It’s the 11th day of Blogmas and I’m bringing you along for Christmas in the forest. Or at least a walk through the frozen forest. Let’s start with that!
Hoarfrost – a photographers dream
I know everyone is dreaming of a white Christmas by now. However I have a feeling that there won’t be much snow this year, at least not early on in December. Now I’m a real winter person. I love snow and everything I can do once it’s here. But I’ve found that all I need for the right Christmas spirit is some hoarfrost. Snow is a bonus, but not needed.
Hoarfrost is a photographers dream. Where I grew up we didn’t see it very often, but around where we live now we have it every year. Some years more beautifully extreme than others, but even the lighter hoarfrost is very beautiful indeed. I always have to get out and capture a few images on the first day of frozen forests, this year was no different.
Christmas in the forest
As mentioned we mainly decorate by bringing elements of nature inside. And we think it’s beautiful. But seeing the same elements, the pines, the pinecones and the straws outside in it’s natural element will always be even more beautiful. Add some frost and you’ll get the kind of decorations that can only ever be enjoyed outside.
This has lead me to thinking that the ultimate Christmas celebration has to be in the forest. At least if it’s frozen. And so we head out as often as we can when conditions are right. It doesn’t have to be a long walk. We don’t even need to bring lunch, just walking through the beautiful frozen surroundings is enough. The cold doesn’t bother us anyway would probably be our family motto on these forest walks, we’re all loving these adventures.
We talk about what the squirrels are doing for Christmas this year. Baby Boy repeats his favorite sentence “The fox is coming, the fox is coming” constantly from his position in the baby carrier. Sometimes we take the bait and pretend to see traces of, smell or hear the fox. Even Zelda the dog gets on alert and seems sure the fox is right around the corner. With all the noise we are making we know better, but the entertainment is great.
The valuable family time
These small family adventures are never about reaching some goal. It’s always about spending time together, making sure that we are present with our kids. And enjoying nature. It’s so easy to get stuck in the “I have to prepare everything for Christmas”-hustle, and forget to go outside. This time of year, at least where we live, the days are short, dark and cold. It’s so easy to stay inside and bake or decorate or wrap gifts or watch Christmas movies all the time. But getting outside is always worth the effort.
And because it’s close to Christmas our conversations are different. The kind of conversations you can only have with a soon to be six-year-old who believes firmly that Santa is real are so easy to entertain while walking through the forest. “I think he parks his sleigh here behind this old house. That way no-one can see it. And Santa can walk down to town and check if everyone is naughty or nice on last time before Christmas. That’s the way he does it. While the reindeer relax here in the forest, his sleigh is hidden behind here, and he’s checking on us. Right, mum?”. You can’t do anything but agree, right?
I hope you enjoyed walking in the forest with us! Tomorrow we stay inside and give you all things gingerbread. Oh, and maybe you’d like to check out my Instagram? It would make me really happy. I hope you have a fabulous evening! See you tomorrow!
