Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A Christmas Tea with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Me


 Note: This post was composed last Christmas!

~Hello everyone~
Welcome to Day 2 of our Tis the Season Blog Tour.
Thanks again, Jemma for including me; it's been fun!
I'm your hostess today, and I'm so happy you're here!

(If you wish, click on each image to enlarge.)


Santa and Mrs. Claus have already arrived.
I thought they could use a little break 
from all their busyness;


Mrs. Claus baking away the days,


 while Santa tackles the stack of mail, 
as elves load toys on to his sleigh.


 Please, make yourselves at home.

 

In the kitchen, the teapot is filled with chamomile,
and a fluffy, orange cake awaits!


Into the dining room, we'll go,
I've dimmed the lights for a cozy glow.


 Have you looked out the window?
We've had snow! 


 I remember,
during Christmas holidays in Toronto, the
playful snowballs little Liberty liked to throw.


And in the calm after the storm,
we'd roll, and pack, and form
a snowman of our very own.


Christmases in Crete, meant trimming the tree with me, 
then topping it with a star, with a little help from her daddy.

From top left to right: my sister, Cindy, my mom, Rita, my aunt, Jane and me

This year, more than any other,
I long to be with family in Canada, and my daughter.


Wherever you are in the world this year,
may your Christmas days be full of cheer!


Thanks for sharing this Christmas tea
with Santa, Mrs. Claus, and me.

 xo
~Poppy~



Don't forget to visit everyone else 
on our Tis the Season Blog Tour.


Monday December 9, 2013
Jemma of At Home With Jemma   
 Chris of The Cafe Sucre Farine

Tuesday December 10th, 2013
Poppy View
 
Wednesday December 11, 2013
Sherry, Jess, and Nel of Red Rose Alley
Patty of Home and Lifestyle Design

 
Thursday December 12, 2013
Melanie of Comfy House
Brenda of Cozy Little House

Friday December 13, 2013
Melinda of The Refeathered Roost

 
Saturday December 14, 1013
Kathryn of The Dedicated House
Dewena of Across the Way

All images: Poppy View,
except backgrounds (Google),
and Tour Collage (Jemma)

61 comments:

  1. That was lovely, Poppy. Stunning pic of the mountains with snow on. I love your lanterns on the stairs, so pretty. x

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  2. Before you'd even said you wished you were in Canada I was already thinking 'oh she's got to miss her so much! "
    It's got to be hard...
    I loved your little tour and poetry and cute photos with their little touches and frames...It's POPPYLAND there, like Toyland :)

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  3. Hi Poppy! I love the pics of you with your Dad!! What lovely memories. Thank you for sharing with us on the Christmas Home Tour! Merry Christmas! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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    1. Hi Kathryn,

      Those pics are of my daughter, Liberty, when she was a little girl, with her father. They show 5 different Christmases, long ago! But, thanks for the compliment, as your 'take' on things would make me 24 years young!! ;-D

      xo
      Poppy

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  4. I love these home tours you have lovely decorated home...so beautiful i hope all your dreams come true this holiday season! XO XO Marisa

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  5. Love the lanterns on the stairs and your festive tree, Poppy! I hope you will see your family this holiday season and your Christmas is full of cheer! Thanks for sharing your lovely home.

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  6. Oh Poppy! LOVE!!! those photos.
    Have so many similar of putting on the star:))
    You are here in my thoughts and prayers...Lucy~

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  7. What a beautiful post of your memories of Christmas past. Wonderful photos with pretty Christmas frames. Have a great week Poppy! Blessings, Pamela

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  8. What a lovely heartfelt post. Christmas is such a wonderful time to get together with family but so many people just can't do that for various reasons. Keep your spirits high. Your pictures and the way you have presented them are so lovely, and that staircase is gorgeous. Merry Christmas!
    Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design

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  9. Sensitive, beautiful and heart touching... a home tour in the Christmas Spirit... Thanks for sharing and all the best!!

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  10. Great tour and I love all the pics. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

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  11. Dearest Poppy,
    Such an inspirational post filled with love, tenderness and a beautiful tribute to the meaning of family. Your poetic writing and heartfelt message combined with loving decorations, delightful pictures, darling lanterns and such an inviting kitchen with cake and tea-I wish I could have a tasty bite with you.
    Merry Christmas Dearest Poppy!
    xoxo-
    Jemma

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  12. Poppy, what a fun tour! Everything looks so festive, warm and cozy! I love your photos from your childhood...such a fun post! Have a blessed Christmas!

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  13. Beautiful family picture!!!! Loved the pics!!!
    Merry Christmas!
    xo Kris

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  14. Poppy, what a festive post! I love the photo of the women in your family. Beautiful. Thank you for letting us into your home.

    Marie

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  15. Since we don't have any family with whom we share Christmas, your photo of the snow covered hills made me want to hop a plane and head to Crete! (I should be content knowing that we will be spending Easter there this year, but still, it got my holiday travel juices flowing!

