I am Thankful for living in an area that seems to be well outside of the retail rush that is being discussed in great detail in the media and social media. I have enjoyed some big cities and growing up in the suburbs of Boston put me in malls more than I care to remember. Days like today are the days I appreciate the differences the most.
Even if Quinn and I decide to go shopping for anything today, we will barely feel the impact of the so-negatively-named “Black Friday” frenzy. Zeb’s General Store is #1 on his list today and I know he isn’t looking for presents when he wants to visit the largest candy store in The Mt Washington Valley. I will go to the 5 and Dime because I like their fudge a little bit better. Both places will be humming with customers, just like any given day in the summer. Super busy, working efficiently, and most of the people are shopping with smiles on their faces.
We go into stores like these with a sense of excitement and adventure and suspend our disbelief in the big big world out there, back where we all came from… The atmosphere is fun because that is what why we came here, whether it was to transplant in the 70s, relocate in the 2000s boom or if we just visit (or any variation in between and around these terms).
All throughout the 15 years of Christmas seasons I have shopped here in the Mount Washington Valley I can say that the longest line I have waited in for anything IS the candy counter. The feeling on an afternoon or evening in the next few weeks around the villages of North Conway, Conway, Tamworth, Jackson and Fryeburg and the commercial district of North Conway including, but certainly not limited to, Settler’s Green, Settler’s Crossing, Settler’s Streetside is going to be like a postcard (an image printed on card stock with an area on the reverse for a note and the US Postal Service address and postage marks). Christmas shopping can actually be enjoyable.
Although we can’t escape the rampant commercialism that overruns the holidays, reducing the stress of the shopping experience has helped me appreciate the fun of gift giving and I am thankful for living where it can be fun.
Written By Bill Barbin, Realtor at Keller Williams Lakes and Mountains North Conway NH – Intervale office. You can reach Bill at 603-986-0385 or by email at bill@ilovenorthconway.com
