Places We Go : A St. Helena Christmas

Last Sunday, Sally invited me up to Napa to get into the Christmas spirit. St. Helena, CA is about an hour drive from my house. It was my first outing in 8 weeks and I was SO happy to be out! As you can imagine, Main Street was decorated for the holidays.

Sally's favorite store, Napa Valley Vintage Home, was stocked full of everything Christmas. The choice of tree ornaments were vast and specific, including a glass blown ornament of a framed insect collection and another of a cube of butter.

Just some of the store's nutcrackers.

Next year, I'm going to load my tinsel tree with little ornaments just like these.

At the counter, a collection of small Christmas smokers.

Down the street, at ACRES home & garden, this basket stuffed with everything Christmas greeted customers.

This store hung their trees upside down.

We were drooling over this display of paper whites growing for January blooms.

At the same store, an upside down tree all in crystal and glass - just stunning.

Before shopping Main Street, we had brunch at Farmstead restaurant, just down the road.

Wreaths on the front doors of Farmstead's shop.

In the entryway of the actual restaurant, simple decorations.

We arrived at 11 for Sunday brunch. By the time we left, every table was taken.

One tasty tidbit - mini sandwiches loaded with ham and spicy pepper jelly on cheddar cheese biscuits.

Sally (right) and I met our friend, Suzanne (left), at the restaurant.

The grounds at Farmstead were festive, too. There's plenty of outdoor seating.

A BIG thank you to Sally for organizing such a fun day. I can hardly wait to go next year!

photos ~ Sally and Me

Shop ~

Napa Valley Vintage Home ~ 1201 Main St., Saint Helena, CA

ACRES home & garden ~ 1219 Main St St Helena, CA

Eat ~

Farmstead Restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch ~738 Main St, St Helena, CA 94574

Check out the ranch's fascinating history at https://www.longmeadowranch.com/eat-drink/restaurant/

About St. Helena ~

"Founded in 1855, the city is the center of St. Helena American Viticultural Area (AVA) of 9,060 acres.

St. Helena was first inhabited by a native American group known as the Wappo people. They spoke Yukian and are believed to have first settled in St. Helena as early as 2000 B.C. The Wappo name for the area is Anakotanoma, meaning "Bull Snake Village". St. Helena encompasses fourteen square miles of the Napa Valley with over 400 vineyards encompassing 6,800 acres of cultivation." ~ Wikipedia