Christmas seems like forever ago, but I finally got around to packing up my tree and putting away the red and green (leaving the blue, snowmen, and penguins because it is still winter after all 🙂 ). But it’s finally time for the big reveal from The Country Christmas Connection (TCCC) 2017 exchange! This was my second year participating, and I had a lot of fun shopping for the *perfect* gift to send off.
My recipient this year was Mike V. (@mikedairyguy on Twitter). It was strange our paths had never crossed before since we follow a lot of the same people on Twitter. I learned that Mike was a father to three girls, is a huge football fan, is a dairy farmer in Minnesota, and is interested in history. While I’m not much into football, I could connect with Mike on the interest in history, our farming backgrounds, and the fact that I’m one of three girls, so I can totally understand what Mike goes through every day. I ended up putting together a fun box on items local to my home area in Central Illinois and some homemade treats. (Hope you enjoyed everything, Mike, and that it wasn’t too ‘corny’ 😉 ).
While I was busy shopping for Mike’s gift, Nicole over at Michigan Farm Girl was busy ‘stalking’ me online and doing a heck of a job learning all about me. (Seriously, anyone who finds Christmas-themed cat wrapping paper wins Christmas.) Anyway, like Nicole, I host a book club, and she turned a book into a decoration with a secret compartment for hiding small items. And she sent it with what looks like an entire bag of Dove milk chocolates hidden inside. 🙂
I also learned that Nicole and I are both crocheters (that’s a homemade mug warmer – if you like coffee or hot chocolate in the winter, you need to get yourself one). She also somehow found out that I frequent Starbucks (dunno how she would’ve known that 😉 ) and also sent along some amazing goat milk hand lotion and lip balm to get me through the dry winter months.
Unlike my experience growing up on a farm, Nicole is a first-generation farmer with her husband and three children in Michigan. They started their dairy farm nine years ago, and Nicole has spent a lot of time talking about what they do on her blog, Michigan Farm Girl. Give her a follow on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about her farm and family!
I love meeting new people, and TCCC never disappoints. It’s incredible how many things most of us have in common, and I’m excited to learn more about Mike and Nicole over the coming year.
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