THE HOLIDAY ISSUE
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RIVER + RANCH TEAM
Volume 6: Issue 6 River + Ranch Magazine is a collaborative effort to showcase the creativity and design of the West. The two publishers of Bismarck Magazine decided to embark on a new adventure and create a different magazine focusing on design, art, and western living.
Publishers
Hannah Haynes hannah@bismarck-magazine.com Caroline Crary caroline@bismarck-magazine.com
Layout Editor
Jenna Kluting
Copy Editor
Jennifer Kranz
Contributors
Maria Fleck
Cover Image
Melanie Sioux Photography
Advertising
Caroline Crary caroline@bismarck-magazine.com
River + Ranch Magazine Corporation, Copyright 2018 River + Ranch and riverandranchmagazine.com. All rights reserved. This periodical cannot be reproduced without the written permission of River + Ranch Magazine. River + Ranch Magazine will not be held responsible for any errors found in the magazine. Bismarck Magazine Corporation accepts no liability for statements made by advertisers.
4 RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Hannah Haynes
Caroline Crary
Publisher/Co-Founder
Publisher/Co-Founder
Karel Sovak
Jennifer Kranz
Writer
Editor
Jenna Kluting Layout Editor
Maria Fleck
Writer/Social Media Manager
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Melanie Sioux Photography
14 Modern & Traditional 24 Calm & Bright 34 Indoor Wonderland 44 A Cozy Space 54 The Polar Trap 64 Creative Wood
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Home for the Holidays No matter how far you roam, there truly is no place like home for the holidays - especially when they’re built and decorated by our local experts!
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LETTER
FROM THE PUBLISHERS It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The holiday season is such a joyous time as winter starts to blanket North Dakota in its snowy embrace. We are thrilled to present to you our December/January holiday issue. This issue is filled with the warmth and splendor of festive decorations that adorn homes across the region. In this edition, we delve into the heart of holiday décor, showcasing the talented designers who bring magic to every corner of our homes. The holiday season is a time for joy, love, and creating memories that last a lifetime. What better way to celebrate than by exploring the artistic minds behind the enchanting decorations that transform our spaces into winter wonderlands? This issue is a tribute to these visionaries who infuse homes with holiday spirit, making them a reflection of the season’s magic. Within these pages, you will find exclusive interviews with the most soughtafter designers, unraveling the inspiration and creativity that go into crafting the perfect holiday ambiance. From traditional themes that evoke nostalgia to cutting-edge designs that push the boundaries of festive aesthetics, our designers share their insights, tips, and favorite moments from their festive projects. Discover the stories behind the breathtaking Christmas trees, the twinkling lights that dance like stars, and the cozy nooks adorned with seasonal accents. Our featured designers open their hearts to reveal the secrets of their craft, offering you a glimpse into the passion that fuels their holiday magic. Wishing you a joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at River + Ranch Magazine!
River + Ranch Magazine is a publication is a locally produced publication and collaborative effort to showcase the creativity and design of the West. River + Ranch is a home magazine dedicated to highlighting design, art and Western Living. Based in Bismarck, ND, but showcasing everything Westward. You can find River + Ranch Magazine at any local grocery store in Bismarck, Mandan, Minot, Dickinson, Williston, Watford City, Medora and smaller cities in between. Thank you for reading.
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HappyHolidays from the Bismarck Magazine Team
student work submitted by Martin Luther school pre kindergarten and kindergarten classrooms
Alexa By Design
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Alexa By Design
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Alexa by Design Alexa Kingery, owner and designer at Alexa by Design, recently moved to Bismarck with her husband and two children. Before moving, Alexa was a home stager in Minneapolis. When she moved back here, the transition into interior design seemed obvious, as Alexa’s parents own Rudnick Construction. “I’d been helping with their houses for a while, so it felt natural,” she explains. Alexa officially started her new company in May of this year. The home Alexa and her family moved into was built for them by her parents’ company, Rudnick Construction. The home was finished in time for this year’s spring Parade of Homes, and this will be their first Christmas in their new home.
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Alexa By Design
Transitional Christmas As the decorator of the family, Alexa always decorates their home a little early, typically right after Halloween. “I’m a Christmas person,” she admits. Alexa’s personal style is more subtle. She prefers more muted tones with simple décor. “I would consider it transitional which is modern, traditional combined. I like it to be more subtle than overly red,” she says. Not only does keeping the décor simple allow for an elegant style, but it also allows Alexa and her family to appreciate the space they are in more. “I wanted to keep it a little neutral, so you could still see the house and not just the décor,” she explains. The house is perfectly built for such a minimalistic style, and the home’s Christmas simple décor makes the space feel cozy.
