A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I have to admit, these are some of my favourite days of the year.

I am enjoying today immensely. It's so close to Christmas (something that has seemed even more exciting this year with Willen being old enough to enjoy and anticipate the festivities that come with the season)!

My shopping is done, presents are already wrapped, dinners planned, and my house is being cleaned and readied for this coming weekend.

We have a very relaxing Christmas planned this year. Christmas Eve day will be spent together as a family, then we will be off to our Christmas Eve service, followed by our annual Christmas party at our family's farm. We'll open our gifts Christmas morning, then head to my parents for breakfast. The evening will be spent at Ryan's parents for Christmas dinner and then we are back at the farm again for dinner on Boxing Day.

In short, lots of family, and lots of food.

Just how we love it.

Anyway, I've been preoccupied and haven't gotten around to posting much this season, but I have a few last things to share before the end of the year. I'm very much looking forward to a quiet rest of the year.

Here is the rest of our house decorated, wrapped gifts and a few other details.

Have a very Merry Christmas and may you be blessed this coming year.

The Heikoops

Our stockings and decorated banister.

Gifts wrapped and ready for our family celebrations.

I used simple white newsprint, thin twine, and vintage stamps to wrap my gifts this year.

We don't have a mantel so I always decorate the piano. Simple White Pine garland, which smells so lovely, wrapped with white lights and a few cream pillar candles.

We (Willen) are making a small dent in our gingerbread house. He did eventually figure out it was a giant cookie that he could eat!

Sweet and simple. They remind me of something you would send to family years ago when you couldn't be with them on Christmas. I found that really homey.

The stamps were found at Anthropologie - $6/ pack.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

Good Morning!

It's been a busy week, and the business seems like it's going to continue right through to the new year. Christmas parties and family celebrations have begun to fill our calenders and Christmas is in the air.

This week we put up our tree. I would have loved to visit one of our local tree farms to cut down our own perfect tree, but a week of constant rain has made that nearly impossible. Needing to trim our tree in time for a holiday party I'm hosting, I took Willen to our nearest Home Depot and picked out the perfect tree there. We spent the afternoon decorating the tree, and later made a gingerbread house.

Our house smells magnificent!

Here are a few photos of what has been decorated so far. I still have greenery to trim and add to shelves and mirrors, and the rest of our stockings need to be hung. Our piano and banister both need garland, and a few windows are in need of some small wreaths.

But for now, its beginning to look like Christmas.

My ornaments are simple silver balls and some vintage looking mercury glass ornaments.

I found this large bit of stitched together grain sacks this fall, and thought it made the perfect tree skirt.

A simple birch star nestled on top and white lights finished the tree.

Simple, and pretty.

I've put out a couple swags of mixed greenery and this vintage tree plate I found at the Country Living Fair on top of my large frame. It's adds the perfect amount of Christmas.

 

Our perfectly imperfect gingerbread house. Shaky hands and a curious little boy make for squiggly details, but I still think it's cute. I didn't put any candy on it because if I would have, I would be fighting all day with Willen who would be constantly trying to pick off candies! At least this way he doesn't seem to notice it as much. Yesterday at breakfast, with his chin resting on this hand, he informed me that he "loved our birdhouse, Mommy." I thought it was so cute.

A small dish of chocolate filled mints.

Our simple stockings hanging from the banister, with simple white ribbon and a glittery initial. They will look even more beautiful with garland around the railing.