Way back to last December...

Now that the grandies are getting older, I like to involve them with things like decorating for Christmas. 

When the tree first came out of its box early last December, Miss Anthea straight away put 2 decorations on the tree...just 2! 😜

Firstly a toy phone from our toy box...

And Mary from my knitted Nativity...Along with baby Jesus too of course 😄. 

The next day, Holly came for a sleepover so that was a perfect excuse for more decorating of the tree...but first there was some playtime in the red felt sleigh. 

Holly loved helping me with unwrapping the decorations from the tissue paper and then organising me to put the decorations on the tree where she wanted them 😉


We left Mary on the tree...

Holly even got to play with a Santa decoration made with a dolly peg that her Poppy ( her mum’s dad) made when he was at kindy! (Some how this family heirloom is still in my Xmas boxes) 

Before Holly went home after her sleepover, she had time to write out some of her Christmas cards...

This was the card for Mummy and Daddy...

A few days before Christmas I dropped something I’d made in the letterbox at Anthea’s place...ready for Christmas Eve. 

A mug rug! There’s a pocket to put a letter to Santa in. 

As the month went on I did some more Christmas decorating...this year the knitted Nativity was set up on the corner table...

 We added some battery operated candles....

But alas no Mary and baby...she was still on the tree. 

As usual we had the family Christmas on the evening of the 24th. And what a bonus; this year all 5 of our girls, our 4 sons in law and 5 grandchildren were able to come! 

All lovely memories. 

Who knows what Christmas 2020 will be like. It’s closer than you think...a mere 6 months and 2 days away! 😂 🎅🏻 

And even more 25 Days of Christmas...

My goodness another week has gone by already! 

Day 15 photo was 'about collars'. Same dress, different wearers and different collars.

On the left is DD1 wearing the dress I made for her first communion, and a few years later DD2 is wearing the same dress for the school's Christmas Carols Night. Yep, the good old detachable collars. 

Day 16 photo is Jimmy, DD2's dog, all dressed up in his cute Christmas outfit. He'd probably still fit into it as he hasn't grown much. 😃

Day 17 

A children's book that has become a favourite of mine ever since a teaching partner introduced me to it. Some of my classes have acted out the story for end of year concerts. It is the Christmas story told from the viewpoint of the innkeeper at Bethlehem. He gets increasingly grumpy as he is being woken up throughout the night by shepherds and kings knocking at his door as well as bright lights and choirs of angels preventing him from sleeping.

If you have the time, this is a link to a lovely video of some New Zealand children acting out the story.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz7Yf2wEypg&feature=youtu.be

Day 18 photo is from Christmas Eve 2014 when the family was speaking to DsD3 via Skype. She was living in Canada and had to get up during the early hours of the morning for the call, due to the time difference. ( it was the day before Christmas Eve in that part of the world) This year she will be sitting at the same table as the rest of us.

 

Day 19

This is a collage of photos of Christmas break up activities that our family were involved with at our parish church...late 1980s, early 1990s vintage. It was always lots of fun for the children and adults alike. 

Day 20

From vintage to present day...some of the Christmas decorations we saw in Port Macquarie just a few days ago...

 The baubles on the tree were as big as basketballs! 

Day 21

Recently a brand new IKEA store opened just north of Brisbane at Northlakes. DH and I waited a week or so before heading up there for a look. 

We bought a few gifts for some of the little people in our lives and then headed down to the checkouts. And just before the checkouts was the Christmas department and I was entranced by the range of decorations. Entranced but not tempted to buy, I just took some photos. 

So December is now in its third week; not long now till Christmas 😃🌲🌲

25 Days of Christmas Project.

In December 2013 one of my friends invited me to join her in a little Facebook project that she had devised. Jenny called it 25 Days of Christmas and the idea was to post a photo with the Christmas theme each day from December 1 right up to Christmas Day. I seriously doubted I could come up with enough photos but still agreed to join Jenny. Well...I ran out of days before I ran out of photos! 

My friend decided that the one year was enough for her, but I've kept going and here I am in my 4th year. I thought I would share some of those 2016 photos on the blog.

Day 1 

DH standing beside the Christmas tree in the foyer of the Geebung RSL club. We were there last week to play Trivia.

Day 2

Most of our Christmases were spent here in Brisbane, but a few times we spent Christmas with our Melbourne family. My girls were probably 7 and 10 that year.

Day 3

This ornament has already  been written about on my blog; De, my Secret Santa at Sunday Stitchers made it for me. 

Day 4

This photo is of DsD3 at 2 months with her big cousin on Christmas Day 1986.

Day 5

This photo is of an animated Christmas tree that I saw at Costco a few months ago. I loved it but didn't buy it. It was cute though...that little train running along the little track and beautiful music and lights.