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One way Alexa keeps her décor more subtle is by utilizing pieces she already has around the home. Instead of removing décor and adding new Christmas décor, she enjoys finding ways to brighten up the space with festive touches, like putting different greenery in vases or adding red candles to her candlestick holders instead of white ones.
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Alexa also ties her home’s permanent fixtures into her holiday décor, making it seem more uniform and intentional. For example, her home’s gold and copper accents are reflected in her Christmas tree’s gold and copper decorations. To ensure a unified look, Alexa sticks to a tried-and-true method. “I start with the mantel every time and the stockings. Pick the colors you want with those then go from there.” The unity of her temporary holiday décor and her more permanent home décor flows throughout the house, Alexa Kingery, Owner & Designer at Alexa by Design
creating a cohesive holiday theme. Alexa loves decorating, but her favorite part of the decorating might be the end, being able to enjoy her work. “I just like how cozy it feels,” she says. “Especially at night when the lights are on. It just feels happy.”
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Alexa By Design
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Holiday Decorating Tips If you are feeling inspired by Alexa’s beautiful Christmas décor, here are some helpful hints she has for decorating: “Less is more, and you can keep a lot of the décor you have and add little ribbons or wreaths or change out the greens in your vase or things like that are very simple.”
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RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Alexa By Design
Calm & Bright S T O R Y: M A R I A F L E C K | P H O T O S : M E L A N I E S I O U X P H O T O G R A P H Y
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Real Deals Real Deals on Home Décor is a locally owned franchise that sells home décor in a variety of styles for a great price. Rachel Miller, owner of Bismarck’s Real Deals, loves working with customers to find them home décor that fits their style. At Christmastime, Real Deals turns into a winter wonderland. The store is filled with all kinds of beautiful decoration. No matter your style, something at Real Deals will catch your eye. “I work really hard with my buying to make sure it’s not just one style,” explains Rachel. “You’re going to find everything from boho to traditional to rustic to glam. Our motto from the beginning has been we want to be able to have three generations come in and shop, and they’re all going to find something they
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Alexa By Design
love.” Rachel has owned Real Deals for 16 years now, but still has the same passion for interior design as the day she started. “I’m blessed to have the best job in the world,” she says. “Over sixteen years I bet I can count on one hand how many times it has felt like a job. It never feels like I’m going to work.”
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RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Rustic and Traditional In this featured home built by Big River Builders, Rachel had the opportunity to take her 16 years of experience and put it to work, creating a cozy and festive space for the homeowners. Before Rachel even began brainstorming ideas, she wanted pictures from the homeowners so she could see the style they normally decorate their home in. The home has different elements of modern, traditional, and rustic, but after seeing the homeowners’ personal photos, Rachel decided to stick with a more rustic and traditional style. In addition to looking at what the homeowners enjoyed in terms of decorations, Rachel also pulled on their interests to decorate for the holidays. “They love the outdoors, they love all the elements outside, so I wanted to bring some of that in,” she explains. To do this, Rachel focused on bringing in greenery, as well as adding fun details that could be found in a lodge house, like hanging mini snowshoes on the Christmas tree. She also tried to stay consistent with the homeowners’ color palette, bringing in neutral tones, whites and ivories, and some black. “You have to decorate for the house and the homeowner,” she explains. Another way Rachel made sure she was accommodating the homeowners’ personal wants and needs was to remember the homeowner’s two small children and pull in design elements they would enjoy too. “I decided through the dining room and part of the kitchen I wanted to pull in some more red elements too, just to make it a little more fun traditional for Christmas,” she explains. The dining room table also has some of this red in the greenery, making the space bright and cheerful.
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One of Rachel’s areas of expertise when it comes to Christmas decorating is the Christmas tree. Her Christmas trees are always gorgeous centerpieces, pulling together several different elements into one unified theme. “I always start off with a color theme, so nothing goes on that tree unless it matches the color theme,” Rachel describes. “I try to add a topper to add more wow and have it be an extension of what we’ve done underneath. I love to mix in different textures. [For this house,] I used a flocked tree, yet there were a lot of green elements that I brought in throughout the rest of the space. I brought in a garland that had a little more green, texture, as far as fake foliage Rachel Miller, Owner of Real Deals Bismarck
goes, so I brought in a garland and wrapped that around to add more textures and bring some of that green in to make it more natural.” None of Rachel’s trees are quite the same, each one pulling from unique elements of the home and the homeowner’s style. This attention to detail is why anything decorated by Rachel turns out beautifully and reflects the character of the people living in the space.