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  16. Tis the season to have orange cake and tea with Poppy! Visiting your home today and especially seeing the picture of you with your beautiful mother and sister and aunt remind me of the visits my little sisters and I would make to an aunt's home at Christmas where we were in a wonderland of gingerbread boys baking and fudge cooling in a pan and a teddy bear of an uncle who drove us around to view houses strung with Christmas lights.

    But now we're grown up and it's the childhood of our own children that bring smiles to our faces and a tear or two at how quickly it all passes. Christmas is such a mixture of past, present and future, isn't it?

    I'm sending a Christmas wish to you that Mrs. Claus tells Santa that you've been a very good girl and for him to bring you everything on your Christmas letter!

    Merry Christmas, dear Poppy,
    Dewena

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  17. Merry Christmas to you, your home looks so lovely Dewena!

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  18. Thank you for the tour! Your house is so beautiful and all the decorations make it very festive. It's nice to see photos of your family, especially your daughter. I wish you all a very happy holiday.

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  19. What a fun visit for this stop on the tour. Thank you for sharing all the lovely Christmas home decor and the gorgeous mountain and snow. We had a dusting of snow last night, but tis all melted at my house. Tho I suspect Mt. Rainier is also well coated. Off to find out. Thanks for a delightful visit.

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  20. Wow so many pictures and fun shots. I like how you did the stairs with poppyview on them. I know how you feeling being away from family at Christmas time.

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  21. Poppy,
    I enjoyed seeing all your festive holiday décor, and everything that is special to you at Christmas time. The lanterns on the stairs is a creative idea, and the tea and orange cake sounds delightful. This post hit home for me today, as I am part Greek myself. I am admiring the beautiful mountains in your area covered with snow.

    Your post was lovely today, and your home says "welcome" to me. Stop by tomorrow if you get a chance and say hello.

    ~Sheri at Red Rose Alley

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  22. This post, like so many others you write, made me smile Poppy! I loved seeing the picture of you and your family, and I so wish your daughter could have been included as well.

    The 'poppyview' on the stairs is charming, and the way you fancied up your pictures is truly charming.

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  23. You are such a good poet, and I bet you just didn't know it!
    Brenda

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  24. i walked into a wonderland of color! joyous is the word for it poppy! i feel the joy in every little vignette. even though your heart wants to be in another place with dear ones this season . . .
    you have created such loveliness here!
    oh HOW I LOVE open shelves in a kitchen. just LOVE them!
    i'll have some of that orange cake now please.
    and the name of your daughter . . . liberty . . . it's so beautiful! she will be unusual. like her mother.

    xo

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  25. Hello, beautiful rhyming writer...I so enjoyed your Christmas tour today. It must be so hard to be far away from your daughter and other family members, especially at this time of year. Sending you a big hug!

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  26. This has to be the coziest Christmas tour yet, Poppy! You certainly know how to set the stage and the mood. I can imagine your kitchen filled with loved ones, sipping chamomile tea, and eating orange cake. Enjoyed seeing the precious photos of your daughter...and as always, your post today made me smile.

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  27. There's a bit of wistfulness in your post today. I hope you're able to find a time to visit Canada soon.

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  28. Such sweet photographs of you and your family Poppy. I can imagine how much you miss your daughter.. especially at this time of year. Soon you will arrange a visit:):) I like the vintage feel of this post today. Enjoy the season! xxleslie

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  29. Poppy, your house looks wonderful! So fresh and clean, I love all the red and white, perfect for your home.
    I cannot imagine how hard it must be to not have your daughter and family for the holidays and I'm so sorry. I wish life wasn't so contingent on finances. They always say it isn't about money, but in reality, so many things are.
    My heart and thoughts are with you, you are so kind and your words of poetry and pictures are always so great to read.

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  30. Your posts help to put me in the Christmas spirit. Not as easy to get into it when we're in sub-tropical Florida. (It's worth it to be warm, but doesn't feel like Christmas.)

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  31. Oh Poppy, what a beautiful post. Everything looks so warm and inviting in your lovely home. Your decorations are great ..... thanks so much for sharing.
    Have a great day.
    Mary

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  32. Lovely post Poppy !! Your home looks so cozy and happy ! The view to the mountains is lovely !
    Thank you for sharing this home tour ! I wish to could be near your family and daughter !
    Have a nice day !

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  33. sweet family pictures . . . your colorful home . . . a wonderful post this morning.

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  34. Poppy, what a beautiful Christmas post you have made. Love seeing a picture of You and the Family. Very sweet.

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  35. Your Christmas post is just lovely, Poppy. Snowball and snowman making here in Canada is certainly the norm. Thank you for sharing your special Christmas memories with us at my HOME and enjoy the rest of your week, my friend.

