Happy Friday! I’ve got some time to myself this weekend, which can only mean one thing – holiday crafting! I tried to resist jumping into Christmas mode for as long as I could, but I started to hear the music in shops and in radio commercials the last couple of days and it’s a lost cause now. Bring on the tinsel and ribbon!
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Part of what got me into the festive spirit, was the trip we took to our friends’ cottage last weekend. We got there after dark on Friday night and woke up to our first real snowfall of the year.
I’d never been up to the cottage in the fall or winter and I couldn’t get over how lovely it was. Very quiet and still (and no boats driving by with water-skiers!)
We bundled up and took the dogs for a walk along the country road. It was such a beautiful sight to see.
Last winter, the family tore down their old cottage (on the right with the brown deck) and built a new year-round home.
They’re higher up on the property now, which gives you this beautiful views looking across the lake.
Inside, you feel like you’re up in the trees.
Our friend’s mother (and our gracious host) took advantage of the little winter wonderland we were in, and got to work decorating the railings of the cottage with big, fluffy lighted garlands. With the snow falling outside and the fireplace going, I could hardly blame her. All we needed was Bing Crosby playing and I would have been happy to stay there until January, thank-you-very-much.
All it took was that Christmas garland to get me thinking about digging our own tree out of storage. During a lunch break this week, Garrett and I met up at his parents’ house for a little midday break – and pulled all our Christmas stuff out of storage there. We found bins full of garlands, wreaths and ornaments…but no tree.
Somehow our sweet little tree (that I bought five years ago when I was just a single gal living in the city), had completely disappeared. We checked all over and couldn’t find it…I even checked our car trunks (also jokingly refereed to as our “storage units” by our families) and there was nothing. After another day of looking, we agreed it was time to look for a new tree.
Three stores later, we finally found one that had realistic looking branches, was pre-lit and wasn’t too expensive. Thankfully it is also a “slim” tree, meaning that it is narrow enough that it doesn’t take up half our living room. As bummed as I was about losing the old tree, we’d always talked about buying a bigger tree “someday”.
Then it dawned on me on our way home – we’ll always remember that this is the tree we bought together the year we were married. I kinda like the idea that we can look back on that in years to come and remember that first Christmas as official newlyweds, still in our cramped little apartment, but just so happy to be celebrating the holiday together.
We got home last night, put up the tree and had a good laugh that the 7′ tree just barely clears the roof. I think this year the star may need to be replaced by a bow.
Then we got a call this morning…my mother-in-law had found the little tree. Phew. At least we know no one stole it (I was convinced we had a Grinch in the neighbourhood). We’re still going to keep the new tall tree, and that beloved little short guy will be staying in storage until we get a house, where he’ll get a new lease on life as an outdoor decoration.
Now we just have to decide how to decorate the new one! Most of our ornaments are small and to the scale of the old tree, so it will be fun to come up with some new ideas and hopefully some new handmade ornaments too.
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And on one final note….don’t forget to enter the Truvía® Baking Blend Holiday Baking Giveaway! The contest ends Saturday at midnight and the winner will be announced on Facebook on Sunday.
Awwww! See now you got me wanting to get out the totes – lol. That is a beautiful home and I love the scenery. Reminds me of this place I like to go to called Deep Creek.