Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas Traditions

'Twas two days before Christmas and all through the farm and winery, the family is scurrying around trying to get everything done...The farm workers are all off next week, and the winery will be closed for three days for Christmas.  Christmas is a time for family traditions, and the Layton family has plenty of those! Two days before Christmas, Joe and Laura put up the Christmas tree, and Joe bakes his famous chocolate chip Christmas cookies. Joe is the BEST cookie baker in the family.  Christmas Eve is the time when the Layton side of the family gets together for dinner. This year the dinner is at Joe and Laura's house, and approximately forty guests - Joe and his four sisters as well as their children and grandchildren - will gather for dinner and a Chinese gift exchange. There are always lots of kids running around on Christmas Eve.  One Christmas Day, every year, all the Layton's who are home for the holiday go to Claudia's house for an enormous Christmas breakfast.  No one goes away hungry!  Christmas evenging, the Hill side of the family (Laura's family)  gathers at Williams and Jen's house for gift-giveing and more food!  The kids have a busy Christmas of toys and food, and the adults have a busy day of food and more food! 
All the Layton's wish your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and we hope you get lots of Joe's Cool Red for Christmas!  If you have not signed up for our New Year's Eve party at the winery, there is still time.  If will be a great way to welcome in 2012.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Preparing for the Big Day

What are we doing at the winery to get ready for Christmas? The company Christmas party, organized by Barb and Richard, was last night, and employees of both Lazy Day Farms and Layton's Chance Winery had a great time.  I am sure you will see some videos of the karaoke on Facebook in teh next few days. Everyone got a "gift" which fit some aspect of their personality, as we celebrated into the night Layton's Chance wine and Bob windor's karaoke.  This morning we are getting ready for a day full of Christmas parties, and all the last minute shoppers that will be out this last week before Christmas.  We are the perfect place for those hard-to-find gifts, as Barb can make a basket to fit any request - it doesn't even have to have wine (although we hope it does!) Don't forget to think ahead to New Year's Eve. We are planning a great dinner with food and wine pairings, and then an evening of music to ring in teh New Year with Mike Elzey and the Mayhem Band - everybody's favorite! Take some time to relax in the next week, and get ready for special holiday traditions with the family.

Friday, December 2, 2011

The Spirit of Wine


A quick photo op at a recent staff meeting
Halloween. Check. Thanksgiving. Check. Tree decorated. Check. This holiday season has seemed more like a checklist than a holiday. As we were preparing for Thanksgiving sales, and making sure that the wine was ready for your Thanksgiving meal, I was struck by a pretty amazing thought. At Thanksgiving we purchase wine to enjoy with our family and friends. On Friday nights we purchase wine to share with our family and friends. When giving holiday gifts, we purchase wine to share with our family and friends. Have you found the trend here? It is a pretty amazing thought that wine can help bring people together, and such a great feeling to think that we, at Layton's Chance, are a part of that tradition. So, whether you use our wine as gifts for family - or as a gift to yourself to get through the holiday season around all of your family, we want to take this time to say, Thank You! Whatever wine you choose to celebrate wih this season(and I am not going to lie- we hope it's Layton's Chance wine!), take a minute to think of what brought you together with your friends and family. We hope that you can appreciate all of the blessings in your life. It is our great honor to be a part of your celebrations this season.