    Christmas blessings,
    Sandi

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  36. I enjoyed having tea at your house very much. Your Christmas decoration is so happy and I'm still jealous of your kitchen!

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  37. Poppy
    Your home is decorated very cheery for the holidays!
    And the snow on the mountains is perfect for the season.
    I loved veiwing the family photos you shared. I, too, know
    how hard it is not to be near family on the special holidays...

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  38. Lovely tour Poppy, so pretty and Christmassy, I especially love the lanterns on the stairs.
    Sorry you won't be in Canada for Christmas but hopefully you'll get there in 2014 !

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  39. Poppy, your home looks so festive and cheerful!

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  40. Hi Poppy, how fun to visit your home and your blog. I came over from Jemma's. Merry Christmas.

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  41. Your house looks so festive and ready for Christmas. So sorry you are missing your family and daughter so much, this time of year always does that to us, doesn't it? Hope you have a very merry Christmas!

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  42. What a lovely view you have of those snow capped mountains! Your home looks so pretty, I love the lanterns going up the stairs. Merry Christmas, Poppy - Dawn

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  43. You have a beautifully decorated home, Poppy. It looks so cheerful and inviting. The view of the mountains is magnificent, too! Merry Christmas to you...I really enjoyed the tour!

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  44. Beautiful post and Christmas decor! I am also very homesick! :)

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  45. Thanks for taking us for a tour poppy, what a wonderful home you have, and a lot of snow too, I really miss snow after I moved to Las Vegas 3 and a half years ago, thanks for sharing them, and thanks so much for stopping by my blog to say HELLO! : )

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  46. I love your tree, the vintage look of it. There's nothing better than a real tree. I truly feel like sitting down and having that cup of tea with you when reading your posts. Thank you for sharing on Tuesday Trivia. You will be featured on Friday's Features. By the way, I know what you mean about missing your daughter. We won't get to spend time with our's either.
    Merry Christmas love,
    Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile

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  47. Your home is so beautiful and look at what a doll your little girl is. I wish you could be home for Christmas. Merry Christmas, Poppy!

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  48. Your home is beautiful, Poppy, all decked out for Christmas! You have a lovely family.

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  49. Hello from Canada Poppy! I've been following Jemma for a while, and am catching up this morning on Tis the Season Blog Tour. I was happy to see you used to live in Toronto (I'm in Whitby). I enjoyed your tour of your home very much, lots of beautiful Christmas touches all around. Today I have to decorate fully inside and get the tree in place. We're expecting a big snowfall today (it just started now with teeny tiny flakes), and the temperature is a balmy -20C! Even the birds are shivering under the bushes (I've tossed lots of seeds under there to keep them through the storm). I'm off to visit the rest of the blogs on the tour ... quite enjoying this with my morning tea :) You have a beautiful family Poppy. Enjoy the weekend ... Wendy x

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  50. Hi Poppy, I really loved this post and I love how your house is decorated! Thank you for sharing the pictures of your family. The mountains look so pretty with the snow. So sorry you won't be with your daughter. Wishing you a wonderful and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Julie🎅🎄

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  51. Poppy, wonderful images of your Christmases past. Your family photos are wonderful, lots of great memories. Your home is lovely and festive with all the Christmas decorations. Lovely post, happy Sunday to you!

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  52. Christmas is a time for remembering, isn't it? It's hard to be torn at Christmas - to be with some loved ones, but to miss others. I wish you all the joy of Christmas in your beautiful home!

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  53. Just Beautiful Poppy! Will it not be possible for you to spend time with your momma and, or daughter this Christmas? Last year my little family was scattered and a little broken and this year will be much better...I so look forward to being with them. It looks like Santa's elves have had a fun time with adorning your home for the holiday~

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  54. Happy Inspire Me Monday Poppy! Visiting your blog always brings me such joy!

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  55. I can tell you are filled to the brim with Christmas spirit, Poppy! Thia post was a joy to read.

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  56. What sweet photos of you with your family and the ones of when you were little. Happy memories! Enjoy this blessed holiday season my friend!

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  57. Christmas brings back so many good memories! Your post is beautifully nostalgic. We don't always get to be with our loved ones at holiday. But, we do get to hold them and good memories in our hearts. I will be missing my family in Canada this year too.
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful post.
    Hugs,
    Terri

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  58. I love your beautiful family photos during the Christmas season. The cute invitation to tea with Santa and Mrs. Claus is very sweet. The lovely Christmas decorations are so perfect in your home. I know you will miss your family in Canada but thank goodness for Skype! Have a special Christmas!


    Pam

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  59. Snow! How cool is that! Your family photo is wonderful - beautiful post! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    kathy

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  60. Everything looks so pretty! Hope you and your family have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Always a pleasure having you share at Amaze Me Monday, thanks Poppy!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate hearing from all of you! Have a great day!