Won't You Be My Neighbor

We have been so blessed with our neighborhood. We have the sort of neighbors you see in old timey movies, the kind you can't imagine would still exist today. Now, no one has ever asked to borrow a cup of sugar, but I have received calls for an onion and aluminum foil. Mostly, they are just incredibly considerate and willing to spoil Ethan rotten.

I've mentioned our next-door neighbors before as they have two little boys around Ethan's age. Our neighbors right across the street also go to our church and were the first ones to bring a meal by when I was initially put on bed rest. They never let a holiday pass by without a treat for Ethan and often come bring a little gift when they come to visit just because. Their teenage son watches our cats and goats when we go out of town, and the mom has watched Ethan on a couple of occasions when our sitter left us in a bind and I needed to get to class. We try to get together regularly just to visit, and we come to one another with our problems, despite the probably 20+ year age gap.

Another neighbor's teenage daughter also has watched our goats for us, and she and her mom rounded up the goats when Ryan made an escape shortly after we got them. They've also called to warn us when they spotted snakes, etc. in the neighborhood. They are a great example of neighbors looking out for one another.

At the end of the street are two houses, one owned by a British couple that home schools their four kids and the other by a couple that keep their granddaughters every weekday afternoon. Both are always around and willing to help out. The British mom provided much encouragement during our early weight-gain woes. The other couple is also big on surprise treats, for both Ethan and us. Upon learning that we didn't have many Christmas decorations for our tree, they dropped by two big boxes of theirs. This year, they brought us some more ornaments and a hand-knitted hat for Ethan.

There are three other neighbors we don't know quite as well, but they have all shown acts of kindness at various points, and I know I could come to any of them in a jam.

The closeness of our neighborhood is very evident around the holidays. Almost everyone bakes treats for everyone in the neighborhood and goes door-to-door delivering them. We didn't receive any our first year since we'd only moved in a few months beforehand and didn't really know anyone well yet. We didn't make any last year because we didn't know the tradition. This year I'm ready. I've painted some Stonyfield yogurt containers green, decorated the lids with holiday messages in red sharpie, and this weekend I'll be making cookies and buckeyes to distribute on Sunday evening.

It's one of many little things that remind me we are so very lucky to live where we do!