Merry Christmas Cincinnati

It's been a busy few weeks for us and our posting should pick back up again once we recover from all the food, family and festivities. Wishing everyone a  Merry Christmas and if you're traveling be safe.

Christmas Trees at Findlay Market to Benefit STOP AIDS

Wanted to pass this info along, as this is a great place to pick up a fresh Christmas Tree and 100% of the proceeds go to STOP AIDS Cincinnati. This is where we got our tree from last year and it worked out great for us. While you're there, swing by Dojo and get some hot cocoa!

Here is the press release they sent to us this year:

WHAT: This holiday season, purchase your Christmas tree at Findlay Market to support a very worthy cause. One hundred percent of the proceeds from tree sales will benefit STOP AIDS Cincinnati – formerly AVOC, a nonprofit agency dedicated to educating the community about the continuing risk of HIV infection and providing competent, compassionate care service to those already impacted. For more information visit http://bit.ly/STOPAIDS-HolidayTreeSale. Contact David White with questions dwhite@stopaidscincy.org

WIDE SELECTION OF TREES: Scotch Pines, Douglas Firs and Fraser Firs - from 3 feet tall to 10+ feet tall. Prices from $15 and up. We'll even tie it to your car for you!

WHERE: Findlay Market – Near Elm Street entrance
Elm Street & Elder Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

WHEN: Every weekend until Christmas Saturdays (8a.m. to 6p.m.) and Sundays (10a.m. to 4p.m.)
Sat., Dec. 4 & Sun., Dec. 5

Sat., Dec. 11 & Sun., Dec. 12
Sat., Dec. 18 & Sun., Dec. 19

Buying local for Christmas

For this past Christmas, I challenged myself to buy locally as often as I could. I had a great time doing it! I couldn't show you the pictures before the holidays because, um, they were GIFTS, but I wanted to take a moment to show you three of my purchases that supported local biz. (Sorry for the ill lighting.)


Here's a Clifton Comics gift certificate, lovingly drawn by the proprietor himself. (I also bought some Magic: The Gathering cards from him, as stocking stuffers-- I'd usually buy these at a Target or something so I hope buying from him made a better impact?)
Clifton Comics website: http://cliftoncomics.com/


We have here the much-adored VisuaLingual "seed bombs"-- another great stocking stuffer that my brother loved. No one in my family had heard of these "guerilla gardening" bombs, and when I explained the concept they were really excited. I might be buying more of these in the near future...
VisuaLingual's Etsy: Midwest Seed Bombs


And last but not least, my own favorite... the Steve Zissou finger puppet. I first came across these puppets at Crafty Supermarket, and snagged a business card with the Etsy address. Maybe not the most USEFUL thing in the world, but I think the unique artistry and the adorable detail made this 100% worth it!
AbbeyChristine's Etsy store: Steve Zissou finger puppet

Oops!

Haha, the blog is not defunct. In fact, Dan and I have been condo hunting in the Gateway Quarter lately, and learning a lot about Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine in the process. More on that soon... we're in a bit over our heads with all the new real estate jargon on top of already crazy holiday stuff. (And no promises on the condo, so don't get too jazzed. Just in the beginning stages of consideration.)

But people really seem to like the comic book wrapping paper post, so in the mean time I'll show you a few more I've wrapped up. This has been a really fantastic alternative for me this year-- I haven't bought a single scrap of traditional wrapping paper. These presents look so much more me anyhow. You like?

Christmas trees @ Findlay Market

When Dan and I decided to buy our Christmas tree, Findlay Market was not where my mind first went. My family has bought trees from various lots and farms, but it occurred to me that it would make sense for Findlay to carry them-- I couldn't find much about it online, so it was a bit of a shot in the dark.


I was thrilled to see they trees, and even more thrilled to see that the proceeds of the sales went to support AIDS research through Stop AIDS. There is more information floating around the internet now that it's not December 1st and normal people are starting to think about getting their trees. I still wanted to make sure to spread the word and let others know that if you're in the area and you haven't purchased your tree yet, there are locally-grown, freshly-cut awesome-pants spruces, firs and pines waiting for you at Findlay.



As a follow-up to my comic book wrapping paper post, I thought I'd show you how else I put them to work. This is Dan and my first tree, so we are completely free of ornaments... I put together a humongous paper chain and, with our newly purchased LEDs, it serves as the only decoration we have.

Wrapping paper alternatives

As I try to buy more and more locally, I find myself wandering around stores like Target and CVS even less than usual. I need shampoo... what, once a month? Most everything I need, I can find at a local business.

Now what about wrapping paper? I was once an avid believer in those $4.99 rolls of shiny paper-on-a-tube... some even had the grids drawn on the back so you could cut perfect lines. Lovely!

Last year, my mom wrapped her presents in old maps. Those gifts were more gorgeous than anything Hallmark could throw together. This year I'm taking a page (yuk yuk) from her book and wrapping my gifts in old comic books. My brothers will love the look of it, it definitely reflects my style more than polar bears and candy canes, and I'm reusing something I might have thrown away later. (While I'd like to say that I'm supporting local comic book stores-- I think these issues set me back <$1.00 each. Not much help there!)

So whaddya think? Trashy or clever? How are you wrapping your gifts this year, and what does it say about you?

P.S. That last photo is of some grocery-bags-turned-gift-wrap. With the help of some crayons and doodles by Dan and myself, we've rounded out the rest of our wrapping (so far)!