Tex's Tree Farm

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

It is time to pick out that special Christmas tree for your home. One of the fun places to visit especially if you are bringing the family along to chop your own is Tex’s Tree Farm. 

 

Here you find so many carefully grown trees to choose from. Tex has had this farm for many years. I love visiting there. I have watched families pick out trees , choose décor , and then visit Santa.

Grab your axe and go choose that special tree just for you and chop it down. Follow the directions for that. Tex has amazing texture changers available for an amazing price. Take a look at the decors you would like . There is a great variety. If you are feeling a bit lazy get the whole decorated tree. The notecard will explain it all. You will be able to control the number of prims to fit your needs.

After you wander around the farm and visit Santa it is time to go up on the hill and visit one of the loveliest shops in SL to look for décor or gifts.

”HO HO HO Gemma, Welcome to Under The Tree Christmas Shop. Best selection of Christmas gifts and deco items in all of SL. Please make sure you take all items after purchase.”

 

 Lots of toys for the kids as well as drivable toys are there .

The next room has delicious looking food for your table. Be sure to take what you buy. It is a gotcha area. Another room is filled with furniture, tables , little Santas , many decorations that will grace your home. 

 

At the other end of the building there is a room filled with more furniture, wall hangings and more trees to choose. The room is filled with décor for every room in the house. It is a great place to shop for that reason. Upstairs are so many gacha machines where you can choose the number of the item you want to purchase. The gachas contain clothing, accessories , decorations, and much more. Be sure to check them out. While you are walking around you might receive a gift. I got a cute little Santa hat.

When you leave the store take a right turn and walk up the hill to the barn where there are cute animated animals for sale . A nice addition to the gifts for the kids under the tree. Here is the entrance to the tree farm. I good place to start.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife//83/211/103

Gemma Cleanslate

 

More Christmas (And Thanksgiving) Shopping

 

by Gemma Cleanslate

 

 

As I continued my travels in search of Christmas décor for your region or your home I came across a lovely display of Thanksgiving tables and décor at Botanica Holiday Store. I found sit down dinner tables and buffet tables with delicious treats. Balloons and wall décor, carpets and even a bakery counter. If you are looking for any of these stop over then go on to check out the gorgeous décor for Christmas.

Outside I found wall baskets of plants, wreaths, more than one carousel.

The exhibit hall is chuck full of all kinds of items to brighten your home with light and sound. A brass band is playing Christmas carols. Tall trees. poinsettias, and garlands are available. Look up and see the hanging mistletoe and other hanging décor.

Stop by the ice sheet skating if you need a good size pond. Mr. and Mrs. Claus are out there surrounded by penguins, gnomes and even a polar bear. Grab the free iceskates and join them on the ice. There is a race track game that will put your score up on the board. There are teleports available to take you to other Botanica sites for other types of plant decorations.

If you wish you can climb the stairs and stop in to have your hair done. Farther along the walkwayis a wonderful music shop with harps and old fashioned instruments that has a great sale of music boxes for 99L going on. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue%20Moon/182/233/23

I went over to the 8th Annual Christkindl Market & Advent Calendar 2022 . Divia’s Design and here too is a wonderful skating pond for you. Christmas stall circle the pond offering a huge variety of décor. Nativity scenes large and small, Santa balloons that circle in the air above, doll houses , Christmas shelves either empty or filled with baubles, are a few of the items I saw. If you want a chestnut roaster to grace your skate pond you will find it here.

Need a cozy winter cabin all furnished? There is one here for guests or for vacation on your winter parcel.Great price too.

I love the rotation Christmas Pyramid music box that comes in three sizes as does one of my favorite decorations, the Christmas globe! You know I bought one, I just can’t resist globes. There are some wonderful Welcome signs for your properties also. Take the long walk around to all the stalls so you don’t miss any of the possibilities for new decorations. If you join the group you will find a load of gifts in the Old Barn behind the skating pond. Here is your entrance. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Wildwood/130/32/22

Do you love freebies and really inexpensive décor as much as I do? If so stop over at MiChIGaN's ShAcK! WINTER SALE. For group members there are great deals and a lot of freebies.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Michigan%20Cove/132/109/1702

Gemma Cleanslate

 

House of Avro and Santa Town

By Gemma Cleanslate

I have started visiting the early Christmas decor and sales sims that are already open and ready for business!

