Hello my friends! :)
Hope you're having a holly jolly month so far. :) Every December 10th, Alex and I plan a tree-trimming day. We go out to harvest our Christmas tree, decorate the house and listen to Christmas tunes. This will be our 5th Christmas together! :)
Another fun tradition is sweets and "sweetened" egg nog! Brandy and rum...not too much, but just enough to pack a little punch! :) Alex uses the cut off end of the tree trunks to make me little "Charlie Brown" Christmas trees. I kept the one from last year and glued a little snowman on it. I'm going to keep them from now on and decorate them, just the little tree branch has to be replaced each year.
All of the stockings were hung over the fireplace, though two stockings were missing this Christmas season.
Last Christmas we had Pavlov and Stella with us!
Even though it was a LOT of work during those nine months we took care of them, we really miss them a lot! They were such good dogs. :) They are doing very well, safe and happy back with their owner in Morocco.
We had to wait a few hours to decorate the tree because it was still frozen stiff, so Alex and I prepared dinner. He set up the living room so we could have dinner by the fire. Do you buy wine in boxes? I used to think that only crappy wine came in a box, but there are some good ones out there! This is one of them, Cliff 79, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia.
How cozy and romantic!! Dinner by the fire!
After dinner we got the tree decorated. It smells so nice to have a real tree in the house!
I'm a lucky gal! I've met the nicest people through Blogger I have to say! Pam from Life Through My Eyes at the Whimsical Way sent me a gorgeous Christmas card that she painted. Isn't that such a beautiful winter scene? Thank you Pam! :) xx
And Joyce from Octoberfarm SPOILED me this Christmas with a box of so many fun goodies, including these little recipe books of Maritime cooking! She knows Alex and I are planning our move to the Maritime provinces and she wanted me to have some great Atlantic recipes! Very thoughtful! Thank you Joyce! :) xx
On milder days, the husky girls always want to be outside, I can't blame them, it's so magical out there when the snow is falling!
Delightful! All your decorations! And how you celebrate these Holidays!!!!
ReplyDeleteYummmm... Even better, in front of the fire. :-)
Guess huskies find snow, to be their natural environment.
Lovely card and gifts. Ahhhh, to the Maritime Provinces. Will have to look that up. :-)
Lovely December hugs,
🎄✨🎄
Oh, my dear! I love this post so much! Everything! Your traditions, your real tree, the food, the fire, the ambiance! AND the box of wine! Louis Dean prefers box wine and we always have at least two on hand....a slightly sweeter one for him and a Sav Blanc for me. He likes to joke and when he fills his glass, raises it for a toast he will say, “Ah! That was a very good hour!!”
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, my friend! If you will email your address to me, I would love to send you a Christmas card.....
oh look at your tree....glorious! your place looks so cozy and xmasy! i'm so glad you like all your little gifts!
ReplyDeleteWe have our traditions and his year we are adding a new one, a Christmas Eve box. Just new Pj's, socks, some bathy stuff and then nibbles for the evening.
ReplyDeleteI do buy wine in the box, but for large parties. We don't drink that much. Those are some lovely gifts. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteBox wines of old were generic with simple names: white ***and red***. But wineries are finding a market for their bottled wines.
ReplyDeleteYour huskies are impressive. Eggnog + rum = good times.
Your tree and home look beautiful, all decorated for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteYour home looks warm and wonderful for the season! Congrats on 5 years so far!
ReplyDeleteLooks festive and cozy!!! Wish we had that kind of snow here....
ReplyDeleteI have come to appreciate rum and eggnog.
ReplyDeleteWhat happy pup faces! I love it!
ReplyDeleteRain, you always do the best job of decorating for every holiday. It's so much fun to visit your blog and see all your creative touches. Congratulations to you and Alex on your 5th Christmas together!
