Julia Haupt of Sweet Threads Gift Shop on Riford Brook Road in Braintree puts finishing touches on an antique wooden shovel with balsam, cones, milk weed pods, grasses, and Christmas ornaments. Daily trips into the deep mountain woods surrounding her property yield natural treasures with which she decorates everything from old snowshoes to hanging baskets, providing holiday charm for customers from all over central Vermont. (Herald / Bob Eddy)