'Tis the Season

'Tis Elf On The Shelf season! You know, this guy...

I teach Grade 2/3, kiddies that are 7-8 years old. You would not believe the Elf On The Shelf stories they tell me every morning. Today one little guy was so excited. He told me that his elf decorated his Christmas tree and put his underwear on top ;)  All I can think of is how stressed out these parents are running around every night staging EOTS antics! I mean I had a hard enough time playing the tooth fairy, LOL. Probably most parents get their ideas off Pinterest but even so, it takes time to recreate these scenarios. 

I learned something tonight as I was doing some blog research. Did you know that the elves all return to the North Pole after the Yuletide season? True! This video explains everything about the elves. (I love the part where they are on the treadmill.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvmOKx5-wDw&feature=player_embedded&list=PL0AE14815201C29B0
News Flash:  Looks like we will be having Christmas at the cottage. Our house just sold, but guess what? That lovely, old farmhouse sold 10 days before we got an offer. Guess it wasn't meant to be...

False Holly Jackpot!

False holly grows in wet, swampy areas of Nova Scotia. That's what makes it so challenging to harvest. Confession here, I almost got a "soaker", LOL. But I persevered and cut some of the best holly that I have ever seen! Check it out...

Yes, that's a big bird's nest right in the middle of the branch. Surely that should bring some Christmas luck :).  I can hardly wait to get this in my urns with some fir boughs around it. Here's a close-up...

When I got back to the cottage to take these pictures I heard two gunshots! Good thing I had on my husband's red ski jacket and my hunter orange toque! Accidents do happen so you have to be pro-active. Who knew harvesting holly could be so dangerous?

Snowshoes, Skates & Sleighs

I  know Christmas was last week, but I just have to show you these photos. Nova Scotia got hit with a blizzard today and this is what my front porch looks like tonight...the North Pole!

Do you see that rocker?  I dragged that wicker chair home from the thrift shop a few years ago.  And it's really hard to see (because it's covered in snow) but the cushion on that chair is made from my dad's  red plaid hunting jacket. 

Those vintage snowshoes are special too. They belonged to my cottage neighbour. He used to wear them when he had to check on telephone poles in remote areas. When my neighbours were selling their cottage a few years ago  they put them out with their trash on garbage day.  I couldn't let them go to the landfill so I dragged them back to my cottage :)

I don't think I'll be sitting in my wicker rocker sipping coffee anytime soon, but I love my front porch all decked out for the holiday season!

                              

   

All Is Calm, All Is Bright...

This year I have five Christmas trees in my house. Most ever. Not sure how I ended up with 5 but it happened. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not really a "tree" person. I like all the other things that go along with Christmas but I just can't wrap my head around the idea of bringing a 7-foot evergreen, needle-dropping tree into your house. So I have four artificial trees this year, and one natural tree (a Balsom Fir) in the living-room. Not showing that one, although it's not too bad by our standards, Ha! But this little one is in my dining-room. It's about 20 years old and kinda crazy looking. This year I have it perched in a Ganong Hard Candies bucket and decorated with cookie cutters and red glass balls. 

And here's my mantel all decked out with fresh greenery. I love the way the pine branches droop over the edge. The picture above the mantel is a print by Trisha Romance called The Museum.    Maybe I will do a post about  this artist in  January. 
Have a wonderful Christmas. Hope you get to celebrate the holiday with family and friends!

Merry, Merry. Slowly.

Slowly getting ready for the holidays...

The outside  decor is all taken care of...

The hall tree is swagged...

                                    

And MY 55 year old skates are hanging next to Santa's hat. How is it possible that MY skates are this old when I'm only 39? I must have calculated that wrong...they must be MY 35 year old skates, LOL.

Favourite Christmas CD

I have several Christmas CD's but there is one that I absolutely love. It's called Sarah McLachlan Wintersong. Apparently it was released in 2006, but I have only had it in my collection for a few years. My favourite track is "River". I could listen to this one song all day long...
Live footage of Sarah performing 'River'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB2dlEH9U0E

Santa's Watching

Do you believe in Santa? I do. I guess that's why I have a Santa collection. I like to display some of my collection on our antique buffet hutch in the dining room. (It's a tricky place to take a photo because of the large mirror below the top shelf.) 

I add a new Santa (or two) each Christmas. That tall one I picked up for .75 cents at the thrift store about a month ago.

A few more on the other end. Love that tole painted one with the clay star...

...and a few more below, waiting for SNOW!

Confession # 5, I Love Chicken Bones

I LOVE chicken bones! No, no, not real chicken bones. I love the candy version, especially the ones made by Ganong in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

They are a little on the expensive side, but they are so yummy! Pink, spicy, cinnamon candy filled with bittersweet chocolate. You can either let them melt in your mouth or you can crunch them to get that delicious rush of goodness! Check out this video clip if you would like to see how this delicacy is made. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcfPO_SO3wU
Chicken bones are labour intensive, I guess that's why they are so pricey. It just wouldn't be Christmas without chicken bones! What is your favourite Christmas candy?

A Sneak Peak

Yes, yes. It's that most wonderful time of the year. The lull between having my first term report cards finished and Christmas. I absolutely love Christmas. I think I inherited that from my dad as he loved Christmas too. So today I decided to begin my decorating. Well actually I put up one decoration earlier in the week, a swag on our antique hall tree. I like to take my time and haul out a few things as the mood strikes.

 These photos show an old crock filled with pine, fir, red ozier dogwood twigs and false holly. They should rename that "hard-to-find holly" as I only found one patch of it last weekend on our way home from the cottage. It likes to grow in wet, swampy areas so luckily I had my rubber boots with me. In the next couple of weeks I hope to share a few more photos of my Christmas decor. Stay tuned!