Hi Rain! Everything looks so beautiful at your place. Festive, happy, peaceful. The photo of the stockings is my favourite. So darn cute. 2019 is going to be a very exciting year for all of you! Can't wait to hear all about your plans. I received your Xmas card today. It is stunning. Thank you for it! I've been terrible this year. I didn't send out a single card. I'm lacking motivation for it :(
ReplyDeleteYour tree is beautiful and your decorations are lovely. Wine in boxes are much better than they used to be. My Retired Man likes Black Box Cabernet. Although I have never tasted it (gives me headaches), he seems to like it. I hope you and Alex have a wonderful, peaceful Christmas.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful tree! The dinner by the fire looked warm and welcoming.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so cozy!! Nice job! Lisa
ReplyDeleteWhat a festive jolly house you have! Yes, as a matter of fact, we prefer box wine when we aren't consuming wine we made. Box wine is awesome, because you don't have to consume it all, once its open. Most boxes of wine are equivalent to 4 bottles of wine. It's perfect for the beach, as there isn't glass which is prohibited on most beaches. You don't need a wine opener. It weighs less than 4 bottles of wine in glass bottles. We have actually opened a box of wine and it has stayed fresh and good for a couple of months, as the bag that the wine comes in, doesn't allow oxygen in to the wine, which is what spoils the wine. There are however, very bad tasting box wines, just like there are very bad tasting bottle wines. It takes persistence to find the wines you prefer in the box, but I always say if the wine isn't to your taste, just add a splash of sprite or seven-up and make a spritzer!...lol! Enjoy!!!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, your home is perfectly Christmas, and I love it so much, Rain! The food, the fireplace and decorations are just so lovely! I can't neglct to mention the beautiful puppies too. Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteI love your little Charlie Brown trees! Every year I wish I had a real tree - then realize I would only get to enjoy it for a nanosecond. The best part about winter is making your home cozy. I usually avoid boxed wine, but will see if I can find this one locally. Happy 5th Year of Christmas Together! xo
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful post! Your home and your tree are decorated so beautifully! I love the images of your fur babies! I love the treats you got in the mail too! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteAah, how cozy, warm and welcoming it looks. Just the place to be after the snow boots come off!
ReplyDeleteCozy time! I made a stocking for Coco but it is much bigger. Yours look like the right size as we don't put a lot in. A whole carrot is one of her favorites! Nancy
ReplyDeleteHi Wisps of Words :) Lovely December hugs to you too! :) Thanks for your comment, I do love everything about the holidays, especially the winter ones, it makes life very cozy. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Linda :) Ha ha ha ha!!! I love that "that was a very good hour"...hee hee. Thanks for the laugh Louis Dean! I prefer a Chardonnay because I find it less acidic than the other vintages of whites. But the Cab is really nice and smooth too. I'm a big fan of Australian and California wines. I sent you an email the other day, hope you got it, and I'd like to send you a card too! Very sweet!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce :) I LOVED the gift box, you are very generous and thoughtful! :) xx
ReplyDeleteHi Pam :) I like the idea of your Christmas Eve box! We can always use new PJ's and socks. That's something I may borrow for the future traditions!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristina :) Thanks, I hope your week went well and you have a great weekend! I love having the box of wine, it seems to last forever!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan (Kane) :) You're right, the eggnog made the evening very festive!! :) Yes, you're right about the wine. It's so much more economical and some of those wines are pretty good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Debra :) We had a lot of fun decorating! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine :) Five years seems to have slipped by :) We're pretty happy! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy (Boise) :) Nice to hear from you! I hope you're having a nice season. The snow definitely makes things more cozy here during the hoidays!!
ReplyDeleteThanks TB :) Yes, I agree...rum and eggnog are a wonderful combination!! :) Add some brandy to it too, wow...great taste with all three!
