yet but I am interested in working with young artist who show signs of an interest or gift in art, who have been identified as gifted and talented in the visual arts, whether recognized by their school, self or parent-labeled.

For every new work of commissioned art, I’m donating an hour of time with a young student- drawing together with them, sharing what I’ve learned over my 50 years of sketching, painting, designing and creating. It’s the least I can do to honor all the great teachers, mentors and artists whom I learned from. So if you’re thinking about commissioning an original Greg A Gibson art piece, have in mind a young artist who you would like to gift an hour lesson. You may just be giving a future Picasso, Rembrandt or Van Gough a foundational art gift. It might be the best investment in art you every make.

They say art mimics real life but I like to think an art lesson can change a life.

Some people we just never forget. Grandmothers and art teachers are two, true professions at the top of my list, both definitely changed my life for the better.

To find out more about art lessons for loved ones or commissioned works of art send me an email greg@greggibsondesign.com

Our life stories and the events that shape us are all intricately different and interwoven to make us  a one of a kind masterpiece. Just like our fingerprints are all different each person’s life story is unique like a precious, rich piece of art. The many people who influence, empower and kindly guide us on our journey directly affect short stories, long chapters and sometimes epic volumes of time in our lives as our works of art continue to evolve.

The people, places, time and events that influence who we are to become and our life story can be captured in a multitude of family album snap shots.  These baby and lifelong steps for me would include, a thrilling childhood adventure to the Main Street Market candy counter with dad and my brothers using me for bb gun target practice. Special occasion birthday celebrations with Granny and art lessons at the Evansville Museum, Red Spot Paint Store which were highlights of each calendar year. For four consecutive years 8 families from Henderson made an annual pilgrimage to Calloway Gardens in Pine Mountain Georgia and that last year I finally convinced my parents to take me horseback riding only to end up in the Columbus, hospital for 17 days in critical condition, that historical event would leave me with a life-long new respect for horses. Then there were the multitude of great memories at Bennett Memorial UMC and the Camp Loucon adventures. My high school art teachers were so kind and encouraging which lead to receiving 1977 senior honors in art and later acceptance into UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning.  After 5 years in Industrial Design and 3 years of business’ courses I would  graduate with top honors in my class. Professional practice experiences and opportunities to intern and live in NYC impacted my life story when I was able to cross off designing floats for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from my bucket list and then join the Imagineering team of creators at the Walt Disney Company. This lead to a 20 year residency in Florida and an opportunity to travel the globe creating entertainment environments around the world in such places as Japan, Holland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway.  A highlighted page in my life story album would be working alongside a highly creative team to design, fabricate and supervise construction of the Castle of Miracles Playhouse for children with life threatening illnesses. Then there’s the continual struggle with reoccurring depression at the most inopportune times. But between that comes mentoring children in art and facilitating 63 big and little matches with life changing results for youth in our local community.  I would have never thought the last seven years of my grandmother’s life would bring us closer together than ever and that the end of life journey with the help of hospice could be so impactful.  Another life changer was the ginormous opportunity to serve as director of an arts organization while fundraising, producing, promoting and presenting nationally recognized performing artists. But then there are the just as important simple, stable, consistent ones who surround me, and are just as much a part of my story as anyone-those family, friends and loved ones who are there through the thick and thin including the best man in the world-my rock and foundation, Nibby. They’re all a part of my story.

Each one of these highlighted people, events and places represent one of thousands of stories that have influenced me and my life’s journey. I often think about how the arts have impacted my life and the  tremendous influence people involved with the arts have on me.  People like; Frances Wells, Thelma Grossman, David Ettensohn, Neel Whitledge, Marty Tucker, Kim Luttrell, Gil Born, Cindy White, Bob Kodzis, Chris Thomas, Pam Tillis, Bob Park, Elton John and list could go on and on. These artists have shown me that it’s important to be passionate about your art and your story.

