on the longest night of the year we slept by the fire and kept the flames going until morning.
in fact they are still burning.
it’s a tradition we have been keeping for years and we all look forward to it as much, if not more than christmas.
there was a sparkling cider toast to the light that will slowly start creeping back.
we wrote our hopes and dreams for the new year and threw them into the fire.
and there was lots of giggling and snuggling under the covers by the christmas tree.
since mama was the first to fall asleep as usual, there may have been other festivities that took place.
all i know is that it was the best sleep i have had in a while.
this year’s handmade gift list so far includes:
::chocolate covered apricots
::birch beer
::elderberry syrup (for the upcoming cold season)
::an array of cookies including ginger stars.
::those little wood burned ornaments will be present toppers.
there’s still a week left so who knows what still could be made.
i have been cleaning out my pantry and cabinets of glass jars, baskets and containers to fill with cookies, chocolate covered fruit or forced paperwhite bulbs. i love giving things a new life and especially a new home.
i am off to my moms to paint my old childhood dollhouse.
we are giving it to the girls for christmas with an updated look.
i am going to paint the outside of the house the color of our own house and the inside rooms revere pewter.
maybe i can find a little chicken coop with chickens so it really feels like home.
even better would be if i could find a new little dollhouse family. one with a bearded dad with glasses and a tool belt.
i’m such a sap.
this season we are trying to hold true to giving handmade and simple.
and at the same time we are trying to remain in the moment and not beat ourselves up if something does not get made or if we give less than last year to someone.
i have to try hard not to keep score and compare from year’s past.
we don’t put much focus on lists. i do however listen to what the girls might tell someone who asks them what they want for christmas to get some sort of idea.
they usually say what i used to say when i was young, “i like to be surprised.”
it’s funny how some people are just not satisfied with that answer. “you must want something!” they’ll say.
and so the girls usually reply with a thing or two to make them happy.
i remember when hannah was about 4 years old she replied “world peace”
well that was a long break.
i kept wanting to check in here over the last few weeks with little updates and snapshots of our holiday spruce up but then 2 weekends of hannah’s nutcracker performances and (a good) life in general took over.
the holiday candlelit house tour was this past saturday which had me touring and talking about my home for 5 hours straight.
there were non-stop visitors and after bragging about my pop and his master carpentry skills and showing off all of chris’s wood creations and discussing our appreciation for beauty, simplicity and practicality in the home, i couldn’t help but love this place we have created even more.
my mother’s house was also on the tour and even though our houses are quite different it was fun for people to see the similarities. my mother is an interior and landscape designer and extremely talented at what she does. it was her vision that motivated us to buy our house which took a little convincing since it was quite a project to undertake. she has instilled in me a love and appreciation for nature and beautiful, useful things as i watched her nurture her house into a home throughout my life. i think of her as i spruce up a little corner, find the perfect evergreen bough dripping with pine cones, or as i cut out branches from our christmas tree so the ornaments fall just right.
yesterday the girls and i strung popcorn, cranberries and grapefruit rinds to hang on the creature tree in a few weeks.
we talked about tradition and how they want to continue the many things we do during advent with their young ones.
i can’t help but wonder if they will also continue the tradition of appreciating the little things that bring both my mother and myself such joy.
christmas tunes were on shuffle all day long while i danced around with greens, twinkle lights and pine cones.
i truly am happiest when at home creating and making. especially around the holidays.
i had chris go back to the house with the huge fallen tip of a spruce tree. this time with the right size clippers.
he came home with our little wooden trailer filled to the brim.
like santa and his sleigh.
my empty palette of a sunday turned into a wonderfully cozy day.
my grandparents stopped by just in time for a pot of curried chicken vegetable soup for lunch.
we sat by the fire.
we talked and laughed while i wound balls of yarn to turn into christmas presents.
not a day goes by that i don’t appreciate still having them both in my life. in my girl’s life.
hannah and norah are at ages now where they will most likely remember them when they are older.
my grandfather (pop) is the master carpenter who crafted the inside of my house. all of the built-ins, my kitchen, my bed.
there is a huge piece of him in every room of my home.
a big reason why i can never leave this place.
:: i like to tip toe around in the morning when the light is just perfect and all is quiet except for a little snore here and there.
:: norah told me last night that i looked like ma from little house. i love my llbean flannel nightgown
:: i love sundays with nothing planned but some friends for dinner. an empty palette.
my mother saved many of my halloween costumes from when i was a girl.
they were all handmade and now live in the girls dress up basket.
i love seeing all of the use they get.
norah told me this summer that she wanted to be the pumpkin this year.
it is a little worn out but she doesn’t seem to mind.
she asked for a pumpkin hat to match which i finished just a few days ago.
she went around all day yesterday telling everyone that mama wore the pumpkin suit when she was 5 and that her hat was made by mama.
it all just warms my heart.
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