A Delightful Day

Today was my last day off till Christmas and I spent it with my two favorite girls. We had planned a trip to the city with"Auntie" Claudia, but bad weather was threatening a bad hair day and a stomach thing laid up Claudia, soooo... we went shopping. Isn't that what girls do when things start going wrong? We visited Rhinebeck and all their little shops. Had lunch, giggled and just enjoyed the day off together. It's so nice for me to be able to support other small businesses, it always seems I'm on the other side of the counter. I was able to get a good amount of presents checked off my list.

MY DAUGHTER'S, AUBREY AND WHITNEY

Our holiday hours begin tomorrow, we will be open every evening till 8pm, opening at 10am. So let us help you with your list...yes we will be open on Christmas Eve but only till the late afternoon. I need to get ready for Santa's arrival and so do you!

THE PERFECT HOSTESS GIFT

As the holiday season gets closer and time is running short, don't forget hostess presents. These beautiful Nantucket baskets are full of paperwhite bulbs. They are packaged by a company that employs mentally challenged adults. The baskets have a plastic liner and the bulbs have already been planted in soil. All that needs to be done is watering. The baskets come in three different sizes and with both red and or white ribbon. The largest size is only forty dollars.




So whether it's a small gathering of friends, grandma or even your boss these blooming baskets are sure to be a lovely, thoughtful gift. Join us here at HiHo in supporting a business that gives back, while giving a present that will keep giving.

Yummies and Goodies

What would the holiday be without sweets? We have a number a different choices this year. When we visited the trade shows I tasted every form of confection I could get my sweet tooth around. It's a tough job but someone has to do it. Peppermint Bark is my personal favorite so after trying every companies version, I choose Simple Scrumptious's bark served up in wonderful packaging. We are selling their Peppermint Hot Chocolate as well. I have always been a hot chocolate drinker,( I don't drink tea or coffee) the season does not effect my consumption, it's my hot drink of choice. I was very fussy about picking a cocoa.

We added caramels to or product mix after the last gift show. They are always on our counter, a few local merchants have an addition to them...(you know who you are).

Candy canes, peppermint straws, ribbon candy, chocolate covered pretzels, small chocolate trees....well the shop is one big temptation. As always the packaging needs to have a vintage flare and compliment the color stories in the rooms.

We even have candy for the naughty person on your list....black cinnamon nuggets....candy coal.

Tree in a Can

AUNT SADIE'S TREE IN A CAN

After two large orders of Tree in the Can candles selling out, we have restocked are shelves once again. Now is the time for you to stock up! One scent with lots of labels to choose from. Two for you and one for a friend, a great hostess gift.

WHY DECORATE FOR THE HOLIDAY?

Why should we spend endless hours unpacking breakables and rearrange our living spaces to accommodate them? Some how putting up the lights, searching our minds to recall how we set all of it up last year and obsessing over the spacing between ornaments makes us feel good?? Hmmm... I don't know, it's an added bonus if you enjoy the preparations, but you know, you and your family love the end result. A transformed living space ready to entertain in, even if just for the immediate family. An American tradition...like watching fire works on the fourth of July or Trick or Treating with your siblings.
Every year our house is completely decorated for Christmas by the tenth of December (Whitney's Birthday) but not this year, Whit doesn't get home from school till Monday. She had asked to please wait for her arrival before the decorating begins. I am sorta spoiled, not everyone has a willing helper to do the lights on the tree. She has learned well the art of layering the tree....fluff, lights, fluff, filler, fluff, ornaments, birds, bows...view. With over twenty five years of collecting ornaments, the tree usually takes two days.
One might think with the shop so decorated for the holiday I might cut back on the home decor, however the shop feels public to me...you know none of the ornaments are attached to a memory yet.

OK... I wanted to give some tips on planning your decorating this year.

1. organize your decorations by color, they will compliment your homes decor better

2. groupings or small clusters, telling a story with items is always better than spreading the decorations everywhere

3. holiday music helps set the mood...you will get more done

4. those tacking plastic pieces from your husbands childhood tree will look better grouped on a wreath, the more the better, you can tell him they were so special you wanted to highlight them

5. there is nothing wrong with having a fake tree, just be sure to light a "Tree in the Can" candle, you don't want to miss out on the pine scent in your home for the season

6. tinsel is a must, if you don't want the mess you can always get reusable tin tinsel

7. when decorating the tree... pool a fluffy quilt under it until all the ornaments are safely hung

8. save those silly holiday drawings the kids did in grade school in the bottoms of your decoration boxes, they will get a kick out of them every year

9. mistletoe

10. don't try to get it done all in one day...remember you are suppose to be enjoying yourself

I'm sure I will think of five more things after I post this blog, but I know you understand when I say I love decorating my home. I love being surrounded by Christmas past while enjoying being in the moment of this years memories in the making.

Each year our small town of Gardiner has an evening of caroling followed by the town tree lighting and hot cocoa.This year the Gardiner Association of Businesses (GAB) added The Trees of Giving to the festivities. Members of GAB registered to compete in a tree decorating competition. Needless to say,this week I have been working behind the scenes putting together a tree for the event. Working within the size guidelines and the call for each tree to represent ones business, I got painting. The theme for my tree..."HiHo the center of the hamlet". I did quick thumbnails of the buildings in town and proceeded to simplify them in paint on ornaments. Time was a factor.

WORK IN PROGRESS ON TUESDAY

Bryan stopped by the shop the evening of the event with Humphrey's favorite girl, Audi. Dawn, my friend from the barber shop across the street joined Everett and I in lighting 100...that's right one hundred luminaries, that lined the way for the carolers. At seven o'clock crowds of people lined the street singing in the holiday season, it's so nice to be proud of the community you live in.

BRYAN WITH AUDI AND HUMPHREY

I'm sorry I don't have a shot of the street lit up, but I was in the moment. The Trees of Giving portion of the evening was after the tree lighting. People gathered inside the Town Hall to view 18 trees, they are wonderful. The trees are on display all this week and you may vote for your favorite by placing non perishable food products in boxes under each tree. Hence the name Trees of Giving! The Town Hall is open from 9 to 4.

EVERETT AND HUMPHREY

WITH THE HIHO TREE

Notes from the HiHo Office AGAIN

THIS POST WAS THE FIRST I EVER PUT ON THE BLOG.
PEOPLE OFTEN REQUEST IF THEY CAN TAKE A PICTURE OF HUMPHREY IN HIS T.V. AND WANT TO KNOW THE STORY BEHIND IT. I THOUGHT THE POST WAS WORTHY OF RE POSTING....
This winter like many people, I promised myself I would take on projects that I can’t get done other times of the year. Things slow down and I wanted to make sure tackling my office was a priority. I needed an office chair, the one I found turned out to be the inspiration for the whole room. Mid Century Modern, sorta. I knew I wanted to apply something to the wall that represented what we do here at HiHo. The home decor magazines fit perfect into the theme and the design was based on the circular pattern in the curtains.
The next exciting find for the office was this 1954 Hoffman TV, which Humphrey’s bed fit perfectly into. It looks great on top of the extra desk and he does nap in it daily. He feels very safe behind the glass.Of course my office has other important things in it, the refrigerator, time sheets but most importantly my computer where I stay in touch with you.
Remember you will always be more productive in a space that makes you happy.

Maybe you will even be able to take a nap.