I just love the simple yet fun design of this wrapping paper! This is a digital download, so you’ll receive the file instantly and can print it right away. I really like how the design looks on plain white paper, but you could print it on any colored paper, such as a minty green or holiday red. This Etsy shop also sells adorable matching gift tags so you can complete the look of your wrapped presents.
When I heard about what the good folks at Mobile Loaves & Fishes were doing, I knew I just had to share. This non-profit serves meals to the homeless and the working poor every single day of the year. Not only do they provide quality, fresh food, they also provide other items we may typically take for granted: clothing, toiletries, relationships, and opportunities.
Since the organization’s inception in 1998, they have served over 4 million meals! As you can imagine, it takes a lot of dedicated people to make that happen. In fact, more than 18,000 volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to help over the years. How do they do it, you ask? They prep the yummy fares, load up the food truck, and then make several stops around the Austin, Texas area.
Serving food and basic necessities is not all that Mobile Loaves & Fishes does for the metro Austin community. They are actively striving to build community and supply people with means to reestablish themselves through their Genesis Gardens, Community First!, and Community Works programs. This short video sums up their mission and the impact that Mobile Loaves and Fishes has on impoverished people’s lives.
To learn more about volunteering for this admirable organization, click here. If the work of Mobile Loaves & Fishes speaks to you, consider supporting them by making a tax-deductible donation online.
This peppermint bark body butter is a heavenly blend of coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter with one of my favorite holiday scents—peppermint! The oil and butters have moisturizing and antioxidant properties, which are excellent for your skin, especially during the dry winter months. The yummy minty fragrance is not an artificial additive; it is peppermint essential oil—how great is that?!
Home of geothermal spas, beautiful & unique landscapes, skyr, Jökulsárlón, and much more, Iceland is a magical place and one of my absolute favourite countries. And just recently I learned about one of their Christmas traditions that made me fall in love with this Nordic nation even more.
In Iceland the majority of books [up to 80 percent!] are released and purchased during the months leading up to the holidays, a tradition that is called Jólabókaflóð—the “Christmas Book Flood.”
At the beginning of the flood, Bókatíðindi arrives in every Icelander’s mailbox; this catalogue lists all of the new publications for the year. Folks peruse the catalogue, deciding what they are going to buy as gifts and what they themselves would enjoy receiving, as books are wildly popular Christmas presents in Iceland. Not only that, but after exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve, quite often people will then spend the rest of the evening reading their new books and eating chocolate.
You know the emoji with hearts for eyes? That’s me when I think about books [okay, I’ll admit… AND chocolate], so this is definitely a Christmas tradition I would enjoy!
For more information about Jólabókaflóð, check out this article from The Reykjavík Grapevine.
Each of these darling fish ornaments would look lovely on any Christmas tree. They are donning some sparkly sequins and a bell, so whenever a branch sways with movement, you’ll hear the bell jingling and see the sequins twinkling in the light. What’s more, these cuties are made from organic cotton and available in different colors. Merry Fishmas!
