And the Scandinavian/Nordic Christmas series has officially arrived to the blog! Enjoy these pretty, pretty stars. Which one is your favorite? I love the hanging-cookie Advent calendar.
Paper Star DIY via Design and Form
Star Cookies via liebesbotschaft
Folded Paper Star DIY via mariefriis
Star Cookie Advent Calendar via liebesbotschaft
Wooden Star DIY via Cecilies Lykke
Star via Ann-Magritt Moen
This post is sponsored by Shutterfly’s Christmas Card Campaign.
It’s that time of year! Thanksgiving is just barely past (I’m still filling up on leftovers) but lots of us are already fully immersed in Christmas preparation. I just spent some time next to our pretty white tree choosing photos for our cards this year. It’s always so fun to look back on the year, don’t you think? These laughter-filled outtakes from our shoot with Deb Schwedhelm back in April didn’t make it onto our cards, but they are just too fun not to share.
Will you be sending out cards this Christmas? Each year it seems like fewer and fewer families are carrying on this tradition — which makes me sad. I like when my mailbox is filled with red and green and holly and glittery snowscapes!
To encourage you to mail some Christmas cheer this year, Shutterfly is generously offering one Oaxacaborn reader an extra $50 off a Shutterfly order of $50 or more! (Excluding tax and shipping, and cannot be combined with any other promos. Expires 12/14/2012 – no extensions.)
Such a fun giveaway!
To enter, just comment on this post telling me what you love most about Christmas cards. You have until December 3 at midnight to enter.
UPDATE: The winner, randomly selected using random.org. is JULIE! Congratulations!
Shutterfly’s Blog | Special Offers | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
You know when you find a new blog and you just can’t stop scrolling through pages and pages of archives? La Petite Cuisine, written and photographed by Susanne Schanz, is one of those blogs. It’s just full of gorgeous images! And if you can read German (alas, I can not), she posts the most delicious-looking recipes. Definitely one to add to your blog readers/bookmarks this Christmas season!
Images © Susanne Schanz, via this post on La Petite Cuisine
Images © Susanne Schanz, via this post on La Petite Cuisine
Christmas Deer Stocking via Le Souk
Fox by Maileg via Designerleg.dk
Portrait via Petit Monde
Illustration by Aina Stenberg (1885-1975)
Just a quick reminder…don’t forget to send me your submissions for the very special Scandinavian/Nordic Christmas series coming up soon! It seems early, but this season gets busy very quickly. I know my calendar is already filling up quickly; yours too?
So, if you have a lovely round-up of wintry images to share (all properly sourced and credited, of course), photographs of your own home, Scandinavian recipes or traditions, a tutorial showing how to make an ornament or pretty giftwrap, decoration ideas — or something else I haven’t thought of — email me (oaxacaborn at gmail dot com).
Content which you’ve already published on your own blog is perfectly fine. And remember, the posts don’t have to be lengthy – a single inspiring image is excellent, as well.
Can’t wait to hear from you. :)
I’m planning a Scandinavian Christmas series!
In case you think it’s crazy to talk about Christmas already, well, December 25th is actually THIS. CLOSE. Can you believe it?
The Scandinavian Christmas post I did last year on the topic is my number one most-viewed and most-pinned post of all time — year-round, not just during the holidays — so I’m excited about an entire dedicated series.
So, do you have photos of your home to share?
Or perhaps you’d like to contribute a blog post on Scandinavian Christmas traditions?
Or maybe you’re a fellow admirer of Scandinavian Christmases, and want to share a brilliant round-up of wintery Nordic images (properly sourced and credited, of course)?
Or maybe you live in one of these countries and want to share your experiences?
Email me oaxacaborn at gmail dot com to be included in this great series!
We’ve come back, on a jet plane, from our magical snowy Christmas in the north! And I do mean “north”. We spent the first part of Christmas vacation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, which is literally as far north as you can go without being in Canada. Purdy neat dere, eh?
My dad’s brother has an amazing cabin there, situated right on a river, which is where we stayed. My youngest brother and cousins got the tree out of the surrounding forest just before we arrived. The river had even frozen evenly enough to make a perfect skating rink. And did I mention it snowed every single day?
Oh, I wish I were sitting by the stone fireplace right now, drinking bottomless cups of coffee. I already miss my family terribly, and we’ve only been back in Florida for a couple days.
I first read this poem years ago. Lucy Shaw’s powerful words have stayed with me, a reminder to look up from the cradle and worship the risen King, who we are celebrating today.
Merry Christmas, friends! He was born so we could live.
“One time of the year
the new-born child
is everywhere,
planted in madonnas’ arms
hay mows, stables
in palaces or farms,
or quaintly, under snowed gables,
gothic angular or baroque plump,
naked or elaborately swathed,
encircled by Della Robia wreaths,
garnished with whimsical
partridges and pears,
drummers and drums,
lit by oversize stars,
partnered with lambs,
peace doves, sugar plums,
bells, plastic camels in sets of three
as if these were what we need
for eternity.
But Jesus the Man is not to be seen.
We are too wary, these days,
of beards and sandalled feet.
Yet if we celebrate, let it be
that he
has invaded our lives with purpose,
striding over our picturesque traditions,
our shallow sentiment,
overturning our cash registers,
wielding his peace like a sword,
rescuing us into reality
demanding much more
than the milk and the softness
and the mothers warmth
of the baby in the storefront creche,
(only the Man would ask
all, of each of us)
reaching out
always, urgently, with strong
effective love
(only the Man would give
his life and live
again for love of us).
Oh come, let us adore him-
Christ–the Lord.”
–Lucy Shaw
Image via 
The Oaxacaborn Blog 