A Glass of Wine & A Man in a Red Suit = A Good Time

I think one of the best things about the holiday season is the fact that the holidays are normally, if we're lucky, a time of family, friends and memory making.  That is precisely what yesterday was....a great time with people I love and memories I'll never forget.  And as always, I have the photos to explain.

You might remember a few weeks ago when I wrote the series, "Getting a Jump on the Holidays", Part 5 was about the Saratoga Santa.   Well, Santa was so sweet taking the time for me to interview him during his busy season, I thought it would be nice if we went to one of his public appearances listed in that blog post.  Naturally most appearances were geared more for children, but there was one that had a more "adult" feel to it, and that was yesterday at the Saratoga Winery.

Now let me preface this by saying I am not a drinker.  I may enjoy an occasional 'sip' of beer on a hot day, or with a pizza, or maybe an annual margarita, but I've never been able to hold my liquor.  Instead of having any desired effect, it just puts me to sleep, so I normally just pass on the alcohol.  Yesterday though, I stepped away from my norm and just may have changed my attitude about wine.
Santa was expected to be at the winery from 11:30-2:30, so after a slight detour in our route, we arrived at the winery around 11:40a.m.   We immediately knew Santa's visit was no secret because the parking lot was packed and there was a line out the door - a line waiting to see the man himself.  Now normally I'm not one for waiting in lines - for anything - but today I was on a mission, a mission to see Santa, so we took our place in line, along with all the moms and dads with their sleeping babies and anxious kids. 
Let me back up a moment to say this adventure included my mom, my friend, Linda, and my hubby and chauffeur, John.  John never drinks either, but both my mom and Linda enjoy their wine so they had an added motivation for coming along.  Let me tell you now - visitors coming who were there to buy wine and not say hello to Santa didn't need to wait in line, but my mom and Linda (and John) are real sports who were just as excited about seeing Santa as any kid there (maybe more so), so we all waited in line.  Remember now....this line consisted of lots of moms and dads and children.  It snaked in an L-shape around the room, everyone waiting their turn to sit on Santa's lap and either have family take their photos or have photos taken by the winery's hired photographer.  Consequently, it was a slow process - getting to Santa.  My mom, who is always full of great ideas, decided a glass of wine might make the wait more fun, and I learned a long time ago that moms are usually wise and full of great advice, so after looking at the wine list, she and I decided on a glass of Blush Crush.  Linda chose the Saratoga Red.  So....we sipped and we moved slowly along and finally it was our turn to see Santa.  By the time we shared our greetings and took some photos, I was feeling pretty tipsy - and I hadn't even finished my wine.  My mom had struck up a conversation with a mom and was telling her about my blog and the story I'd done about "Santa" and suggested I give her one of my cards.  As I was fumbling through my purse for my cards, I realized I suddenly felt a little like the time I had bad vertigo.  I was thinking to myself, "Oh Lord, this lady is going to think I'm drunk by the way I'm swaying", LOL.  By the time we got back to the car - all three of us were confessing to feeling pretty wobbly and tipsy.  Thank God our driver, the tea toter, was sober.  Well, we laughed all afternoon about our 'wine adventure' and about how a little bit of wine made us all very tipsy.  Little confession.....this gal who doesn't drink and normally doesn't drink wine purchased a bottle of Blush Crush before leaving the winery.   It is delicious and I'm looking forward to enjoying a sip over the upcoming holidays!  I needn't tell you how much we enjoyed our visit with Santa - the photos speak for themselves!

Even without wine, my mom would have charmed Santa!

This photo became Linda's 2014 Christmas card by the end of the day!

As for Saratoga Winery - if you're a wine lover, or have family or friends who are, you must visit this beautiful venue.  I wish I could have gotten more photos, but the crowds yesterday made it difficult to get clean shots of the great atmosphere.  In addition to Santa's visit, there was also live musical entertainment by Seth & the Moody Melix and the Lunch Brake food truck

Saratoga Winery even has a special holiday edition wine featuring our own Saratoga Santa!  What a great gift for the wine lover in your life!  Check out a sneak peak of their other offerings:

Here's the wine that got my attention..Blush Crush.  Doesn't it sound yummy?  Trust me - it WAS!

Here's a "sampling"....

Located just four miles from the heart of Saratoga Springs on Route 29, Saratoga Winery is a cozy and fun place to visit for wine tastings and music.  Also a great place to find the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life!  Please check out the link at the end of this blog post to visit their website!  And while you're there, check out their upcoming events too! It's a great place to make your own fun memories, even if Santa Claus isn't in attendance.

http://www.thesaratogawinery.com