My Favorite Time of Year

by Karen Pickering

As the holidays approach, I’m always amazed by how fast the time goes. This is my favorite time of year for so many reasons: first of all; the great year-end specials. All the local tack and feed stores have their annual holiday sales and events. Then there are the trees tied to the top of cars or in the back of pickups, the great light shows as the festive spirit moves upon us, horse drawn wagons in local towns encouraging local holiday shopping - it’s incredibly uplifting.

This past weekend was packed with exciting activities, from my friend Barb’s birthday to a great used tack sale at Panda Wilder’s farm in Ferndale, where Coastal Equine now resides. I also went to the Backcountry Horsemen of Whatcom County's year-end banquet, which I think was the highlight for me. They featured a “Chinese Auction” style of gift giving, which involved singing while stealing gifts and searching for the one gift bag that was making noise through the entire evening...only to find it wasn’t the contents making the noise, but the bag itself! I think Mike McGlenn and his impression of Johnny Cash was the best act of the evening.

In the midst of all this flurry, I hope that all of us can find time to extend some kindness to someone. People are hurting this time of year, and if we share with someone in need it really helps bring perspective to how small our problems are in comparison to many others.

This year I can truly say I’ve been spending time in the saddle, so I hope to see you at an event or on a trail somewhere. Happy Holidays!