Advent ritual

I met for lunch with my two fellow Fair Trade Market organisers, for a quiet celebration of our success.  We haven't quite counted every last penny, but we do know that total takings exceeded....$24,500.  A tidy sum.

Then some fun in the evening, with the annual Holiday Parade.  Previously the local FT supporter turnout at this event has been modest (and, let's face it, mostly related to me), but this year a whole lot of Middle Schoolers - plus their teacher, his wife and their two enormous dogs - came along with hand-drawn banners to wave (and before you ask, OD, no - the dogs weren't waving banners).  So we were actually a decent-sized team.  And halfway along the route we received cheers and applause from a group of people I didn't even recognise!  It occurs to me now that they may have been the parents of the schoolkids - but still, it was very gratifying.

Disappointingly, we were rather far behind the sewer truck and didn't get to take its picture.  But at least we got to see it in the distance.  For some people it might be snowflakes or tinsel, but to many folks around here it really is the sight of that sewer truck that tells us Christmas will soon be here.