It’s officially the most magical time of the year and holiday festivities have begun! Over the past few weeks we’ve attended a few local holiday events which were so fun and really got us into the Christmas spirit. Our first event was a holiday block party at one of our favorite Boise hangouts – Bown Crossing. It’s a cute little street filled with shops, restaurants, and our local library. The kids got to make ornaments, we listened to carolers, ate a great dinner at Boise Fry Company, and did a bit of shopping (while enjoying lots of hors d’oeuvres!)
My Sweater (J Crew, old – current style) | My Jeans | My Shoes (J Crew, old – similar) | Bag | Similar Earrings | Cole’s Sweater | Cole’s Shirt | Cole’s Jeans | Cole’s Shoes (Similar) | Evan’s Sweater | Evan’s Shirt | Evan’s Pants | Evan’s Shoes
This past week we went to another great local event at Scentsy Commons (the company is headquartered here). They have a beautiful Christmas light display every year, and on a few select nights they also have a live nativity, carolers, refreshments, and visits with Santa. It was a really lovely evening and so nice to pause and reflect a bit on the true reason for the season.
My Sweater | My Jeans | My Socks | Similar Sperry Boots | My Bag | Cole’s Sweater | Cole’s Jeans | Cole’s Boots | Evan’s Sweater | Evan’s Jeans | Evan’s Boots
My Coat | Similar Gloves
Besides just talking with the kids about the reason for the season, it is so important to me that our family actually takes part in some type of service and giving back. Cole’s school partnered with another local school for a wonderful service project this holiday season that Cole got to take part in. Each class had a category of needed items, and Cole’s class was tasked with shopping for and donating school supplies for children at a local school that has 70% of the students living at or below the poverty level. The PTA president spent some time really talking to the kids about the harsh realities these children face (for example how these children are so poor that they all share a family toothbrush), and how much giving these things truly means to these children. Together our schools were able to fill 526 boxes of gifts and every child from pre-k through seniors in high school were able to receive a gift.
Our family also spent this past Saturday afternoon driving around Boise and delivering some donations and Christmas cheer! Here are the causes we have decided to focus on this year, and if you are looking to make a donation this season these are all wonderful organizations!
Idaho Foodbank – They are in need of canned goods, pantry staples, and shelf stable milk. You can drop off donations at your local fire station from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm daily.
Boise Bicycle Project – They have received a record number of requests for children’s bikes this holiday season and they need gently used children’s bikes so they don’t have to turn anyone away! You can also make a financial contribution.
St Vincent De Paul – Each season they organize a no-cost Toy Store, where parents who cannot afford a gift for their child can go select a toy and stocking stuffers. Toys can be dropped off at their Toy Store located at 2160 S Broadway Ave Boise Monday – Saturday from 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Save The Children – This organization supports and provides humanitarian aid to migrant children and families at the US-Mexico border
Saturday evening we headed out to The Village at Meridian for dinner and some more holiday festivities. The Village really is so magical at Christmas with their beautiful decorations, ice skating rink, fire pits, water fountain show, and this year they added a really neat light show. We also tried a restaurant we’ve been wanting to try for a few months – The Donut + Dog. (Yep it is hot dogs & donuts!) It is a really fun casual place to take the kids!
My Coat | My Sweater (J Crew, old – similar) | My Jeans | My Boots | My Hat | My Bag | Cole’s Coat | Cole’s Vest | Cole’s Jeans | Cole’s Shoes | Evan’s Coat | Evan’s Jeans | Evan’s Shoes
We’ve also started getting our Christmas gifts wrapped and ready to go for friends and teachers! Preparing and wrapping teacher gifts is something the kids and I spend an afternoon doing together. This year I put together a little holiday themed gift basket for Cole’s teacher, and for each of Evan’s five preschool teachers we gifted them a cute festive set of earrings.
Earrings
Honey Sampler | Candle | Kitchen Towel Set | Gift Basket
We also got our annual Christmas photos with Santa back! I so look forward to these sweet photos every year. If you are in the Boise area and interested in these photos next year (or are looking for a family photographer) I totally recommend Jenny Leigh Photography! She takes great photos and is wonderful to work with.
Boys Pajamas (Gap, sold out – similar)
Pomegranate Plant (Target, 
Pink Glasses (Not available online – 
Sweater (Banana Republic, old – 
Sweater (Topshop, 
My Coat (Banana Republic, old – 