One of the largest busiest Christmas decor regions in Second Life, I think, is the House of Arvo. It is always fun to visit and wish I had  a sim or part of one to decorate. Unfortunately I live on a mainland island that is pretty tropical and only have so many prims to play with. If not, I would be buying so many of the delightful outdoor decorations that I see here . There is a gorgeous little ice pond available that I would have loved to buy. It would make a wonderful scene where I could skate.
Or Santa’s lovely sleigh drawn by two  reindeer, or the little snowman ice fishing. There are so many items here I have not seen anywhere.... yet.

 I am so glad I left my purse at home! Make a stop here even if you are not buying decor. The offerings will make you glad you at least could go window shopping! Inside the House of Avro shed There is a wonderful collection of stockings to hang on the fireplace, along with trees and wreathes and so much more. Little sheds all around hold anything you might need to decorate or wear,men or women.

Be sure to visit Santa and pick up a gift before you leave. He has his own cozy little indoor throne. There is a sign outside to invite you in.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Christmas%20Decorations/76/102/23

Next!! Santa Town is also just filled with so many delightful indoor and outdoor items to decorate your sim or home.

After you make the rounds of the quaint shops stop over at the Skate Shack and pick up your free skates and take a skate around the frozen pond. There are Christmas songs playing for your enjoy ment. Grab a ride on the tour sleigh that takes you for a  ride  around the sim so you can enjoy it all.Don’t miss the ski lift or the sledding either. Great fun! I found some gifts in some of the shops. There will DJs playing for your entertainment Saturday December 1 . You can get a photo with Santa that day too.

Stop in at the Gingerbread cafe after skating, or check out the Old Bell Pub where you can play games . I had some great turkey kabobs while there withღвєllєღ (Mcshoah Resident)  . If you join the group there are some gifts under the tree for you  and you can visit  until Little Christmas, Epiphany , Jan . 6.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Georgetown%20Colorado/114/147/30

Gemma Cleanslate

Christmas Shopping Markets

By Gemma Cleanslate

At this time of year it seems a bit early for Christmas however as we know from real life it is the time to get ready. Every place you go there is Christmas decor and gift suggestions. It makes us realize we had better get going! In sl there is are wonderful shopping opportunities from sim fillers to stocking stuffers. I picked out a few shopping venues where I thought you might like to visit . They are not only just for shopping, but for enjoying the sights and the builds . Meander around after you see the shops.

The first delightful market place is Christmas Fair at Harborview. At the landing place you are near the larger indoor stores. Lots of favorite creators have wares here. Kiosks with all kinds of Christmas delights fill the town squares, decor for the home, gifts , outfits for the season and more. Lovely Victorian ladies are shopping too. 

 
I found an ugly sweater I could not resist! I spied some lucky letters around the walkways. You can shop and also skate if you like. Great place for a photo with Santa! http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Harborview/152/217/22   

My next visit was to Mrs Santa Christmas Market, another charming venue in Kikai. Again large shops line the sidewalks with smaller kiosks and stalls still being filled with goodies. Merchants were working as I toured.  I found some nice personalize-able greeting cards in one shop that I loved. Here too you can shop and skate. Be sure to drop into the little chapel for a rest and a reminder of what the season is about.
http://maps.secondlife com/secondlife/Kikai/176/115/601

My third stop  was Christmas at the North Pole in Checkmate. If you are looking for new Christmas trees do not miss the selection in the tree area. What a selection of diverse trees! You will have to TP to sky lot so watch for the signs. On the main level  be sure you stop in the busy post office where I found Santa next to a huge pile of letter arriving by the second! Stores and outdoor shopping for all sorts of decor for your home inside or out is found here, including choo-choo trains, reindeer and a myriad of decor. I saw a whole forest of snow laden pines if you need that on your sim.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Checkmate/170/137/23

There are so many more places in Second Life to visit for Christmas decor. I am also looking at the wonderful skating and hanging out winter sports regions for your winter fun. I am starting with the markets so you can get your shopping done and then just go enjoy the sims . Some of them will disappear right after Christmas so I want to start with them. After that I will tell you about the ones where sports and skating and events going on before and after Christmas and you can enjoy the winter season in Second Life while through the first months of the new year. If you find anything new and interesting let me know! 

