We've Been Busy at The Cottage Home ~ Christmas Trees and Santa

This last month seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye.  We've been so busy trying to fit in all our Christmas festivities as I'm sure you have as well.  This is a non-sewing, non-crafting, non-cooking related post, but I thought you might like to know what we've been up to.

The day after Thanksgiving we headed to our favorite local tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree.  My husband and I both grew up with fresh Christmas trees and to tell you the truth, there is nothing like the smell of a 'real' Christmas tree.  We've been going to this farm since before we had kids and after seven years, I guess we can call it a tradition.



My sister-in-law and (soon to be) brother-in-law came with us this year on the great tree hunt.  We like this farm because it is very down to earth.  There aren't a whole lot of bells and whistles (some farms around us have rides, attractions, horse drawn carriages), but you get the great feeling of the country life. This tree farm has been struggling the last few years because of a draught several years back.  So even though the pickings are a little slim, we like to support them during this tough time.


Savannah didn't care much for the sound the saw made when cutting down the tree, so she hung back a little bit and took it all in from a far.



That's our tree in the picture above or also known as the Christmas 'bush'.  Once we got it inside our house we realized just how round it really is, but it suites us ~ it's got character.


The day after Thanksgiving they had some pioneer living demonstrations and Savannah got to hand-dip a candle with some help from her Aunt Abby.



One of the favorite parts of our annual tree hunting adventure is getting nice and cozy with a cup of hot chocolate in the little warming house.  That hot chocolate hits the spot after the cold, hard work of finding our perfect tree.


After we came home and set up our tree, we decorated it.  This little guy (pictured above) was just a sweet, sweet angel throughout all our Christmas activity.  We listened to Christmas music, decorated the tree and I made my favorite homemade chex mix (which is a MUST when decorating the tree).


And what a difference a year makes!  The week after we got our tree, we took the kids to visit Santa.  Last year Savannah would not even get close to the man.  This year she ran right up to him, got on his lap and told him exactly what she wanted for Christmas ~ "I want a green dinosaur, a boy baby doll, and a red bouncy ball with a handle".  I love a girl who knows what she wants!  Matilda was fine with the man in the red suit, but she didn't say much.  After we left, Savannah said "Wow, he is definitely nice!"

This past weekend my mom, Grandma Jane, and her husband Allen (aka 'Pepo") came to celebrate an early Christmas.  We had a wonderful time, though our visits are always too short.  What I wouldn't give to live closer to my mama........maybe someday......one can dream, right?  Mom made us the most beautiful Christmas quilt that matches the kids Christmas outfits.  I need to take some good pictures of it, but I can't wait to show you!

This week I'm going to be busy baking with the kids and finishing up my last handmade Christmas gifts.  The current project in the works are 'baby doll kits' I'm making to go with the girl's 'American Girl Bitty Baby Boy' dolls that they are getting.  Savannah and Matilda both really wanted boy babies because of their little brother, so I'm having fun using all of this boy printed fabric to make the accessories for their dolls.