The Toy Barn: Baby’s First Christmas

We are gearing up for our first Christmas as a family of three, and although Mabel is only seven months old, I can’t help but feel the excitement of seeing the magic of Christmas through her eyes this year. I’ve been trying to soak in this season as best I can, but part of me wanted to remember it in a very special way that she could cherish for years to come. We haven’t gone overboard on gifts for her, but I did want to give her something special that could mark the excitement of this season for both her and me. I wanted to make something.

While we were in Florida, I came across an adorable set of peg doll farm animals by the Magnolia line on our trip to Target. The set was only $12.99, and despite the fact that they were marked for ages 3+, I couldn’t resist picking them up. The colours, she shapes, the added on ears. They were perfect and without hesitation I decided that they would be Mabel’s Christmas gift.

But they needed a home. A barn. A place to live, even if only on a shelf for a few years before the builds up the imagination to play with them. Which sparked it all.

I built them a barn. I built her a barn.

I had a vision but it took some number crunching and googling of “how to find the angles of a trapezoid” before I laid out a plan. I drew things to scale to make sure my measurements were correct. I wrote out a material list and then I wrote it out again. I’m not a woodworker but I knew I wanted to do this, figuring it all out as I went.

Thankfully, my Dad was just a text message away. He ended up going to the lumber store with me and setting up his tools for me. But then he ended up just fully helping me and it became a little project that we did together. Not only a gift for Mabel, but a gift for me too.

We spent a few evenings working away on it. Making cuts. Glueing. Sanding. Painting. Glueing again. Sanding again. Filling. Painting again. But twisting those little hardware screws in at the end was one of the most satisfying feelings. It may only be 10″ tall, but we built a barn. And those little animals now have a home.

Christmas is only two days away and I can’t wait to leave this under the tree. I know that it may not be something she will appreciate right away, but it felt important for me to do this for not only her, but for me too. This year was by far the strangest year for me – the shift from who I feel like I once was to who I feel like I am now didn’t come easy. Who I am and my purpose, even if only for a season, feels completely foreign and new. But this project re-inspired me and is a beautiful bridge between who I am as a creator and who I am as a Mom. And that is more of a gift than the gift itself.

Merry (first) Christmas, Mabel Pearl. You are our biggest treasure.