Gemma Cleanslate

  

Laura Liberty’s Valentine Town

By DrFran Babcock

You may, or may not remember my story about the wonderful Christmas Town that I wrote for this esteemed publication. (http://slnewserplaces.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-town.html ). Well, it seems that Laura Liberty, a builder I have admired for many years, does a build for most of the holidays, with themed building activities, and shops. I figured it would be worth it to see what she had in place for Valentine’s Day. I was not disappointed. Valentine Town (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elizabeth Town/151/170/36/ ) is a joy for all whether or not you have a loved one.

The Build

Laura Liberty is the creator of Valentine Town. Of course, the color palette is what you would expect, reds, pinks, purples and baby blues. What was uncanny to me is how well Laura works with her prims and her colors. I was sure that the cartoony houses that surround the perimeter of the sim were made of mesh, but I was told that was not the case, as I found out. I had the great fortune to run into Laura Liberty when I dropped in to do my story. I gushed like the fan I am over her work, and asked her what program she used to do her meshes. Here is the exchange:

DrFran Babcock: what do you use for your 3d software? Your stuff is always so coordinated and well done?
Laura Liberty: I use Photoshop Elements, and thank you.
DrFran Babcock: But the 3D??

Laura Liberty: 3d textures?
DrFran Babcock: no the building It's not all regular prims, is it? It has to be mesh.
Laura Liberty: the buildings are just prims and some other bits are sculpts. I think I have one or two small mesh things.
DrFran Babcock: you are even more amazing then.

You simply must come to Valentine Town to see this build, and tell me if you thought it was mostly regular prims. The secret, I suppose is in the carefully thought out color scheme which cannot help but lift your spirits and feed your eyes.

The Activities

There is a lot to do at Valentine Town once one is through wandering around and admiring the look of the place. In the center of the village square stands a huge gumball machine spitting out giant colored spheres. There are two ways to dive in here. You can sit on any of the dark maroon gumballs and “mosh pit” your way around, or touch the sign and get a bunch of free, floaty gumballs. On my last visit, an international assortment of residents was rolling an laughing all around.

You can also leave your mark on Valentine Town by taking a photo of yourself there, and sending it, full-permissions, to Laura Liberty. She will put it up on the Snapshot Board located near the giant gumball machine. In addition, you can get a free face emoter HUD, so you can be smiling in all your pictures.

There are two fountains in the central square, and both of them have great animations for hanging out and chatting, or taking pictures to give to Laura. I spent some time dangling my feet in the water while I tried to speak Italian with a handsome guy.

Shopping

Valentine’s Day is a day that is often about gifts and flowers, and jewelry and lingerie, and…love. There is no shortage of all of this at Valentine Town. Absolutely anything that you can think of that relates to Valentine’s Day is on sale here: Animated furniture with models to try, full perm textures and sculpt texture maps of valentine-related shapes, flowers, landscaping, decorations, clothes, lingerie, sweets, balloons and cards. Everything you’d expect, but with a special twist. My favorite store was the LOL Anti-Valentine Gifts. There’s a certain someone who is going to get the blow-up doll with curlers that is in the shop.

Are you pining for someone, still in love with your ex, or do you have a secret crush? Well. Laura Liberty has a solution for you. No, she won’t get that person for you, but you can send them an anonymous gift. All you have to do is buy something on the sim (just about everything has transfer rights), put it into a folder along with a notecard with the recipients name and the date you want it delivered, and give it to Laura Liberty. Gee, I think I have about five of those to send out.

But, Wait, There’s More

When you love someone, sometimes you hold on to a little suspense to keep the tension going. Therefore, I will wait for another time to tell you about the little corner of the sim, hidden away and cloaked in yellow, purple and green. Can you figure what holiday uses those colors? Stay tuned for more about this astonishing builder, and the holiday sims she features.

DrFran Babcock