So, I had an idea to go to eight shops in the next eight weeks and highlight a local shop each week before Christmas gets here. I made the title graphic, which took me almost two hours and started to put this post together last night. After I had worked on it for about an additional two more hours, I looked at a calendar and realized that there’s only seven weeks till Christmas!

Yeah, I could change it to The Seven Weeks Of Xmas, but that would entail making a new title graphic and I don’t want it to be an odd number, I want it to be even. OCD is a very real thing!

So in the upcoming weeks, I’ll have to do two of these in one week. I’ll figure it out, but for now, let’s start week number one of this holly and jolly Xmas series!

Here we are at Relics gift shop, one of my favorite local shops in Peoria!

There’s gifts, plants, jewelry and most important of all…fun!

There’s the front door, but you don’t go in through there…

You enter through the side door over here!

I came in and the first thing I saw was two Trefzger’s thumbprint cookies! Someone grabbed one right after I took this shot, so I quickly grabbed the last one! What a sweet treat and a delicious way to start this post!

Ava was working behind the counter and was looking beautiful as always! She told me to feel free to wander and take some holiday photos and so that’s exactly what I’m going to do!