Christmas Shopping Traditions

Today Mom and I went on our annual Christmas shopping trip to Laro's in Quechee to buy up Lake Champlain chocolates and Vermont maple syrup. We go every year for the wonderful array of specialty foods made in here in the Green Mountain State.

We started our Saturday like we often do, at the 108 for breakfast. We stopped at the thrift shop out back before leaving. I found this great silver bowl and said to my mother, I love it but what will I do with it?? She said I would think of something........so I bought it. I also bought the white church. It's not quite as old as is often appealing to me, but it had a certain charm. And for $1.50, I can decide later that it really doesn't fit into the scheme of things.

We also went to Dandelion Acres to their Christmas store. When you live in a big place, you may take for granted the wide variety of choices you have to buy something special for decorating. Here in Central Vermont, there isn't much. Even if there were more choices, I'd stop here every year. I lamented to Mom when we arrived at the store/garden center that I wished I had my camera. The Christmas trees and decorated wreaths looked so pretty! I snapped up the red bottle brush trees. They will go beautifully with the rest of my collection of trees and houses. I also bought some boxwood branches and paperwhite bulbs. Greenery is a must!

I finished the Advent devotional for church. What a relief. Tomorrow is the first day of Advent. Time to find an angel and a few farm animals to set the stage for what is to come. The first decorating project will have to be the Nativity scene, lest I forget the real reason for this wonderful season!