Winter in central Florida is very mild with blue skies and usually lower humidity. It’s the best time of the year and I want to go somewhere and window shop. I drove down U.S. 19 to Holiday to Skip’s Florist.
For me one of the highlights of the Tampa Bay Area is the Florida Botanical Gardens. The Gardens is a Pinellas County learning experience as well as a beautiful exotic horticultural garden. It officially opened to the public on Dec. 2, 2000, showcasing 25 gardens and display areas with 10,000 plants on 150 acres. Admission is free but a donation of $2.00 is suggested to help fund the maintenance of the gardens. It is open Monday through Friday 7 am to 5 pm and is closed on weekends and on county holidays. I did a post on the beautiful garden, The Florida Botanical Gardens, A Tampa Bay Favorite. Today it’s all about Christmas. There are special hours of operation for the Christmas Light display and the suggested donation for the Christmas Lights is $5.00. If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area of Florida during the Christmas season, you must come see the lights at the garden.
Read More
Today I’ll share a little story about a neighbor of mine. Ron lives in a house catty-corner to me. When I moved here over 11 years ago, Ron and his wife were already in residence. I didn’t really get to know them then, but we waved at each other. We were friendly acquaintances but not really friends. My good friend Vickie next door knew them as well as most people on the block. She’s very outgoing while I’m quieter.
Several years ago I got a really cute thrift store snowman in blue, white, and silver. Last year I never got to use him as I used the blue, white, and silver Santa for my table. I was determined to make a table with him this year.
I’ve shared photos of Terri’s Christmas home before. She has been a Hallmark store manager for over 20 years and has a great holiday collection of decorations. Below is a photo from last year.
Several months ago I visited a new thrift store. They have lots of household goods. I wandered around looking and found a set of 4 cute snowman salad or dessert plates for a couple of dollars. I just love snowmen. This is my fourth snowman table.
This last weekend I was working on my home rearranging art and adding Christmas decorations. My favorite way to decorate for Christmas is with vignettes added to a room. Let’s start with the dining room. Last week I decorated the dining table with a poinsettia topper and my decorated Advent candleholder. Today I’m sharing the updated picture ledge behind the table.
Several poinsettias were placed on my front porch as I get ready for Christmas.