Tag Archives: Christmas

You’ve Got Mail!

Dear Mary Jane Farmer,

(LOVE how Anne Marie addressed her letter to me.)

“Please find the enclosed Paper Petal ornament that was made and designed from the pages of your magazine especially for you. I hand make each one designed specifically for someone from their old cards, books, magazines, etc. They have made great personal gifts over the years and I thought you might enjoy one of your own! I am including another one so you can see how much they vary, making each one special in it own way. I really enjoy your magazine and wish you all the best this holiday season.”

Anne Marie, NC

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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh …

The debate has been raging for decades of Decembers:

Real or artificial?

I’m talking trees, of course.

In one camp, you have the hearty, saw-slinging lumberjacks (and Jills) that relish the opportunity to strike out into the snowy woods …

(or tree farm)

to cut down a live fir for the holiday festivities …

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You’ve Got Mail (from the U.K.)

A surprise package arrived this past week, coming all the way from the U.K. What does the group of women who made this stocking (Much Ado Books), firstbook.org, the island of Rota, and Captain James Arruda Henry have in common?

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holiday downtime

Every Christmas, we take an extended break at MaryJanesFarm. Sure, it means we miss out on holiday sales but you know what, our employees need a break. We need a break. We’ve been closed for commerce the later part of this past week and we’ll be closed this coming week until the New Year. I grew up in an era and a state that enforced what was called “Sunday Closing Law.” Nothing, I mean nothing was open for commerce on Sundays, not a gas station, nothing. Same with Christmas Eve and what is now called Black Friday. Ever since I left home at age 18, I’ve used my holiday downtime to sort and organize memories, remember, live in the past. Yesterday, while I was in and out of my kitchen, I …

raiding the root cellar for Christmas dinner

Real preparation consists in digging something out of …

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A Star Is Born

In anticipation of my grandbaby’s first Christmas play, I admit to being a tad nervous. Will she do okay? Will she be crushed if she gets nervous and messes up her lines? For two weeks prior, she was practicing her moves, singing the songs over and over again, at dinner, in the car. With dead seriousness. This was …

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festive eating around the world

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad! The winter tradition of getting the family together, giving gifts, and celebrating religious ties is deeply rooted in almost every culture in the world. As we all come together this winter and celebrate, we have traditional foods unique to our family and heritage. Here are some of the celebratory foods I’d like to know more about. In the years to come, I’m going to …

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