Turning our garage into a Christmas Shop, the new Seasonal Products I’m making this year, and how we’re preparing for the Holiday Season

Every year about this time, we start looking around the farm and wondering how we’re going to pull it all together.

There are Christmas trees to order, greenery to cut, wreaths to make, shelves to stock, products to finish, and about a hundred other things that need doing before we can open the doors. All while the regular farm work carries on as usual.

A farm doesn’t really have an off-season, and apparently neither does our to-do list.

The Winter Shop is something we’ve grown into over the years. What started as an idea to share a few handmade things and some Christmas greenery has turned into a whole season of preparing, making, gathering, and getting the place ready for visitors.

And there’s quite a bit that goes into it.

We spend a good deal of time cutting and gathering winter greenery. Spruce, cedar, pine, and balsam. Once we’ve gathered it, we pile it along the coolest side of the house, where we can keep an eye on it and make sure it’s watered daily. Right now, it’s soaking up all the rain we’ve had over the past two days, and honestly, these are just about perfect conditions for keeping winter greenery fresh and long-lasting.

It might not seem like much, but how you handle greenery after cutting it makes a big difference in how long it lasts once it makes its way into someone’s home. We want those wreaths and garlands to look good well beyond the day they’re purchased.

There are also a few machines getting dusted off and put back to work around here. We’re assembling our garland and wreath-making machines because before long, we’ll have our local FFA students coming in to make wreaths for their annual fundraiser.

Click here for pictures from last year

And these aren’t your ordinary one-variety evergreen wreaths. We make ours triple-greened, using a combination of long-needle white pine, cedar, and balsam. Each variety brings something different to the finished wreath. The white pine gives it that lovely fullness and texture, the cedar adds a little softness, and the balsam brings our signature Winter fragrance. Together, they make a beautiful, full wreath that looks just as good hanging on a front door as it does above a fireplace.

It’s a good bit of greenery to work with, and there will be plenty of it around here in the coming weeks. I’m always happy to see those machines running again and the shop filling up with the smell of fresh evergreens.

I’ve also been working on a few new things for the Hearty Shop this year. We recently received a lovely batch of beeswax from a neighbor and decided to try our hand at making beeswax taper candles. They turned out beautifully, and each one will burn for approximately eight hours. They’ll make a lovely addition to our clay candle holders.

We also put some of that beeswax to work making a batch of reusable bread bags. Whether you bake your own sourdough or simply need a nice place to keep a fresh loaf from the grocery store, these are a handy addition to the kitchen and help keep bread fresh.

And there’s one more new tallow product I’m working on behind the scenes. I’ll save that one for another day, but I’m looking forward to sharing it with you soon.

One of my favorite parts of preparing for the shop is seeing all the different pieces come together. The greenery that was once piled outside becomes wreaths and garland. The empty shelves start filling up. The paper snowflakes. The tables that were being used for who-knows-what suddenly have a purpose again.

It takes a fair amount of moving things around before everything finds its place. And usually, just when we think we’re finished, someone comes up with another idea.

And then there’s the matter of our feathered residents. When you hand-raise most of your yard animals, they tend to think they’re part of the family business, and naturally, they like to stay close. Petey the peacock, our quail, ducks, chickens, geese, and guinea fowl are all regular visitors around the yard. Which also means I’ll have a little extra tidying up to do before opening day! So don’t be surprised if a few of our feathered friends come wandering by while you’re visiting. They’re generally quite friendly and seem to think they’re part of the welcoming committee.

But that’s part of it, I suppose.

We enjoy making things here. We enjoy working with what the farm provides, trying new ideas, and finding useful and beautiful things to share with others. The Winter Shop gives us a reason to bring all of that together in one place.

So, if you’re looking for a Christmas tree, need a wreath for the front door, a cross, mailbox swag, want some fresh greenery for the house, or just feel like getting out for a little drive, we’d love to see you.

The Hearty Sol Winter Shop opens this Friday, November 6 from 10am-4pm!

We’ll be open every Friday and Saturday through December 19.

Wreath Makers Workshop is Now open too!

Grab your tickets here! (limited tickets available)

Finding Your Way to the Farm

We’re located just outside Lewiston, Minnesota, and we’ll have Hearty Sol Winter Shop signs posted along Highway 14 and Highway 25 to help guide you our way. Keep an eye out for the signs as you get close, and they’ll lead you right to the shop!

We’ll also share reminders and a little glimpse of what’s happening around the shop on our social media as opening weekend approaches.

We’re looking forward to another Christmas season on the farm and hope you’ll make a stop out to see us.

Winter Shop 2026

• Opening day: Friday, November 6- Pre-order your Christmas trees, wreaths, crosses, garlands. Grab a bundle of porch pot greens and gifts.
• Open Fridays and Saturdays
• Final day: Saturday, December 19
• Fresh-cut Christmas trees
• Handmade triple-greened wreaths
• Fresh winter greenery and garland
• Beeswax taper candles and reusable bread bags
• Hearty Shop goods and seasonal finds

Can’t visit in person? Shop our Handmade Online Marketplace!

Well, back to the shop. The opening is drawing near, and there’s still plenty to do! 😉