Snow, Paper Whites, and Wooden Shoes

The weather man keeps telling us not to expect a white Christmas...maybe a WET Christmas, but not white. However, last night we received a light blanket of pretty white snow...possibly a pre-cursor to an unexpected white Christmas...possibly just a teaser...but it made a nice backdrop for a couple of shots of Nick and Gabby on their way from the house to the car.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, the kids and I planted some paperwhite bulbs and an amaryllis bulb. We watched them grow and tracked their progress with a ruler and a little chart. Every morning the kids ran to check them and were so excited to discover changes. It was amazing how quickly they grew and bloomed...in fact, they bloomed earlier than expected...too early for Christmas. So, we planted more. Our latest batch of paperwhites are just now starting to bloom, so we'll have lovely, fragrant blossoms for Christmas.

We decided to start a new family tradition this year and leave out wooden shoes for St. Nicholas to fill on Christmas Eve. We'd be honoring our Dutch heritage...and putting to good use a couple of wooden shoes from my collection. I just finished painting and trimming the shoes today! Nicholas and Gabby are excited to leave them out on Christmas Eve! (I'm excited too!)