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
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Holiday Decorating Tip If you are looking for help with holiday decorations, feel free to stop in and get advice from Rachel and her team. Otherwise Rachel has a few tips to make your holiday decorating easier: “Go with what works in your house. If you have a very modern house and you have modern artwork, you’re probably not going to want to put in a rustic, lodge-looking tree. So ideally, go with what style and color is going to work with your house. It’s pretty rare that you can use less than three of an ornament for a tree. If you want a more eclectic look that’s fine, but if you want that tree to look intentional and cohesive, you’re going to want at least three of something to match and if you have a big tree, maybe five or seven. Don’t be afraid to add greenery. And don’t forget to decorate in the tree. Don’t hang everything on the tips, tuck them inside, and it’s just going to give it a little more character and dimensions and fill the holes too.”
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
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RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Alexa By Design
Indoor Wonderland S T O R Y: M A R I A F L E C K | P H O T O S : M E L A N I E S I O U X P H O T O G R A P H Y www.riverandranchmagazine.com
Christmas Fun Merry and bright is the name of the game when it comes to the Christmas décor of this home. Amy Pierce, manager and designer at Robert’s Floral and Alivia Johnson, designer at Robert’s Floral, took on this beautiful modern white home and turned it into a winter wonderland even Santa and his elves would be envious of. From the moment you step into the home, the feeling of Christmas surrounds you. “We started our brainstorming process by inventing the family that would live in this home, maybe an Grandma and Grandpa with lots of grandchildren who were coming to celebrate the holidays with them, or maybe a younger couple with little kids trying to capture the spirit of Christmas. We wanted the front door to be fun and cute and whimsical. Like you came in, it’s cold, and you’re just instantly happy, smiling,” describes Amy Pierce. The front entrance features a fluffy white feather Christmas tree topped with mistletoe, cute snowmen, metal tins for snow gear, a sign advertising milk and cookies pointing to the kitchen, and so many more fun details.
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Not only was the theme of whimsy and joy important to Amy and Alivia, but so was the layout and flow of the décor. “The other thing Alivia and I talked a lot about in this house as we were walking in was our vantage point, where you were in the house since it is so open,” explains Amy. “A lot of the placement of our trees, our bouquets, we wanted them to have a collective overview of the whole house, so like when you’re here taking off your shoes, you see the tree in the dining room, you see the tree in the living room and then you can look through, and it just goes all the way through and you just go okay, this house is ready for Christmas.” Because the home is so open, creating a layout that flowed together was important to Amy and Alivia. Each room has its own unique spin while they all still flow together
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as one unified Christmas theme. One way Amy and Alivia achieved this was through incorporating live plants throughout the entire home. Another upside to incorporating live plants throughout the house is the smell. Upon entry, the smell of Christmas is hard to miss as it fills the home. One of the more unique design elements of the home is the upside-down Christmas tree. Besides the obvious fun topsy-turvy visual, it also creates an opportunity for the ornaments to hang differently than they would on a normal tree. The upside-down shape also takes up less space, allowing for more presents to be piled around the tree. And since the top of an upside-down tree is larger than its base, it also allows for the tree’s top to steal the show with a more dramatic decoration.
Living in Wonderland The home isn’t all looks either. Functionality was also emphasized in the duo’s design plan. “We wanted [the decor] to match the function of the house,” explains Amy, “so in the living room, we’ve got the wagons under the tree. We thought that was cute and playful, but it could be used for presents as well. The decoration in the kitchen was another area the designers combined looks with function. “I decorated the kitchen island to be useful for a Christmas morning breakfast,” explains Alivia. “You have playful RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
mugs for each seating spot. The dining table
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is for a more elegant Christmas dinner, so you have the decorative glasses and a beautiful sleigh for a centerpiece… so even the different sections of the kitchen match what you would have there.” The children’s bedroom is where all the different design elements came together: fun and cheerful, unique but cohesive, and functional. “We wanted it to look like this stuff could be for décor and to be played with and moved around,” describes Amy. The Christmas tree with multi-colored lights provides a cheery feel but the multi-colored lights ensure it flows with the rest of the room and the rest of the house. The tree is decorated with ornaments and stuffed animals, creating a whimsical look, perfect for a Alivia Johnson, Manager & Amy Pierce, Designer Roberts Floral
child’s Christmas tree. Knitted trees and mushrooms fill up the space, completing the Christmas look while still being an option for children to play with. The home’s cheerful atmosphere is encouraged in every room of the house, from the front entryway to the bathrooms. The success of the decorations can be attributed to the enthusiasm of its designers who loved creating this magical winter wonderland. “We had a great time,” says Amy. “It was really fun.”
