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Getting into the holiday spirit

It’s beginning to feel very wintery here…as much as the West Coast gets “winter”, but as you can see from this “artfully arranged” reflections shot πŸ˜€ the atmosphere here is cooler, whiter, and darker than ever.

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Recently mom bought some beautiful little Christmas lights at Anthropologie and I helped her string them up in her living room. They’re the same ones I have, (which stay on all the year long), except mom’s are a longer chain. Aren’t they lovely and twinkly?

moms

Yesterday we had a walk in mom’s neck of Vancouver, Kerrisdale, grabbed mom a coffee and had a good mooch around some of the stores. This place has changed so much recently. The sky-high rent prices have forced almost all the quaint little boutiques to relocate or close, and ubiquitous chains have moved in. Shame really, but that’s life. Still, a couple of little boutique stores remain. In front of mom’s favourite coffee shop, Cafe Artigiano, was this tiny little dog waiting for his master. He was so friendly and so super cute. Across the street is one of the last remaining boutiques, a flower shop, with a completely different animal in the window. Isn’t that fabulous? Chloe said, “Narnia”. Talk about holiday spirit!

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The other side of the shop had this wonderful window full of branches. So many surprises dotted around this window that we couldn’t stop looking into it. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to replicate something at home for Christmas? I think so.

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Next we drove down to my favourite garden centre Southlands. I love this fragrant, warm greenhouse and could very easily just move in! πŸ˜€

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I suppose if I lived in a greenhouse there wouldn’t be much room, or need, for a Christmas tree πŸ™ I suppose some vintage Santas and a painting or poster or two might be enough?

santa charm

Or maybe just plant some festive flowers, like Christmas cactus, poinsettias or these fabulous red bromeliads or maybe some gingers, or bird of paradise.

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Actually, probably not…lol…I’d still fill it with my millions of glass ornaments (marginal exaggeration) and over-the-top gingerbread houses.

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And just look at the fabulous trees waiting for December! Wow!

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Since this year Christmas is in Canada, I’d love a 11 foot tall tree in the living room. I bet it will end up completely covered by my ornaments.

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But not like this…lol. This is a little over-the-top for me. πŸ˜€

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I usually get my tree on December 15th and then it stays up till twelfth night. But now I’m so into the Christmas spirit, that I can’t wait to get the tree. I might not last till the 15th. πŸ˜€

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Comments: 9

  • November 27, 2014
    reply

    It is a shame that Kerrisdale is losing it’s quaint shops to the chains. I grew up in Vancouver and went to Kerrisdale Elementary and Point Grey High Schools. As a teen on Fridays after school I would walk home along 41st Avenue to window shop along the way.
    Oh and Southland’s Nursery at Christmas is gorgeous! Thanks for reminding me just how beautiful Vancouver is in December when it’s decorated for Christmas. xo Carole

  • November 27, 2014
    reply

    My Christmas spirit is sluggish this year but is beginning to stir now that December is almost here.

  • November 28, 2014
    reply

    Oh too bad about the smaller shops leaving the area….I love local boutiques and gift shops. Kits, Kerrisdale and South Granville are wonderful places to walk and shop.
    You might want to pop over to Victoria and shop Oak Bay and downtown on LO-JO….lower Johnson, lots of small shops with lovely things to buy.

  • daryledelstein

    November 28, 2014
    reply

    we usually celebrate christmas with our gentile friends who have a tree and a christmas day dinner party .. when they’re son was little (he’s now a father himself) we’d trim the tree together .. i miss that .. hanukkah is lovely but there’s something magical about christmas .. thanks for sharing those photos they made my morning much brighter xo

  • December 7, 2014
    reply

    why yes, i found a good x-mas dose here, chez toi. delightful! i’m all ready… n?

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