Buy Local or Small + Free Soap
One of the things I’ve been trying to do more and more is to find local or small businesses from which to purchase the things I need. This is a wonderful way to cultivate community, especially when you can find things locally. I have also found Etsy to be a wonderful resource in finding small businesses. For example: I am in need of a few more wooden cooking utensils as I have just acquired some enameled cast iron cookware. I could purchase this set on Williams Sonoma, or I could find a few lovely pieces on Etsy, like these that I’m considering. I know if buy from Etsy I’m supporting a guy who does this as a hobby, he gets 100% of the money I send and I like knowing that.
This year I’ve been searching for my holiday gifts from local or small businesses. It has been amazing the wonderful things I’ve found for all those on my list. I won’t mention what specifics since I haven’t given them yet. Sometimes you stumble across something while at the farmer’s market that is just perfect. Local Roots Market in Wooster, OH (which is the main farmer’s market I go to) has an artisan fair this time of year just for Christmas and I’ve found a few wonderful things there.
Miranda, one of my readers (you probably recognize her, she comments often) and her husband have a business called The Relic Jar. They sell soap and very interesting gourd art. Her soap is made of all natural ingredients some that she grows in her own organic gardens in Texas. She generously offered to give a bar of soap to one of you in order to encourage you to buy local/small business not only during the holiday season, but all year long. All you have to do to is to comment on this post and you’ll be entered. PS – Miranda also has an illustration business with lovely things, check it out at Miranda R. Muller Illustrations.
Have you found any wonderful holiday gifts from a local or a small business?
Random.org chose our winner for this contest:
Kim won the soap from The Relic Jar.
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Spreading Some Holiday Cheer
Growing up my mom always made tons of Christmas cookies, caramels and other goodies and sent a big plate full to each neighbor. We’ve done something similar since we moved in here. I’m not much of a cookie maker when it comes to the holidays, I prefer chocolates and other things like caramel corn. We also don’t stop at the neighbors when spreading delicious holiday cheer. We take goodies for everyone at the Post Office, the library and our small town local bank. Of course we live in a small town, so each of these place only has 4-7 employees.
I enjoy doing this because it shows all those people that we talk to each week that we appreciate the service they provide and that they go out of their way to do their jobs well. The ladies at the library will hold new books for us that they know we’ll like, our UPS man always delivers our packages in great shape and always has a treat for the Chiots, the friendly post office workers are always ready to chat, and the ladies at the bank always have treats for the Chiots in the drive-thru.
Do you hand out any kind of goodies to neighbors and other people like the mailman?
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Displaying All Those Cards
Everyone has their own way in which they display all those holiday cards they get from friends and family. For the longest time I didn’t display them, I simply set them in a pile on my coffee table. Last year I taped them to the posts on my stairway, but they kept falling down. This year I decided to put all those clothes pins to work that aren’t being used since it’s cold outside.
I have been pinning all of my cards into the garland that I put on the banister. We have a fairly short banister, so I think when this is filled (which it almost is now, photos were take last week) I’ll move on to putting the cards in that garland above the sliding glass doors.
I have to admit, this way of displaying cards is growing on me. I might continue doing this unless see something better. Tucking them in the tree would be nice, as would bringing a branch in to pin them on. I’m sure there are endless ways to display cards that I’ve never even thought of.
How do you display all those holiday cards you get in the mail?
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Christmas Cards
We received our Christmas card order last week, they’re so lovely, probably the best ones we’ve done so far. I am quite happy with them, and I’m super excited to send them out.
I set to work addressing all the cards, it’s always fun to go through the Christmas list and think about all the people on there and what they’ve been up to this year. Our list is long, but not too long. It’s filled with family members and friends – some old, some new – clients, professional friends and a few random people we’ve met throughout our lives. Some of them we don’t talk to much anymore, others we speak to several times a week. One thing keeps them all on the list, we appreciate the part they have played in our lives past or present.
I really enjoy getting cards in my mailbox from friends and family. I love seeing photos of my college girlfriend’s kids, seeing how much they’ve grown each year. I love reading Christmas letters from friends I don’t talk to near enough, hearing about the year they’ve had. Christmas cards really are a way to connect with those in our lives that we don’t want to lose touch with.
After checking everyone off of my Christmas list I ended up with a lot of extra cards. Since I had them printed and I don’t want any of these fabulous cards to go to waste, I thought I’d send them out to some of my readers. You always make my day when you read and comment on my blog, so you should be on my Christmas list. If you would like to receive one of our Christmas cards, send me your address via the contact link to the right. I’ll keep sending them out until I run out (then you might get one of last year’s of which I still have hundreds in a box).
Do you enjoy getting Christmas cards in your mailbox?
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Quote of the Day: Oliver Herford
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December
A magical thing
And sweet to remember.
We are nearer to Spring
Than we were in September,
I heard a bird sing
In the dark of December.
– Oliver Herford, I Heard a Bird Sing
We put out a bird feeder in the winter, we really enjoy watching the birds come. We’ve learned to identify all the different ones that come to our feeder. It sure helps get through those long dark winter months. I also notice more birds in the garden throughout the summer when we feed during the winter months.
Do you feed the birds around your gardens?