People relationships are what makes life stories so special. Sir Winston Churchill once said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Another good friend, Henri Landwirth, a holocaust survivor reenforced for me the importance of this important idea. Each of us have been  put on this earth for a unique purpose and with a story that continues to be formed, shaped, written and created until the day we depart this earth. God wants us to love one another, give of ourselves abundantly and use the gifts and talents we’ve been given to make this world a better place.

Each of our stories vary tremendously and yet are so similar-kind of like comparing Van Gough to Da Vinci both artists, two of my favorites who have completely different styles of execution. My story just as yours continues to be written, edited and created. One important chapter has recently ended and a new chapter is beginning. This one includes sharing my God given talents and gifts by creating unique, original pen & ink drawings for friends.  More about this in an upcoming blog but rest assured I have a gift idea that your loved one will treasure forever.

So what’s your passion?  What events of your life have helped to shape and define you? Who has influenced your journey? What home, pet, garden, family heirloom or treasured keepsake have special meaning to you? What chapters are left for you to create?

Every great work of art begins with a great storyline.

What’s your story?

Gibson became the interim director for the Henderson Area Arts Alliance in early January of this year, after former director Kyle Arnett resigned to become Executive Director of the Henderson County Tourist Commission.

During the short five months as interim director, Gibson has worn many hats and has a strong grasp on what it takes to be an exceptional executive director and to continue to grow the arts in Henderson County.

“Henderson is home for me, and I am passionate about both the arts and Henderson. As the executive director I have many goals and visions and to not only make our community a place for kids and adults to further their entertainment opportunities, but to make Henderson a place where people from all over the world come to visit, experience and explore the arts,” said Gibson.

Gibson began his career as a Walt Disney World “Imagineer” in the 1980’s, then as Senior Project Designer and Vice President of Marketing for ITEC Productions, an entertainment design firm based in Orlando, Florida, engaging clients from all over the world by creating and producing sustainable themed entertainment projects to fit their needs.

Frequently self-labeled as a “producer” Greg has been involved with diverse productions, special events, a 3,000 square feet, $3 million dollar “Castle of Miracles” playhouse, live shows, parades, dark rides, theme parks & resorts and more than a dozen miniature golf courses.

Later in his career Gibson founded Gibson Entertainment Design Associates, a design-consulting firm which creates and implements a variety of leisure entertainment, family and themed pediatric healthcare environments for his clients. One of his biggest local accomplishments during his tenure was designing the implementation a 6,000 sf themed pediatric healthcare unit at the Center for Children on the main campus of St. Mary’s Medical Hospital in Evansville, Indiana.

Truly rooting himself in Henderson, Gibson became the Program Director for BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of Henderson County opening the agency’s doors to the community in 2011. Here he successfully launched and managed a new satellite office by developing strategic partnerships and community relationships to support growing the new 501(c) 3 mentor matching program. He increased brand awareness, rallied community support and successfully matched more than 60 “littles” with their BIG mentors.

Graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a BS degree in Industrial Design from the College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning, in addition to a Certificate in Business Administration, Gibson has earned numerous awards throughout his career which include being named a recipient of the “Young Professionals under 40 to Watch” by the Orlando Business Journal. He also received the Golden Brick Design Award for creating the Howard Phillips Center for Children from the Downtown Orlando Partnership, and he was presented with the My Giraffe Hero-Sticking Your Neck Out for Children from the Henderson County Collaborative Partners Advisory Council. Serving children and families in the Henderson community is paramount for Greg.

Community involvement is also a high priority for Gibson as he currently serves on the Henderson County Family YMCA Board of Directors, as well as the Downtown Henderson Partnership Board of Directors and the advisory board of River City Renaissance. In addition to serving on multiple boards, he was the event coordinator for the 2013 Sandy Lee Songfest Ellis Park event, a member of the Henderson Leadership Initiative Class of 2013, and has served as a Trustee and Deacon Chairperson for Community Baptist Church.

