Christmas is for children.................

I suppose most of our good Christmas memories come from childhood. I never really believed in Father Christmas, except maybe for a couple of years. I knew my parents bought the gifts because I always found them. I suppose before that I may have.
I do remember sitting in my bedroom window watching through the frosty pane, looking at the sky and waiting.

Well I never did see him. I know I fell asleep. Did I fall asleep looking out the window and Mum laid me down? Or did I give up and take a nap?

Some years I would awake to find the gifts on the end of my bed. That year I really did wonder. Usually though, probably as I got older, we would open our gifts Christmas morning and later yet, on Christmas eve so we could sleep in.
I know now my parents tried to sleep in, and by putting the gifts on the end of the bed it would keep me in there and playing. No. How dumb was that idea. First thing was to share the fact that Santa came never mind the gifts. I dont think they got to sleep in until I was old enough that I would prefer to sleep in.


For me, looking back it was the later years that come to mind. Family. I loved that the house was a bustle of friends and neighbours and family all stopping by.Everyone got a drink and probably a mince pie. Mum made the very best pastry. I have never had anything like it, hers was different. I have never experienced anyone else's like it or bought anything like it.

We didn't have much but Mum always had a couple of bottles of Sherry, maybe Port and lemon and a drop of the hard stuff for the men. Whiskey usually.
She would make her mince pies and some fairy cakes and usually Scottish shortbread and cheese straws. In any case everyone enjoyed themselves. In those days most people walked everywhere so a nice drink at each stop was welcome. Then the walk down to the pub, everyone invited. A jolly group that I joined as I got older. Fun times with my uncles, granddad and dad. The women of course were all home cooking. Just the neighbour ladies would pop in for a nip and to try the pies. After dinner I would go into next door and put up with Charlie Mac's gropes and kisses and a glass of sherry. Mrs Mac and the girls didn't bat an eye but I know he embarrassed us all. Me, I was not offended and took it in my stride with an eye roll and gentle reprimand. I guess I thought thats what men did. That was my experience of any but my dad anyway................Charlie got merry when he drank and sang. Yeah, time to go back home the men would have finished their nap by them and the ladies got to clean up so it was dish washing time next. Then to take another look at the gifts.

The men would be laying around with their silly paper hats from the Christmas crackers. Snores and hands around their full bellies. Took ages to do the dishes but with Mum, me, my aunt and grandma it was not so much of a chore.

Tristens Christmas Day................

I would normally post this on Bluebell Woods but I already did a post today. Do not have much to show in the way of crafts. Hope to remedy that soon. For now here is a pictorial show of Tristens gift opening.......He spent Christmas eve with his Auntie Laura so they could attend the Commins family Christmas party. So.......he was home by 10am to open his presents here. He had said he wanted a "dog" stuffy. He wanted a cape so we improvised. He actually ended up with a couple. An Angry bird one and a Spider man one, he and Reina has a great time dressing up and playing. Super Grover....or who ever he is was a hit He enjoyed figuring out how to open his carry case for his cars. Then apart from all the other things he got the ultimate gift was a drum set. Now he thinks he's a drummer This year we made sure that he didnt rip and tear into his gifts and throw papers and boxes all over. I gave him one at a time. He then threw away the paper before opening the next...........trouble was he had so many he was tired of opening them haha............Auntie Carrie really enjoyed shopping for him. We were ever so grateful to her and Justin for being so generous. All in all I think he had a great day. Next year he will be just turned 4 and will understand a bit better. We will expect more and put the emphasis onto Jesus. He did have a couple of books that he liked about Jesus birth but at his age its hard to grasp the concept. We are working on that. When we were sitting for dinner I asked who could say grace for us............Tristen said "I can" so we all looked at him and I said "OK go ahead".....he folded his hands and closed his eyes and said "Grace" .....it was just so cute and we thought it was probably the best prayer ever.

Its Time to Get Ready for Christmas.............

I love to get the house ready for the Christmas season. It's so much work now though. I decorate the whole of downstairs and so that means putting away our every day things till January. I think this year I will paint some of the rooms to freshen up before putting things back out.
Anyway, we got the tree up and decorated on Sunday, Saturday was spent packing things and exploring the Christmas things again. Its lovely to go through it all and remember people and who made some of the things. I gave a lot of the hand made things to Laura and this year will give some to Danielle. Then the things I have will just be purchased things, and thats just fine by me. There are really cool things out there now.



Some of the ornaments on the tree, its always fun to rearrange after its all done



Then to decorate and redo all the surfaces in the house (smile) at least downstairs. There was a time when the granddaughters came home for Christmas from North Carolina, I would put a tree in each of their rooms, they didn't notice the effort though. I collect snowmen and santa's now and the older ones as they get ragged get to sit outside.



The living room needs a few more touches but this is what we have so far.......



I put holly and poinsettias in among my real flowers and replace the summer flowers to give everything a festive look.



I foumd a use for the little chair that I found this summer. Didn't know what to do with it and it's been sitting empty. So now Santa has a new place to sit. Seeing as how we don't have a chimney.



I had to bunch all my plants up basically in one spot, so I loaded them up with poinsettia and made them festive. It's the only place I could put them and not kill them



I am trying to put some sort of lighted tree in each room, so far I only have this one going on.


The stuffies I have had for years may not make it through this year with Mr Sticky Fingers in the picture.


One thing I found useful was old jars I found at resale/thrift shops. Other years I have put candy in them but glass balls look so sparkly and pretty.

Christmas may not be the real birthday of Jesus but it is His official birthday. I am sure He does not need to have a birthday but we need to remember why he was born into this world. Maybe we do need to remember that more than once a year, and I do, but the "world" does not. If nothing else it is a joyful season and people have the opportunity to wish people well and think of others. That too should be done more often. This though is the real world and people get busy and quite often just do not make the effort. Please do not say "Happy Holidays' it is Christmas!. otherwise why bother? I especially do not like Xmas. That is just lazy and it is also taking Christ out of Christmas. Not everyone is a Christian, I do understand that but the "holiday" IS Christmas no matter what people think. No one HAS to celebrate it. Let us all make an effort especially Christians, to put the whole meaning back into this Christmas season. All the miracles of His birth, His life and His gift to us of eternal life and the whole reason for his coming. Think how those shepherds felt when they saw the heavenly choirs announce His birth. Think of the priviledge and the fact they came to the lowly ones and not the Kings of the earth to give their message of hope. Have a wonderful Christmas.