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Holiday Decorating Tip If you struggle with balancing or incorporating old, treasured Christmas décor with your new décor, Amy has a practical approach to solving this issue: “A lot of times a person has a lot of different Christmas things, and they’re from a lot of different times in your life… they’re often a focal point you want worked in with your brand-new stuff… I would definitely think about what you have of yours that you want to use and in what function. Is it something you want people to use through the holidays or is it something that needs to be up safe somewhere. If it’s going to be something people can use, I would have it be out on a table. Then you can add new colors, new elements, new ornaments, little things like that, or newer, trendier colors to work in with those special items. If it’s something that’s very special to you, I would get a special shelf set aside like in your kitchen, and I would do a special display of things just around that keepsake.”
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RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
Alexa By Design
A Cozy Space S T O R Y: M A R I A F L E C K | P H O T O S : M E L A N I E S I O U X P H O T O G R A P H Y
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The Beginning The homeowner of this featured house bought their home seven years ago and has been slowly working on renovations since then. Lisa Bohrer, owner/designer at Spaces, has been with her every step of the way. “It goes way beyond just designer/client,” Lisa says. “I consider her one of my closest friends now.” In that time, Lisa and the homeowner have worked hard to update the home and create a space that the homeowner loves. “We basically have refurnished 90% of the home through Spaces,” says Lisa. “We’ve updated flooring, we’ve changed out showers, and much more.” Creative Wood Designs has also played a large role in the remodel. For more on their involvement in the project, turn to page 64.
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
While making these remodel changes, it was important to Lisa to create a cohesive design throughout all the different rooms. Each room has its own character, but these elements play into each other. “Part of it is the furniture selection as we’ve been doing things. The house flows from one room to the other without being bleh. I take different colors in different rooms and that’s how we make it its own, but as a designer I make sure it flows from room to room, I make sure it’s not chopped up.” When it came to Christmas décor, the homeowner again turned to Lisa for help with decorating. “I did the same process with the Christmas décor,” describes Lisa. “I pulled out different colors, different elements of the room, with the Christmas décor.”
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Christmas Decorations Lisa took on the main floor, thinking through each room’s individuality, pulling out each room’s unique characteristics while still creating a unified Christmas theme between them. The Christmas décor starts the minute you walk into the house. The stair railings are intertwined with a lit garland to which Lisa added a second garland to make the greenery fuller. In the formal dining room, Lisa used the chandelier as the anchor for the Christmas décor. “We played off the chandelier, so it’s more of the metallics and mixed metals in there,” Lisa explains. The room also has a more formal, traditional style which is reflected in the traditional, muted colors of the Christmas décor. Moving through the home, the Christmas trees also played a large role in the decorations of each room. In the sunroom, the tinsel Christmas tree was something the owner already had in her Christmas décor collection. The tinsel tree is popular this Christmas season, so Lisa took the blush-colored tree and made it the centerpiece of the room, using it as the inspiration for the remaining room’s
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
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décor. In the study, the Christmas tree is a fully trimmed Spaces’ Christmas tree that the owner had bid on and won at the SMCHS carnival. The tree’s gold, silver, and champagne color was the focus of Lisa’s decorating in that room. Then, in the family room, Lisa set up a traditional Christmas tree with the family’s ornaments. The traditional look continues throughout the room with the red poinsettias clustered around the mantel and the traditional Christmas wreath. Finally, in the guest bedroom, the bed has a pine velvet bedding with red berries and traditional greenery placed around the space as accents. The subtle Christmas colors make the room feel cozy and inviting without feeling overwhelming. This feeling Lisa Bohrer, Owner of Spaces
of comfort is exactly what Lisa wants all her clients to feel after decorating. “When they look at their Christmas tree and décor, we want it to give them those warm fuzzies, and it’s everything it’s meant to be and then some.” With the holidays being incredibly busy, Lisa and her team at Spaces do not usually have time to make house calls to help decorate for Christmas, but they are more than happy to help you in-store by assisting with choosing décor and designing a theme for your home.