“Greg’s previous professional resume & experience, his proven past performance in fundraising and grant-writing, along with his strong knowledge of and ties to the Henderson community (both on a business and a personal level) These skills, his work ethic and his passion for the arts, made him a great fit to be the next Executive Director of HAAA” says Tony Krampe, President, HAAA Board of Directors.

With the expertise and drive to see the Henderson Area Arts Alliance thrive, Gibson so far has helped with scheduling and promoting of the 2014-2015 season show lineups, met with numerous donors and corporate sponsors, and is continually building relationships in the community.

Gibson adds, “I want to see healthy partnerships and collaboration between arts organizations, schools, educators, festivals, businesses, artists, corporations and individuals so that together through the ARTS we create an even greater American River town! Henderson has so much to offer and be proud of so lets showcase our strengths and continue to build on our rich 20 year history and make the next decade for the Arts even better!”

For information about the Henderson Area Arts Alliance or to view the 2014-2015 season show lineups and to purchase tickets visit www.haaa.org or 270.826.5916

About Henderson Area Arts Alliance
Founded in 1993, the mission of Henderson Area Arts Alliance (HAAA) is to is to create a vibrant community by providing quality arts experiences for all. HAAA also seeks to enrich the quality of life in the area, promote economic development and tourism, educate and incorporate students in the arts and humanities, and provide a wide array of programming at affordable prices. A key objective for HAAA is to provide a full season of performing arts at the Henderson Fine Arts Center, a $6.5 million facility that opened in June 1994 and houses performing arts events and visual arts exhibits. HAAA strives to enrich its patrons with culture, entertainment, and exposure to new art forms. For more information on HAAA or for donation information, please visit www.haaa.org.

Having recently graduated from the 2013 class of Henderson Leadership Initiative as a class we delved into questions like this and others as we focused our attention on the health and wellness of our community along with surveying the general population on questions involving recycling and the state of our downtown environment.

As a product of Henderson and the late 1950’s, I grew up in the 1960’s & 70’s when downtown Henderson was full of activity and businesses.  Shops and restaurants were seemingly always seemed busy….

Places like the downtown YMCA where Mr. & Mrs. Heib cared for youth and adults in our community, the Kraver, Klutey’s jewelry store and grill, Ruby’s Café, JJ Newberry’s and soda fountain, FW Woolworths candy counter, Mann’s women’s ready to wear, MAC’s men’s & boy’s clothing,

Bernstein’s, Bohn’s ,the Fashion Tree, Peartree, Frank G Schmidt, and the Traditional Shop were common businesses to frequent.  Our streets were alive with cars, pedestrians and commerce.

What happened to those businesses and our vibrant downtown area?  Some still remain; Alles, Simons, Campbells, O’Daniels to name just a few.  Others disappeared as urban sprawl, subdivisions and malls became popular.

We found through our class analysis we may have just turned the corner downtown.  Residents are excited to see tangible improvements being made in residential living spaces and redevelopment of commercial buildings.  Newly renovated residential properties like those of Glen & Judy Stone’s (Princess building) and Curt Hamilton’s second story living space are beautiful, functional, contemporary and in demand.  More are on the way!

Residents told us recent downtown infrastructure improvements to our city streets and the addition of the new Henderson Riverwalk is beautiful, useful and needed.

We believe with proper planning, visioning and communication Henderson can once again attract and retain young and seasoned professionals who love what Henderson has to offer.

Last week I was just in Atlanta working, commuting 13 miles one-way which some days could take 40 or more minutes to commute to downtown Atlanta’s Merchandise Mart.  Many folks are looking to escape the concrete jungles like Interstate 75 in Atlanta and relocate to smaller vibrant communities like Henderson, Kentucky.  Young entrepreneurs like Jason Munoz, co-owner of CKB and who want to make Henderson “their forever home.”

We live in one of the best river town cities in America.  Visitors tell us how great it is.  History shows us where we’ve come from and what we’ve accomplished.

Our future depends on each of us who live in Henderson and how we embrace and support our community.