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh :) Thank you! I can't believe it's been five Christmases together! Just the beginning. :) I love to make the house cozy for every occasion. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Martha :) Yes! 2019 is going to be a BIG year for us, I'm overly excited...I think that 2018 was a rough year for lots of people. At least that's the impression I get. I hope 2019 is a great year for you and George too! And you're SO WELCOME. I'm glad you liked the card! You're not terrible for not sending out cards! If you're not motivated that's okay, it happens!! :))
ReplyDeleteHi Starting Over :) There are some wines that give me headaches too, especially from California. A lot of the wine in that area (depending on the vintage) has added sugars and that's what does it for me. I need a dryer wine from that area. I just looked up Black Box, we don't get that here. I'm always up for trying a new wine! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Tpals :) Dinner by the fire was wonderful! It was very relaxing, I wish we could do that every day but here in the rental, the fireplace is like an energy sieve...once we have a wood stove, I think it'll happen more often! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa :) Cozy is our way of life! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Dino :) Yes! I agree with you about the box wine totally. I love that I only have to buy a box once every month or two, it lasts so long and it's always fresh! I love to SQUEEZE out that last little drop in there too lol. Great idea about bringing a box to the beach!! Funny you mention spritzer...that's how I drink my white wine. I always find whites a little too acidic for my stomach. I try to drink only the chardonnays that are from countries where the grapes have had a lot of time in the sun. I find those less acidic and easier to drink. But I do always add some sparkling water or just ice cubes to mine to cut the acidity. I'm a wine lover and it's taken me years to figure out what grapes, vintages and vintners that I really like but I always try to buy something new at least a few times a year to expand my palate! I could talk about wine all day lol! :)
ReplyDeleteHi RO :) Thank you! We try to make the home as cozy as we can! I love the red lights of the tree and we are very lucky we have a fireplace here at the rental! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Susan :) The box wine isn't too bad, there are a lot of good ones. If you find a box wine that you want to try, usually it comes in bottle form first, that way you can test it out. I personally find a lot of French wines to be vinegary, a lot of Italian (box) wines a little too acidic. I've had good luck with Australian and Californian. Just my opinion though! :) And thanks :) I love that we've had 5 Christmases together!! More to come! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stacy :) Thanks! It's fun during the holidays, I think having fur babies makes life so much more cozy too! Hugs!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rosemary :) Oh yes, I love that image! That's how we feel, when we're out in the cold, our home is so cozy, warm and welcoming!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy :) Cozy time!! :))) Our dogs love carrots too! We don't really put anything in the stockings, but we do give them lots of treats on Christmas morning!!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were moving to the maritimes...awesome! I love PEI but then that's the only one I've really seen in movies. Your decorating is so pretty and I remember the Charlie Brown Christmas tree Alex made you last year...so sweet! Enjoy the lead up to the holidays! Such lovely gifts too! Your tree is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures, Rain. Your home looks festive and WoW - that tree is gorgeous. And RED! How cozy and warm that looks. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Sam :) Yes! We are planning to buy our property in the Maritimes! Not sure where yet, but we are 99.9999% leaving Quebec. Very exciting! :) I lived on PEI for a year and it was really nice, wherever you are on the island you're only about 30 minutes from the ocean. But I missed the mountains and the wind was really annoying where I lived, so I ended up moving back to Quebec. But now it's for keeps, wind or not! It won't be PEI though, I need mountains, so it'll be either New Brunswick or Nova Scotia! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Becki :) I love the red tree! It really does make the house very cozy. We got lucky this year, the tree is so full and it smells wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteRain,
ReplyDeleteIt's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at your place. I love all the stockings on the fireplace mantle. Yum, are those Rick Krispy treats? That pizza looks good. Is that home-made? Pam did a lovely job on the Christmas card. I love the design! Whew, y'all really have the snow! Have a joyful, blessed holiday, dear friend! XO
On dear Rain your house looks sooo cozy and delightful:)))
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful personality and lovely thoughts reflect through your charming decorations!
I absolutely loved the dinner near fireplace!!!
What a wonderful idea to. have actual tree in house :)sounds so cool!
I am sure that those sweet dogs miss you either
Congratulations for celebrating 5th Christmas together as beautiful couple dear Rain!
