Just for Us

Lisa: Boots, Just for Pampering
This year, I hope Santa brings me a pair of sassy boots, like these Lucchese Lucianas from the Burns Cowboy Shop in Park City, Utah (featured in “Shop Spotlight,” January/February 2009 Hobby Farm Home.) What is it about these boots that makes me swoon?  I wear the heck out of my western boots—around the farm, in the saddle, to events (farm and otherwise) and out on the town—and I tend to keep them for a long time. I’ve always wanted a pair of custom boots that are comfy, ornate and made just for me. If I get these, I promise I’ll think twice before subjecting them to the wear and tear of farm life. Photo courtesy Lucchese Boot Company.

Stephanie: Digital Camera
I’m holding out for a nice digital camera this year. A Canon EOS Rebel T1i EFS 18-55 IS with megapixels and zoom capabilities coming out of my ears would be perfect for capturing mouth-watering recipes for the pages of Hobby Farm Home, not to mention my adorable son and out-of-control dogs. Photo courtesy Canon USA.

Rachael: Juicer in a Box
I love wheatgrass, the newest member of my windowsill garden, because of its amazing immune-boosting capabilities and how easy it is to grow. Topping my holiday wish list this year is a wheatgrass juicer. The Omega 8005 is great because not only can I make myself a daily wheatgrass shot, but drink up the other fruits from my garden (or the local organic grocery store). Can you imagine sipping freshly juiced apples or oranges every morning, perhaps with a slice of fresh ginger or sprig of mint thrown in from your very own garden? Photo courtesy WheatgrassKits.com.

Krissa: Pink LED Christmas Lights
I’ve always dreamed that my wedding would look like a pink paradise of lights and candles in an evening garden. I’m still working on the garden theme, but getting these Pink LED lights for Christmas to drape in the ballroom for my June wedding will put me well on my way to achieving a pink paradise. Plus, the energy-efficient bulbs are good for the environment and are guaranteed not to go dim during the party.  Photo courtesy Christmas Light Source.

For Our Farms and Homes

Lisa: Some Help Backing this Up
I have a beast of a 30-foot gooseneck trailer that I pull with a 3/4-ton truck. I’ve come a long way in my accuracy—if not speed—of getting my trailer in and out of where I need to go. I still sometimes have to stop, jump out, run behind the trailer to see how close I am to that fence or barn, and get in to readjust the rig. It would be glorious if I could do all of that without having to take off my seat belt. This Vision Stat Portable Camera could be the way to go. Photo courtesy Mobile Awareness, LLC.

Stephanie: Fencing to Keep the Dogs Out
Each year my husband and I take our garden to the next level. In the first year, we had a raised bed that our dogs loved to use as a launch pad. The second year, we fenced in the garden with plastic mesh and thin wooden strips. And last year, we replaced the broken strips with lattice. Each time our dogs have penetrated our apparently lame attempts at protection, so in 2010, I want try wire fencing, such as Aubuchon Hardware’s welded wire fencing, hidden behind the decorative lattice. Photo courtesy Aubuchon Hardware.

Rachael: Apartment Composting 
Trying to live the local-minded, self-sustainable life from a second-story, one-bedroom apartment isn’t easy. To help my New Year’s resolution of reducing waste as much as possible, I would love this Plus XE compost bin from NatureMill. Its compact size would squeeze perfectly under my kitchen sink, and its odor-reducing capabilities would make my nose happy. Best of all, when the compost is ready, I can add it to my potted tomatoes and haul the excess to a local community garden. Photo courtesy NatureMill.

Krissa: VerTerra Single Use Dishes
I love to host parties, but would rather bypass the clean-up work (who wouldn’t?!). With these VerTerra disposable dishes made entirely of fallen leaves and water, I can throw a dinner party, then toss them into the compost pile. They will naturally compost in just two months. With no clean-up and no damage to the environment, these dishes set a fun, guilt-free, chic party in motion. Photo courtesy VerTerra Dinnerware/ Theodore Samuels.

For Mankind (or Animalkind)

Lisa: Colic Research
My holiday wish is for more research into colic, a terrible condition that strikes horses of all ages for any reason (or seemingly no reason at all). This year, I had to put down my 21-year-old horse, Red, because of a colic episode. I remember one Christmas (probably 15 years ago), my grandmother gave me boxes and boxes of sugar cubes for Red. It probably would’ve been a lifetime supply of treats for most horses, but I was a sucker for his big, brown eyes—so Red polished them off before his birthday four months later. This Christmas, I won’t be able to give Red sugar cubes, but my wish for more colic research might help another horse get his. Photo courtesy Lisa Munniksma.

Stephanie: Cross-cultural Sustainability
Instead of going with the old trusty standby “World Peace,” I’m going to tone it down a notch and wish for a sustainable lifestyle that is predominant in all cultures. (I did say it was toned down just a notch.) I think it’s feasible for people to curb their appetite for a disposable lifestyle, but it’s not going to be easy. People will resist for various reasons, but no matter how you look at it we’re destroying that which sustains us: the Earth. We don’t need to live granola-hippie lives, but I would love to see a world where each and every person makes an effort—in some large or small way—to conserve the life-giving forces of the world in which we live.  

Rachael: Localvorism as the Rule, Not the Exception
Why can I drive 10 minutes in any direction and pass three to five large chain grocery stores, but when I talk about farmers’ markets and CSAs, my friends eyes glaze over? The green movement is making progress in turning waste makers into proponents of self-sustainability, but I long for the day when supporting local farmers and businesses is the norm. 

Krissa: More Time
Is it possible to stretch the week so we have one extra day set aside to simply do nothing but enjoy those people closest to us?