This is indeed one of my favorite times of year. I love decorating for the holidays, baking sweet treats, hosting festive parties & enjoying holiday traditions with family. Having my sweet nephew close by makes it even more special!
When our nephew, Oliver, first moved to town, Luke & I decided to gift him experiences rather than stuff. Sure, we buy him little things here & there, but we knew gifting him a date to the movies & a visit to the bakery would be much more valuable than a plastic toy. Thus our weekly date was born!
Every Wednesday afternoon, I pick up Oliver from school & take him on a little adventure. Every Wednesday, he asks, “Aunt Natalie what’s the fun plan for the day?!” Sometimes we go to the museum. Other afternoons we spend at the library or the park!
This Christmas season, we decided to treat Oliver to his very own Christmas tree at Uncle Luke & Aunt Natalie’s home! We went to the tree farm & Oliver picked out his very own, just-his-size tree! We brought it home & have slowly been decorating the tree each Wednesday afternoon.
We have made a variety of ornaments & decorations together this season. We made colorful paper chains as garland & these cinnamon dough ornaments to hang!
I rolled out the dough & Oliver picked the cookie cutters – pig, snowflake & tree – to make his ornaments. You can find the recipe right HERE for the cinnamon ornaments. They’ll make your house smell amazing & are very easy to make!
We also made orange slice ornaments together! We sliced the oranges in circles & dried them on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for 10-12 hours (keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!). I then threaded each ornament & Oliver hung them on the tree.
Each week that Oliver comes over during Christmas, I have been placing a “special treasure” underneath the Christmas tree for him. It’s oftentimes a book & his finished ornaments in a small basket. I can’t wait for him to find his soft little fox slippers under the tree this week!
It has been such a gift to share these little dates with Oliver each week. One day, when Oliver is grown up, I hope he knows he can come to Uncle Luke & me with anything at all. You are so loved, sweet Ollie Pop!
What Christmas traditions do you keep with your favorite littles? I’d love to read your wonderful ideas – please share in the comments!
love,
Natalie
Luke & I took a big leap of faith this year & opened up our dream shop, Freckled Hen Farmhouse, an online general store brimming with well-made home provisions & farm supplies. We have a cozy brick & mortar, too!
In honor of the festive holiday season, I thought I’d share a handful of my favorite gift ideas from our shop! These are goods & tools we’ve used within our home for years & absolutely love. Instead of just sharing a big ol’ list with ya, I thought I’d create a gift guide for that specific person you may have in mind.
I hope you enjoy this little guide just as much as I enjoyed pulling it together! Thanks so much for a magical year, friends! Now onto holiday gifting…!!!
This year will surely be marked by many loaves of artisanal bread lovingly baked by my sweet hubby. I am not complaining, y’all!
When you’ve had a little too many carbs, thank goodness for fresh greens from the garden. Our shop is brimming with beautifully crafted hand tools boasting a lifetime warranty & sure to withstand years of hard work.
I’m a homemaker & proud of it. I love to fluff, nest, gather & love on folks within our home. Nothing lights my fire like a dinner party!
Hiking enthusiasts & happy campers, we’ve got the goods for you! When you need to get out of the farmhouse & breathe in some fresh air, we’ve got the enamelware mug to accompany you next to the campfire!
Y’all know I love a good budget spreadsheet. The holidays are no exception!
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Happy gifting, dear friends! I’ll be back soon with fun homemaking ideas for the holidays & what we’re cookin’ this time of year!
love,
natalie
Friends, I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted by the negative political arguments happening all over our social media outlets. It leaves me feeling drained & quite weary as I watch good people fall into the trap of Facebook fights & Twitter wars.
Today I want to share a little joy with you. Today’s blog post includes a handful of inexpensive & free gift ideas because sometimes all we can do is shine a little light & brighten someone’s day.
1. Pretty jars of preserves: Last Christmas I gifted my family jars of homemade strawberry jam. Who says we can’t extend this kind of giving year-round? Gather up bits of fabric & your favorite personable tags. Don’t forget to include a wooden spoon or knife for spreading the love! Drop your cheerful jars off at your neighbors’ doors right before they arrive home from work!
2. Coffee gift cards: There’s nothing like free coffee, y’all. Purchase a handful of $5 gift cards from Starbucks or your favorite coffee shop & share them with your coworkers, momma friends & whomever else needs a little perk up!
3. Baking Kit: I created this baking kit last autumn for a girls’ get-together at my home & I still love it to this day! Pull together your favorite baking mix & throw it in a cute mixing bowl with decorative ribbon & a seasonal tag (I love Lindsay’s tags found right here)!
4. Yummy handsoap: If nothing else will calm the chaos, at the very least we can promise yummy smelling hand soap for our people. I am a Mrs. Meyer’s junkie & their autumn scents are amazing! I’m excited to share that I am offering a fun little FREEBIE until October 16th (this Sunday!) – grab $30 worth of Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap, spray & dish soap for FREE when ya spend $20 at Grove Collaborative. Click HERE for the details & click HERE to get your free goodies!
I’ve shared this freebie in years past & lots of ladies have stocked up for teachers’ gifts, Christmas stocking stuffers & housewarming gifts. Why not stock up & share the goodness right now just because? Purchase a bouquet of grocery store blooms & add your Mrs. Meyer’s freebies in a basket for a friend in need!
For more gift ideas, visit #nataliecreatesgiftideas right here! Yay!
What are some of your favorite ways to brighten someone’s day? Please share!
love,
natalie