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The “Countdown to Christmas” is already underway at Adams Glass Studio on Highway 231 south of Troy.

Glass artist Charles Adams and his family have been hosting open house the weekend after Thanksgiving for about three decades “as best as I can count,” Adams said, with a smile. “And we’ll do that again this year but we wanted to do something a little different this year and bring back something old and, at the same time, introduce something new.”

Adams’ dad, the late Sam Adams, was one of the old-time “characters” in and around Pike County. Sam Adams grew square gourds and nested porcupine eggs and, if it could be canned in a Mason jar, the elder Adams could and would do it.

Adams stumbled on one of his dad’s recipes and it brought back a flood of memories of old times and good times.

“Sam’s pickled peanuts were as popular at Adams Nut House around this time of year as ice cold, sliced watermelon was in the summertime,” he said. “I got to thinking about Sam’s pickled peanuts and wanted to put them back in the store.”

Then, Adams got to thinking about the late Alice Thornton, who was a highly- regarded artist in Troy and far beyond.

“Alice came to me one day with a pattern for an angel she had designed,” Adams said. “She had drawn the pattern on an old piece of cardboard. She said, ‘I want you to make this angel,’ so I did. But when the shop burned in December 2011, the pattern was lost and all of Alice’s angels had been sold.”

Then, as fate would have it, a lady brought one of Alice Thornton’s angels to Adams Glass Studio to be repaired.

“So, I have the pattern again,” Adams said. “So, this season, we are making the Alice Angels in memory of and in tribute to a wonderful lady and an incredible artist.”

Adams Glass is counting down to Christmas with something old and something new.

Adams’ son David and his wife, Melanie, are designing a variety of new items including whimsical deer and Jolly Ol’ St. Nicks for the Christmas tree and whimsical Christmas trees that are doubling as necklaces.

“Mel put one of the whimsical Christmas trees on a string and hung it around her neck and we can’t keep them in the store,” Adams said. “We’re having fun this year counting down to Christmas.”

And a countdown that would be in the tradition of Sam Adams – wacky – which is an old-time word for whimsical.

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