Every December, a Langley flower stand becomes a bright beacon for those seeking holiday cheer.
Tamara Knapp and her mother, Dorothy Anderson, transform the empty Dahlia House known for its colorful springtime and summertime blooms into the Christmas House. The little stand, decked out in colorful string lights, is filled to the brim with free holiday gifts.
Located on Fairgrounds Road, the stand is part of the historic Anderson Farm. As a little girl growing up across the street, Knapp has fond memories of visiting her grandparents, Mildred and Al Anderson, in their old farmhouse built in 1907. During the holiday season, Mildred would bake hundreds of pounds of cookies and candy for the entire town to enjoy.
“It was always a beautiful, magical time at Christmas on the farm,” Knapp said. “So we just wanted to extend that to our community by giving back because that’s what our grandparents always taught us.”
To honor her grandparents’ legacy, Knapp started the Christmas House in 2017 with the assistance of her mother. The two of them accumulate items throughout the year. Friends and neighbors have also been known to help furnish the stand with plenty of gifts.
A tour through the Christmas House this week revealed Disney Princess dolls, a floral painting, a gently used food processor, a new ironing board, VHS tapes, stacks of blankets, several tree ornaments and at least one snow globe.
In the spirit of giving, everything is free of charge. If someone is looking to give a donation, however, the money in the honesty stand lockbox will go to Good Cheer Food Bank.
From the road, one can see everything is merry and bright. All night, the lights illuminate the stand, as well as Santa, his reindeer and some bovine helpers.
“We love our flying cows,” Knapp said with a laugh, standing before the fence where the festive cattle are attached.
The Anderson Farm is home to three real live cows, a flock of chickens and ducks and two friendly farm cats, Jigger and Ouzzo. In 2015, Knapp launched an effort to restore the historic farmhouse where her grandparents lived. Instead of taking three months as expected, the renovation lasted three years and several exciting discoveries were made, including the home’s original shiplap buried under layers of wallpaper.
Today, Knapp and Anderson share their family history by leasing out the restored farmhouse as a short-term vacation rental.
“The farm has my heart,” Knapp said.
(Photo by David Welton) Dorothy Anderson and Tamara Knapp hold up free gifts that can be found in the Christmas House on Fairgrounds Road in Langley.
(Photo by David Welton) Flying cows, illuminated by Christmas lights, hang along the fence.