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Holiday Decorating Tip If you are unable to make it into Spaces for a consultation, Lisa has some advice for your holiday tree decorating: “You have to decorate your tree in layers…. so put the biggest ornaments in the back. Then, as you decorate the tree and come out, you layer it with different shapes and sizes and shimmers. The very last thing is you put in the garland. I go to a lot of people’s homes and their ornaments are on the very surface and their tree has no dimension. To avoid that you want to start from inside and work your way out. It’ll give dimension. And when you hang your garland, just don’t hang it on the very end of the tips. You work it in and out. Your garland is basically your jewelry for your tree.”
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the
Polar Trap
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The Paddle Trap in Mandan is a favorite among local residents. The family-friendly restaurant serves delicious food on the Missouri riverfront year-round. One of the more unique options The Paddle Trap offers for outdoor dining in the wintertime is called The Polar Trap where customers can dine inside “igloos” out on the deck and enjoy delicious food alongside river views even in the winter.
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The idea for The Polar Trap was inspired by two of the owners’ travels. “They saw them on top of a building and thought it would be a really cool idea to bring to Bismarck-Mandan, so we took their idea and jazzed it up a little, and that’s how we got The Polar Trap today,” explains Stephen Vetter, one of the co-owners of The Paddle Trap. Since its debut, The Polar Trap has been a huge success, and this winter will be its third year running.
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Inside the igloos, you and five other guests can enjoy a more intimate environment for hanging out. “It makes a friendly ambiance where you’re more personable, and you can interact with each other. Instead of just going to a loud environment, it gets you secluded in an area to interact with one another,” describes Stephen. The igloos also offer fun games and tabletop s’mores for a unique dining experience. The menu offered in the igloos is the same is inside the restaurant, but make sure to check for the chef’s special menu which rotates seasonally.
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The Polar Trap is kid-friendly, can be reserved for up to an hour and a half, and can be reserved online at www.thepaddletrap.com for a $10 cover fee to avoid no-shows. Reservations are filling up fast, so make yours early! The Polar Trap will be open until March 30th.
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Creative Wood Designs
story by Maria Fleck photos by Melanie Sioux Photography
Remodels don’t always need to be large
like or how you’ll operate within a space,
several years. The team at Creative
with shelving, a mini fridge, and sink.
projects. Sometimes, they can simply
you can apply hands-on knowledge to
Wood has been in almost every part of
Other sections Creative Wood Designs
be one room at a time, fitting into your
the new design plan. Already masters
the house besides the kitchen, adding
designed and installed include the
schedule and keeping the work from
at designing a space conducive to their
cabinetry and other finishing details.
dining room hutch, bedroom closets,
becoming overwhelming. Doing a
client’s lifestyle, Creative Wood Designs
The sunroom was a major part of
the laundry room cabinets, several
remodel of a home you already live in
can take a remodel to the next level.
these renovations. Before the remodel,
bathrooms, and much more.
is also beneficial because unlike a new build, you already have lived in the space, and instead of guessing what you’d
In this featured home, Creative Wood Designs has been slowly helping the homeowners renovate their space for
64 RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE | December 2023 - January 2024
the sunroom was unfinished with no cabinetry. Now, the sunroom boasts a beautiful white cabinet set, complete
Each time the team at Creative Wood Designs plans another renovation, they work to both differentiate the space
while maintaining a central theme that flows throughout the home. While the team at Creative Wood Designs always works to maintain unity in the home’s design, having the homeowner’s designer be a part of the planning process always makes it run smoother. “The designer probably has a good handle on the house as a whole, like flooring, paint color on the walls, light fixtures, things like that. We do ask those questions, but when the designer comes in and already knows the theme, that makes hardware selection instantly easy,” explains Mike Ness, owner of Creative Wood Designs. For this home, Lisa Bohrer, owner of Spaces, helped with the design process and was able to assist Creative Wood Designs with the home’s renovations, which created a unity among the rooms, resulting in the beautiful updates seen on these pages. For more on this beautiful house and how it was turned into a Christmas dreamland, turn to page 44.
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THE BEAUTY OF
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