TOGETHER we can revitalize, recycle and reshape this place we call home.

Just as the new river walk leads us beside the mighty Ohio with it’s spectacular views, it can also be the beginning of a path that leads us to newly paved streets populated with pedestrians visiting new eateries, bistros, cafes, internet based businesses, retail storefronts, and specialty grocers.

20/20 vision-Where we came from……who we are……how we’re growing!

We the class of 2013 HLI urge each of you to get involved in our community, YOUR community and help Henderson turn another corner and page in the history books.  The synergy and momentum Henderson has experienced in recent years is just the beginning of a bright new downtown environment.

Through active communication, teamwork and getting our story out we can spread the word that we’re one of the BEST river town communities to live in America.

~~
This blog appeared as a guest editorial in the Henderson KY newspaper The Gleaner on Saturday, January 25, 2014. Subscription required to view.

Please place your order online here!

Over 5,000 tasty cakeballs have been baked to benefit local community charities.  Earlier this year over 1,200 cakeball pops were handcrafted to benefit a local youth mentoring organization.  These three women and one man have been very blessed in life and chose to share their gifts, talents and baked creations by helping organizations who help others…..and Charity Cakeballs was born.

This year Holiday Charity Cakeballs are available in three delicious, distinctive packaging options;

This Holiday Season just over 1,200 cakeballs will be created for our friends/families enjoyment, and when they’re gone…..well they’re gone, till next year anyway!  So, get your orders in fast and early for these confectionary creations. They’re the perfect holiday gift for the person with a sweet tooth!

Please place your order online here!

For your convenience there are two pick-up dates/locations this year; Thursday, December 13th (Newburgh, IN) and Saturday, December 15th (Henderson, KY).

Thank you in advance for your order and allowing Charity Cakeballs to help others in our community.

Merry Christmas

Ann, Cathy, Janet & Greg

Collectibles, artwork, vintage clothing, antiques, housewares, linens, electronics, furniture, and more including a beautiful brick home with a swimming pool and rental income potential will be available.

Sale starts at 7am this coming Friday (October 12, 2012) and continues on Saturday (October 13, 2012) morning.  Please park responsibly regarding neighboring properties.

Just a small DETOUR (less than 1/2 mile) off of the Hwy 60 200 mile Sale!  Deals of the century!  A don’t miss sale!

See you on Friday and Saturday!

Originally it was to be cookbook of all the family favorites, including Granny Gibson’s chicken and dressing, Granny Hoover’s tasty slaw dressing along with favorites of Mom’s and Sue Vada’s which all the children grew up eating.  However, once I rolled up my sleeves and got into the thick of compiling and laying out the book, I quickly realized in order to meet my December 25th deadline it was going to be a book of favorite dessert recipes this year.

In the past I’ve created a few self published coffee table style books, one for Nibby’s parents Norris and Mary Elizabeth Priests 5oth wedding anniversary, and one for my father, Elmer Gibson’s 75th birthday as gifts.  For these I used mypublisher.com and they turned out to be very nice and beautiful books.  This time however after some online research I stumbled across blurb.com website and found they have easy to use recipe templates which makes organizing and editing a cookbook a breeze.  So after many hours of reviewing family recipes and photographs I got started.  Some 40 or so hours later the book in the cloud was ready to be uploaded to the blurb.com website and my family’s Christmas presents were ordered.  Five days after that they were delivered to my doorstep in two different formats, a hardback version, complete with dustcover and a lesser priced softbound paperback version.  Blurb.com also offered a ebook version for your ipad, so when your baking in the kitchen you can just pull out the ipad and pull up the recipe.

If you’ve ever thought of producing a family compilation of recipes for yourself or as a gift I would encourage you to do so.  It’s a wise investment of time and resources to create a treasured momento you and your family will have forever.  Not to mention all the family favorites in one place.

Have you thought of producing a family cookbook? If you choose to do so  you and your family will cherish your labor of love forever.