Nope — we didn’t find out we’re having twins. There’s definitely just one little guy or girl in there (we actually learned the bean’s sex the day before Christmas Eve and will be sharing it soon). What we did find, however, were two unexpected and absolutely delightful holiday surprises waiting in our PO Box when we checked it one last time before heading to John’s family’s house on the 24th.
The first package came from a reader who included a note saying she enjoys the blog and knew about my love of ceramic animals. I could hardly contain myself as I opened it to see which little white creature would be joining my faux menagerie. I literally squealed when I discovered a small ceramic peacock sitting inside a beautifully simple snow globe. I’d been eyeing that exact piece from West Elm for months, so imagine my surprise when it arrived from sweet Katie in Texas. It was a fantastic and unexpected gift. Here’s my regal little peacock in all her white ceramic glory:
And here she is living it up on our living room side table after a little snowstorm:
We were thrilled to have something decorative to feature, since most of the holiday presents we received from family were baby items and there weren’t many home-decor gifts to share. But like I said, there were two surprises. The second arrived in a large flat envelope, accompanied by a kind card from another reader, Steph — also from Texas — wishing us a happy holiday. Inside was a delightful, custom piece of art:
Yes — it’s a custom portrait of our furbaby, Burger. We’re totally in love with it. The sender knew how much we appreciate having portraits of our four-legged family member and thought this piece would fit right in with our existing collection.
It’s such a sweet little ode to our favorite pooch — so pretty, so realistic, and so generous. We kept staring at it in awe. And that’s how this little holiday house post came to be: the kindness of readers made our day. We really do consider our readers to be friends, and gestures like these are a great reminder of that. Thanks, Katie and Steph — two gushing thank-you notes are already on their way.
How about you — did you receive any home-related gifts for the holidays? Any big surprises like a new car, twins, or a leopard-print snuggie? Tell us about it.