“May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.”
–Mary Anne Radmacher

I knew it was coming. So when that  last box of the regular CSA season had been picked up, thoroughly inspected and the inside contents happily eaten, I knew then winter had arrived. Technically not yet here according to the calendar, but when your CSA box stops, and the winter/holiday share (if available) begins, well that’s good enough for me.
While I will miss the bright colors of autumn and all the very special things that come with it, the winter and holiday season is a most welcome time. With winter here, and things slowing down (to a degree) for many, it becomes the season of “a little more time.” We find ourselves putting more pots of soup on the stove, more time to finish a few more pages in that book that has been gracing the bookshelf on and off since August, more time to sit down with a fresh cup of hot tea, and more importantly, more down time to be with one another. (Local farmers may find themselves with more time too, but ask any of them, and they’ll tell you they are – or feel – just as busy. Most of the growing is done, but now begins the process of planning next year and evaluating the good and the bad from this year.)
The evenings have become much darker, much earlier, and the wood stove has become much brighter, much earlier. There are more books and games scattered on the floor here at home, where we sit with the kids and read, talk and play near the warm wood stove. We are together. And while always together, the holiday season brings more attention to the appreciation of one another and what really matters in life – we have each other, we have a home, we have food, we have health, we have community, and we have passion for what we do.
The things we are most thankful for, and what matters most in life, are thought about and discussed more during the holidays, especially around the holiday table with friends and family. But for many of us, these ideals are with us year-round, as we work hard in our community and live each day appreciative of what we have and what we are able to do.
As we head into the new year, we are planning an event that will celebrate these things. Our 1st annual February Feast, a winter’s evening of celebrating local food and community, will be held in mid-February in the Bellingham area. Let’s use this time of year to have a lively evening celebrating our neighbors, the region’s diverse bounty and what makes our Northwest corner special. We hope to include entertainment and have lots of info on hand for folks wanting to learn about home gardening, practical living ideas, eating locally and more.
As of press time, we are still working out some of the details, however we will share all of the event information with you in our next issue, on our website (grownorthwest.com) and through Facebook. Any local businesses or organizations interested in getting involved, please contact us. We will have a number of booths available for local businesses and organizations who wish to attend and share information.
We have some exciting changes on the way for Grow Northwest magazine in 2011 and are excited to share them with you as we enter the new year. We can happily report that we are growing! We are also taking on additional columnists, and contributing writers and photographers. If you have an idea, please send a query to editor@grownorthwest.com.
As we sign off with this final issue of 2010, we want to thank all the fine businesses and organizations who advertise in our pages and support this magazine. We cannot publish without you. Thank you to our contributors who share their time and interests, and thank you to our readers who believe in this magazine. For those who wish to follow us between issues, check out our website updates and also follow us on Facebook. Thanks!
From our family to yours, we wish you a beautiful, happy holiday season full of all the great things in life:  family, friends, health, food and community. See you next issue.

Happy growing, Becca
editor@grownorthwest.com