Thanks Cathy! Wishing you a great holiday season as well!! :) Yes! Those are Rice Krispie treats. :) And yes, the pizza and pretty much everything we eat is homemade, including the egg nog! We're trying really hard to stay away from anything pre-packaged from now on, it's fun for me because I love to be in the kitchen! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Baili :) The dinner by the fireplace was so romantic and cozy! We'd love to do that more, but it's not very well insulated and we actually lose a lot of heat every time we fire it up, but we're only renting her less than a year now, hopefully at the new place we'll have a good wood stove! I often wonder if Pavlov and Stella remember us! :)
ReplyDeleteRain, that last photo would make a beautiful Christmas card :) Your home looks so cozy and festive.
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying a slice of my Amish apple pie while blogging this afternoon. If you ever want to can apple pie filling let me know and I'll share this recipe with you. It was nice having it made up and so easy to get a pie in the oven. I was not feel up to peeling apples and all that work, LOL. Prayers are truly appreciated, thank you. We are feeling better, but some health issue has come up during this time. Do be safe and stay away from anyone with this awful flu.
Merry Christmas!
Connie :)
Can't tell you the last time that TN has had snow that covers that much!!! I would LOVE it so much. Dakota hates rain but he has always liked the snow. He used to love to catch snowballs in his mouth. He is a funny little dude! So glad you like the card. I enjoy being able to paint them and send them out. However I have really cut my list down to sending to just a few special folks and family that don't send out cards, there will always be those folks that don't send out but basically I just try to send to those that send me one. Stamps and the prints of the card are not cheap. I got your card. That is so sweet. Thank you. I have really been enjoying my holiday season and my tree. I love the music and the lights. We have stations here that start playing nothing but Christmas on Thanksgiving Day so my car radio and the one in the house stays on that station. However I put some Christmas CDs in when I drove to my daughters last Sat. My friend T and I by accident started a tradition about 4 yrs ago where we pick a night and go driving to look at lights. We plan on doing that this week. We usually grab dinner or we just take a thermos of hot choc. Tomorrow is my daughters bday and since she works here in town I think I will take a cake to her work. Then on the 22nd we do Christmas at my brothers. I will also be going that evening to town to one of the oldest theaters to see Its a Wonderful Life on the big screen with my sis in law and niece. Its fun, I went with them for the first time last yr. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Connie :) I sent you a comment that yes! I'd love to have that canning recipe. :) I appreciate the offer! I remember in November, peeling 40 pounds of apples and I have to say I wasn't feeling happy about that, so I understand how you feel!! I will avoid people as much as I can! I hate being sick, and I'm happy to hear you both are doing a little better!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Pam :) Oh you got the card! Happy to hear that! :) Marlene catches snow in her mouth too! It's fun to watch the dogs play in the snow. It motivates me to go out some days lol! Your Christmas tradition of dinner and driving to see Christmas lights is a nice one! Alex and I walk around the village a lot at night during December to do the same thing. You have a lot planned for the next week or so! Have fun!!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the house and the skills to decorate like this.
ReplyDeleteLovely, festive & very welcoming! Thank you for sharing! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd, like you said, some boxed wines are very good. Surprising...but good.
~hobo
Thanks Guillaume :)
ReplyDeleteHi Hobo :) I was very surprised at how good some of those boxed wines are! I'm glad I found some that I like because they are so much cheaper than bottles!
ReplyDeleteMan, what a way to do a cozy dinner. I love how you hung up the dogggies' boots. You have wonderful Christmas decorations around your home.
ReplyDeleteWow! I imagine your home must be a lot more quiet without the extra company, but I know you miss everyone. Five years of togetherness sounds quite romantic to me. Merry Christmas Rain and Alex! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteThanks Stefanie :) If the fireplace wasn't so badly insulated, I'd have dinner by the fire every night. It's a lot of fun! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks RO :) I especially miss Pavlov, he was such a little mamma's boy lol...Merry Christmas to you too!! xx
ReplyDeleteWhat a happy, happy looking Christmas at your house Rain. It looks like you are certainly blessed all the way around. Have a wonderful upcoming new year! Hugs- Diana
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana :) It's very cozy here! Have a great new year yourself!!! xx
ReplyDelete