Hello everyone. Just wanted to remind you that Christkindlmarkt starts in Salt Lake today! 

It's a traditional German Christmas market in Salt Lake City and the best part is it's free!

DATES

December 1, 2 and 3, 2016

HOURS

Thursday, December 1st: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Friday, December 2nd: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Saturday, December 3rd: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

LOCATION

This Is The Place Heritage Park

(2601 E. Sunnyside Avenue SLC, UT 84108)

ADMISSION

Free

The magic of Christmas abounds at the market. Activities for children include the Nicholas tent, daily children's parades, live nativity animals, the Gnome Fest and more. Our favorite part is of course the vendors. Enjoy 50 unique vendors who sell everything from hand crafted items, toys, ornaments, jewelry and more. You will find traditional German gifts such as smokers, along with tantalizing food. The daily parades celebrate the kind deeds of children. Whimsical and fun, the parades are the highlight of the market each day.

To find out more check out http://www.christkindlmarkt-slc.com/

Come visit the Lavender Apple booth and get all of your loved ones crossed off your Christmas list this year. We look forward to seeing you!

Merry Christmas From Our Farm to Yours!

John 3:16 

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Mike and Peggy know how to do Christmas. 

When I married into the Nelson family, my first Christmas up at the farm was magical. I loved all of their fun traditions, many of them involving the most delicious food and deserts. Many of my friends are just now starting their families and forming traditions of their owns. I thought it would be a fun idea to share some of the Nelson's family meal traditions for those that are looking to start up some new ones of their own. 

FUN MEAL IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: 

Fondue. Gather round a pot of boiling cheese. It's special, interactive, fun, and tasty. 

Crab Dinner. Wrap your table in newspaper and throw out some crab claw crackers. Pair this with Peggy's famous leek and potato soup, and you have a meal for the record books. 

Christmas Poppers. These traditionally european crackers are filled with toys, jokes, and special paper crowns to be worn during the meal. So much fun. 

Buch De Noel. A gorgeous chocolate Christmas cake that looks like a log sitting in the forest. Its just as fun to make as it is to eat!

Raclette. A tabletop grill for individual meats and cheeses. It feels special and festive, and is a lot of fun. 

What are your special meals during the holidays? We've love to hear!

HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS THAT STICK

1. Have an Advent Calendar

• Little kids get excited for Christmas. Having a visual for them of how many days there are left until Christmas helps add to the excitment and anticipation. We love doing a Christmas Book Advent Calendar where we unwrap a new Christmas book to read each day in December until Christmas arrives. There are tons of beautiful ideas for creative advents on Pinterest. We are also doing a very easy one where we add a cottonball to santa's beard each day, and when his beard is full - it's Christmas! 

2. Ornaments

•       When we got married, my husband and I started a tradition that we would have an ornament making competition each year. These handmade ornaments are beautiful and meaningful, and besides being a treasure, they are very fun to make! This year we are also doing the 25 Days of Christ Centered Crafts. Its such a fun thing for the kids to look forward to each day, and they also get to learn about Christ while getting hands on. Our final tradition with ornaments is buying each kid one special ornament that symbolizes something about them that year. We label them and when they move away at 18, they will have a box of personalized ornaments just for them that they can take with them!

3. Live Nativity
Wherever you are, search out a live nativity. They are a great way to remember the true reason for the season. Outdoor ones are particularly moving because they usually have live animals and you can bundle up and snuggle with your loved ones while sipping hot cocoa and learning about the Lord. 

4. See The Lights

• There are so many ways to go see Christmas lights. Grab some hot cocoa and get out there! Your city probably has a fun tree lighting event (guaranteed that Santa will be there too!), google where the good Christmas light neighborhoods are and sing Christmas carols as you go. There are even all these new drive up light shows popping up all over the country so you can just park, turn on your radio, and watch lights dance to the music. So fun.

5. Give Service

• There are so many ways to give service at this time of year. Nothing really can teach your kids more about Jesus than giving. Easy ways to serve with kids include going caroling or handing out Christmas cards nursing homes, going to sort food at a food banks, or if you have the funds available you can adopt an angel family from the Salvation Army. Serving is such a good lesson and actually so much fun!

6. Christmas Events

•       There are so many fun events this time of year! They can feel very magical and become yearly traditions. We love German Christnkindlmarkts, The Festival of Trees, Lantern Events, Christmas Trains, Zoo Lights, Mall Santa Wonderlands, and don't forget Christmas Library Story Times!

7. Home centered traditions

•       Make your home a magical place! Place a tree in your kids rooms, have christmas movie nights, open a gift on christmas eve, hang mistletoe, special menus, bake sugar cookies, have a back to bethlehem dinner on the floor, bake a birthday cake for jesus, hang cards from friends, have a gift wrapping party. The options are endless here! 

8. Throw a party

•  Nothing says Christmas like a big old festive party. Attend your church's Christmas Party. Go to extended family parties. We always host a raclette party with our friends every year. Make them fun by having a white elephant gift exchange, an ugly sweater theme, or anything fun and festive. Getting together with loved ones always feels magical this time of year.