We’re a family that thrives on traditions—particularly Christmas traditions. Many of the patterns and habits we’ve grown used to have had to be re-adjusted to homestead life.
We used to pull out the pile of Christmas boxes the morning after Thanksgiving. In other homes, we could leave them out and available throughout the season, usually set in a guest bedroom, out of the way. In our snug little cabin, where space is at a premium, we’ve had to bring the boxes out more slowly, holding most of them back until they’re needed.
This led us to pack one small box and set it on the top of the pile, to be reached easily the day Christmas begins for us: the box of Christmas mugs.
Christmas mugs warming on the hob, along with the tea kettle and hot milk steamer (Photo: Mark Zeiger).