A Word From Marc: We put up a holiday themed little free library on the corner of our street. It's the cutest little Bavarian house filled with Christmas books for the kids. It's a great tradition and it made me think of all the holiday traditions I have done and shared over the years. I feel like I've done them all. Baking cookies, cutting down the Christmas tree, advent and of course the ever developing elf on the shelf. It made me question whether there's any Holiday traditions I haven't done. It then occurred to me that there is one tradition that most people do every year that I have yet to do. I haven't ever gone home for Christmas or frankly be home for Christmas. Being a New Yorker my most prominent memory of Christmas strangely enough is never actually spending Christmas in New York. See my parents were from Chicago originally so every year my family would celebrate Christmas a week before then we would pile in the Impala station wagon and drive to Chicago to spend the holidays with the relatives. There were advantages of such a cross country trek. Temperate Long Island had little snow at Christmas but Chicago almost always had lots of it to go around. There were always cousins to put me in a headlock. I also honed my bartending skills making cocktails for my aunts and uncles. They played cards and barked "Marc bring me another Brandy Alexander". As a child, then a young adult I was either in Chicago or somewhere else during the holidays. It's only now that I realize how peculiar this was at the time. A New Yorker never actually having the ultimate Christmas in the Big City. I guess it's a holiday tradition that escaped me. And now a message from our sponsor. Nationally in the real estate world there's an interesting trend. In places where real estate is perceived as reasonable, take Cleveland or Milwaukee for an example, prices are rising but in the higher end markets like California and Florida prices are coming down. This is a market of very educated buyers. North Oaks is a niche market that is relatively unknown to many buyers. It has a high value to those who appreciate what our little utopia has to offer. Just last week I sold a house in multiple offers. The desire to own a good house in a great neighborhood is there. In the meantime please stop over to the Christmas little library on the corner of Spring Farm and Eagle Ridge. Maybe start a new Holiday tradition. For me, I'm going to buy myself a plane ticket and go enjoy the the one I've been missing. Happy Everything, Marc - -- 3823 SOON TO MARKET: 4 BEDROOM, 5 BATHROOM MARC KURTZ 612-751-6472 | MARC@LAKESMN.COM TOP PRODUCER & REGULAR GUY! Lakes Sotheby's INTERNATIONAL REALTY A Word From Marc : We put up a holiday themed little free library on the corner of our street . It's the cutest little Bavarian house filled with Christmas books for the kids . It's a great tradition and it made me think of all the holiday traditions I have done and shared over the years . I feel like I've done them all . Baking cookies , cutting down the Christmas tree , advent and of course the ever developing elf on the shelf . It made me question whether there's any Holiday traditions I haven't done . It then occurred to me that there is one tradition that most people do every year that I have yet to do . I haven't ever gone home for Christmas or frankly be home for Christmas . Being a New Yorker my most prominent memory of Christmas strangely enough is never actually spending Christmas in New York . See my parents were from Chicago originally so every year my family would celebrate Christmas a week before then we would pile in the Impala station wagon and drive to Chicago to spend the holidays with the relatives . There were advantages of such a cross country trek . Temperate Long Island had little snow at Christmas but Chicago almost always had lots of it to go around . There were always cousins to put me in a headlock . I also honed my bartending skills making cocktails for my aunts and uncles . They played cards and barked " Marc bring me another Brandy Alexander " . As a child , then a young adult I was either in Chicago or somewhere else during the holidays . It's only now that I realize how peculiar this was at the time . A New Yorker never actually having the ultimate Christmas in the Big City . I guess it's a holiday tradition that escaped me . And now a message from our sponsor . Nationally in the real estate world there's an interesting trend . In places where real estate is perceived as reasonable , take Cleveland or Milwaukee for an example , prices are rising but in the higher end markets like California and Florida prices are coming down . This is a market of very educated buyers . North Oaks is a niche market that is relatively unknown to many buyers . It has a high value to those who appreciate what our little utopia has to offer . Just last week I sold a house in multiple offers . The desire to own a good house in a great neighborhood is there . In the meantime please stop over to the Christmas little library on the corner of Spring Farm and Eagle Ridge . Maybe start a new Holiday tradition . For me , I'm going to buy myself a plane ticket and go enjoy the the one I've been missing . Happy Everything , Marc - -- 3823 SOON TO MARKET : 4 BEDROOM , 5 BATHROOM MARC KURTZ 612-751-6472 | MARC@LAKESMN.COM TOP PRODUCER & REGULAR GUY ! Lakes Sotheby's INTERNATIONAL REALTY