Warm and heartfelt, this story invites readers to imagine an inclusive, generous Christmas, focusing on the simple pleasures of family, community, and making things by hand.

Wilma decides to plant Christmas trees with the help of her young neighbor, Parker.

Christmas was the be-all, end-all celebration on the farm. Pages and pages on the topic appeared in The Farmer’s Wife, and these pages weren’t just about food—although recipes for all the various components of parties and holiday gift baskets certainly abounded. The magazine’s experts expounded on the best and latest ways to decorate home, tree, and parcels and to create homemade gifts for family and friends, as well as games to be played to capture the spirit of the season. In short, The Farmer’s Wife presented its own opinion—both grand and humble, broad and minute, and always, always bearing in mind the idea of community among its readers—about the ways in which Christmas should be celebrated. You’ll find in this book a smattering of that opinion. Here are recipes to see you through the entire Christmas season; gift ideas guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing; tips for decking your halls; and even a few stories to delight both the young and the young at heart.

From its reminiscences of making homemade gifts to personally selecting and cutting a tree, "Christmas on the Farm" emphasizes the joy of family and friends, not material needs.

“Hubbard writes Amish stories with style and grace.” —RT Book Reviews The rustic beauty of a country Christmas fills the Simple Gifts crafts shop, while the Amish residents of Willow Ridge pull together in uncertain times—and in the face of an unexpected homecoming. Nora Hooley’s shop is abuzz with preparations for the holiday open house, and Rosalyn Riehl is handcrafting wreaths from evergreen boughs, pinecones, and other natural materials. The work is a welcome diversion for the only unmarried daughter of Cornelius Riehl: her gruff dat has been receiving envelopes marked Past Due, leaving dutiful Rosalyn to manage the household’s inexplicably shrinking budget. Then another distraction swaggers into Simple Gifts—blue-jeaned and leather-jacketed, with a reputation that precedes him. Marcus Hooley hightailed it to Willow Ridge on a wing and a prayer—not that he’s the praying type. He rejected his Amish roots long ago. But behind the bad-boy attitude is a gifted horse trainer who’s counting on some bent-but-not-broken family ties to throw him a lifeline. He can’t erase his past, but a sparking attraction with strong, spirited Rosalyn holds the promise of a second chance . . . and of shedding light on shadowy secrets to build a bright tomorrow. Praise for A Simple Vow “Charlotte Hubbard has a way of writing that draws you into the story from beginning to end.” —Romance Junkies

Rachel Milligan is caring for her seven-year-old niece, Holly, at her home in Chicago when she receives devastating news: Holly's parents have been killed in a plane crash. Because Rachel is Holly's only known relative, she assumes that she will be her beloved niece's guardian. However, custody is awarded to Lydia, a distant aunt who happens to be Amish. Just a week before Christmas, Rachel takes Holly to the Amish community in the hopes of persuading Aunt Lydia to relinquish custody. Instead, Lydia sets out to teach Holly to live according to the Amish way. As family secrets emerge and old wounds are healed, Rachel realizes that she will do whatever it takes to ensure that Holly has the loving family she needs. Combining an Amish family saga with the anticipation of Christmas cheer and the promise of a budding romance, this newest Christmas story from beloved author Melody Carlson is sure to please.

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. --Henry David Thoreau Inspired by a love of her life, this book brings the reader into the lifestyle and inner workings of The Farm At Frost Corner through the eyes and heart of it's proprietor, caregiver, owner/operator, author, and mother to the entire farm, Virginia Taylor. These are Virginia's first solo writings sure to find the "Thoreau" in each of us. She describes in a wonderfully light way, the trials and rewards of running a farm, raising animals and children alike, and she's open enough to share that life with readers of this book.

The first guidebook of its kind for the Volunteer State, Farm Fresh Tennessee leads food lovers, families, locals, and tourists on a lively tour of more than 360 farms and farm-related attractions, all open to the public and all visited by Memphis natives Paul and Angela Knipple. Here are the perfect opportunities to browse a farmers' market, pick blueberries, tour a small-batch distillery, stay at an elegant inn, send the kids to a camp where they'll eat snacks of homemade biscuits with farm-fresh honey--and so much more. Arranged by the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee (East, Middle, and West) and nine categories of interest, the listings invite readers to connect with Tennessee's farms, emphasizing establishments that are independent, sustainable, and active in public education and conservation. Sidebars tell how to find pop-up markets, showcase local food initiatives, and celebrate the work and lives of local farmers. Thirteen recipes gathered by the authors on their Tennessee travels offer farm-fresh tastes.

A young girl visits her aunt and uncle's farm and helps prepare for her family's annual Easter celebration.

Learn to raise tiny agriculturists with this insightful guide full of parenting advice and strategies for engaging kids in farm life while you're running your own homestead. In this first-ever book on the topic, author Katie Kulla offers her own hard-won wisdom, gleaned from more than a decade of raising kids while running a CSA farm with her husband. The book also features invaluable advice and insights from other farmer-parents and a wealth of practical tips and ideas for how to engage children on the farm—including activities for learning and play, and suggestions for how to enlist kids in chores and other farm responsibilities. Included are experiences and stories of diverse farm families encompassing a variety of identities and backgrounds across geographic locations, race and genders, family sizes, and farm scales, to represent the real face of farming today.