Christmas on our Wee farm
CHRISTMAS IS A VERY SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR…
CLANCY AND I ARE BOTH MAXIMALISTS SO WHEN IT COMES TO CHRISTMAS, WE DON’T HOLD BACK.
SO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE TRADITIONS WE ENJOY THIS TIME OF YEAR AND WHAT CHRISTMAS LOOKS LIKE HERE ON OUR FARM OVER CHRISTMAS.
Let us tell you all about it…
In the lead up to Christmas we like to make it a very festive and fun time, and the way we do that and replicate that feeling each year is our Christmas traditions. Such as decorating not only the farmhouse but the shed too, cooking festive treats, doing Christmas crafts, watching our favourite Christmas films and a few things that may not be the norm.
For us here in the southern hemisphere it’s summer, so we like to enjoy cooling down with a swim in the creek. It can also be a time of year that we get big rain which means there is a fun time to be had on blow up donuts racing down the white water rapids from one end of the farm to the other.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS
Here are just a few of our favourite Christmas traditions that we do each year that make us feel happy and bright!
Christmas traditions:
DECORATING- We love to decorate and we make a whole thing of it each year, first up with the farmhouse then the shed.
We usually get started a week or two before December 1st so that we can enjoy it for a wee bit longer. Clancy hangs all the garlands and says every year “ I really should take pictures so I know which go where,”- 6 years in a row! We listen to Bing sing “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas” and we always, always have a roast dinner with all the trimmings too. Sometimes it’s roast pork with crackling, sometimes it’s my Turkey with mango, macadamia and sage stuffing, there is always crispy, crunchy potatoes, honey carrots and lots of gravy. We wind up the night with dinner and a Christmas movie and that’s the ribbon cut on the festive season.
FESTIVE COOKING- It’s not Christmas without a whole lot of wholesome and delicious food. For us the superstar is my Turkey, boned and stuffed with mango, macadamia and sage stuffing and covered with prosciutto it is to die for. I make one for Christmas day to share with family and then a mini one just for the two of us to enjoy between Christmas and New Year. The other supporting acts are still stand outs such as- honey, mustard glazed and baked ham, potato salad, pavlova, I could go on and on. The other thing is the leftover dinners post Christmas are a treat all by themselves and there is always a turkey, brie and cranberry toasted sandwich calling our name.
CHRISTMAS FILMS- We love the classics and re watch the same ones all over again each year, we’ve included our Top Ten Christmas Films below.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS- Every year for the past 9 years we have gone driving to see the Christmas lights in Barry’s (Clancy’s dad) MGB convertible, it’s red so it feels very festive! We put on Christmas music and drive around feeling all jolly.
CHRISTMAS CRAFTS- This is an expanding tradition each year and we try to make more and more time for it because it just feels so special and personalised. Our favourites are fresh foraged wreaths & garlands, making tree ornaments, making paper stars to hang above our Christmas table and making Christmas crackers.
MUSIC- We love listening to all the greats sing our favourite Christmas tunes, this is our Christmas playlist, you can listen here.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
"May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white
CHRISTMAS IN OUR FARM SHED 2022
We celebrated Christmas in the shed last year and it was such a fun day. Clancy and I went all out with decorations, for us the set up is half the fun.
We chose a woodland theme for the tablescape which included mossy branches, foraged foliage and flowering dill from the garden. We made huge brown paper snowflakes, we hung them over the table and they spun in the wind throughout the day.
We DIYed paper crackers and hid inside paper crowns and ferrero rocher chocolates because, well, what’s Christmas without one or two treats!
Our favourite scene of all though was the Christmas tree which we adorned with linen bows, popped on a paper star topper and stuffed into an old gal bin, surrounded by garlands and all the old green and red treasures we could find from our collections including an old bright red Victor mower!
We played games on the old chalk board, listened to Christmas tunes, ate delicious food and then cooled off in the creek in the late afternoon.
It was a glorious day filled with moments that are now lovely memories and will forever be a happy place in our minds.
LET’S TALK TOP TEN CHRISTMAS Films
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: 1946
HOLIDAY INN: 1942
WHITE CHRISTMAS: 1954
HOME ALONE: 1990
ELF- 2003
MIRICLE OF 34TH STREET- 1994
FRED CLAUS: 2007
A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS- 2021
SANTA CLAUS-1994
KLAUS: 2019
Have you seen them all?
GIFTING
We are both lovers of all things old so our gifts to eachother are always second hand. This isn’t as easy for friends and family so we opt for a mix of second hand, homemade, handmade or small business minded gifts where we can.
So here is a wee gift guide for you below.
Second hand: try your local charity store or marketplace if you have the time to rummage, otherwise check out the local Antique Centre for a more curated approach.
Homemade: this is a good one and lends itself best to consumable gifts think cookies, bath salts or try making some dried orange slices put them in a jar with a bow and you’re done. Dried Orange Slices how to guide here.
Small business minded-
Crawford & Co Handmade: Cold Pressed Soap Bars, beeswax candles Gold Coast based.
Meadowsweet Farmhouse: Think all things cottagecore for your home & wardrobe.
Palmer & Gunn Wee Tiny: Accomodation gift voucher for the person who has it all.
Amy de Boer Photography: Book a photoshoot for memories that will last a lifetime.
Veggie & Flower Garden Seeds: Give the gift of beauty with our favourite cut flower seeds.
Betty Mae Wrote: Bespoke letter writing kits & stationary supplies.
Family Gift Giving
A family gift giving tradition we have is we each buy for the little ones and each adult receives one gift.
We divide up the names and set out with a thirty dollar limit to buy for our one person.
This minimises so much unnecessary stress and expense, not to mention consumption. Let’s face it as adults we mostly go out and get what we want, when we want, so giving and receiving a heap of gifts (likely unwanted) is so outdated.
Perhaps you might try this with your family next year!
An Heirloom Recipe from our family to yours
MANGO, MACADAMIA & SAGE STUFFING
This is a goodie and one that we know you are going to love too!
This year we are thrilled to share with you my Grandfathers Stuffing Recipe - Mango, Macadamia & Sage
It really is the bees knees
HEIRLOOM STUFFING RECIPE
PLUS
THE BEST ROAST POTATO RECIPE
Christmas can be an incredibly fast paced time of year.
We hope this helps you think about the things that make Christmas special for you and your family and gives you the confidence to parE back the things that don’t.
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS & a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We hope you have enjoyed a look into our Christmas Traditions here on our farm. The biggest one being to practice gratitude all throughout the season, remembering it’s all about the special moments with loved ones, creating memories for years to come.
We are beyond grateful for all of the support and love we receive from each one of you all throughout the year, we and our small business thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
May your Christmas be truly special!
See you in the New Year!
Kindest,
Clancy & Fiona
Palmer & Gunn
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