Day 6

This day I posted a collage of some of my favourite Christmas projects over the years using hexagons. I've masked out most of the new project on the left as it's a Secret Santa give for someone in Blogland. 😉

Day 7 

This is another photo collage from the family archives...1983; DD1 received a Fisher Price Musical Carousel toy from her dad and I. As you can see in the top photo, I loved playing with it too. 

The photo in the bottom right hand corner is 'borrowed' from the Internet. The original toy also included 3 little people figures who sat in the little seats that spun out when the handle was turned to play the records. We loved that toy! Unfortunately when Miss DD1 was about 5, she poured cordial into the mechanism and it never worked again. My budding scientist wanted to see what would happen if a liquid was added...😒. All wonderful memories and what family stories are made of. 

The pictures I've posted in the previous 3 years have prompted some lovely reminiscing from both family and friends...and that's what Christmas means to me...memories and special times with family and friends. 

So that's the first week of my 25 Days of Christmas for 2016.

Remember how I was decluttering?

Yes well...I was in the city on Thursday and went for a walk in the Myer Centre. There's a shop in there called 'Bed, Bath and Table'. I don't think I've ever ventured in the store before, but they had this Easter display right near the store entrance didn't they? You could say I was 'entranced', as I found myself entering the store to 'ooh and aah'. 

I did more than admire...this is what came home with me...after I paid for them of course! Lol

And...

Which, when unwrapped, reveals...

Another Easter eggcup to join the vintage 1950s ones I have!

I could have bought heaps more but I was very restrained...

I found the Easter selection of the store online... Check it out and be charmed/entranced too maybe! http://www.bedbathntable.com.au/easter-table

My niece's children love it when I decorate for Celebrations and next year little Anthea will be much more aware of what's going on. So that's my excuse for buying some Easter 'stuff'...lol.

The Christmas Tree...

Apparently Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert, introduced the concept of the Christmas tree to the UK during his wife's reign and from there it possibly reached to all corners of the old British Commonwealth.  The tree had been a tradition in his German homeland for many years. As a child I always wanted a Christmas tree but I had to grow up and go to work before I achieved that dream. I've had a few trees since then, admittedly all artificial. But the tree is such a symbol of Christmas isn't it? 

Earlier in the month I went to some craft markets at a local Baptist Church, and sure enough there were some trees just inside the front door...

And yesterday I took a photo of the Christmas tree in one of the churches in our parish...

During Advent parishioners are bringing in donations of non perishable food and these are put under the tree. There are cardboard baubles which are placed on the tree when people donate cash too. The stuffed animal toys are leftover from the Nativity service for the Mainly Music children last week.

Now that brings me to my place and my tree. DH set the tree up last week but it stood undecorated...very sad! Lol. 

Then DD1 and her boyfriend came to lunch yesterday and after lunch the two of them helped me get the Christmas 'stuff' out of the various cupboards where they are stored...

And once they got all the boxes down from the high cupboards, it took the two of them about 20 minutes to get that tree decorated...

All done! And I think they had fun doing it too...always a bonus! 

'Bibs and bobs' or what's been happening around here...

Firstly some photos of the Advent swap, although not right up to date...Cheryl continues to spoil me with delightful items in the parcels...
The beautiful bird ornament with the Santa hat is now decorating the long bench that the TV sits on. The purple bracelets have already been worn and I love them. The little teal and purple purse is so sweet and the vintage Santa tin has a secret...

 It's actually a candle!

This amazing Christmas bell is also decorating the TV bench

Many thanks Cheryl; I love what you've sent me!

 Now as the month of December continues to rush headlong towards Christmas,  there is a winding up of group meetings. Last Saturday I had breakfast with my high school mates and then I headed off to the last Grovely Knit and Natter for the year. Only 3 of us made it but we certainly had a great time catching up.

And of course we had some Show and tell...Dianne takes T shirts and polo shirts and turns them into a dress by crocheting a skirt and sewing it to the hem of the shirt...They look wonderful!

It's amazing how blogger turns photos around :-/ 

 Sue had made another of her knitted in the round jumpers for the Summer Challenge...

A closeup of the pouch/pocket on the front...

Lastly I'll show some of the decorations that I've put together. Usually I just decorate the tree and maybe throw a bit of tinsel on the shelves of the hutch. Inspired by other bloggers I have gone through every box of decorations stored in the top cupboards in the bathroom and consequently I've 'found' ornaments that haven't seen the light of day for years... So I've decorated more areas than usual.
When the sofa table got ousted from the loungeroom when we bought the modular lounge, it sat in the corner of the dining room. It normally has family photos on top but I put them away for a few weeks and put up the little tree that I used to use in my classroom. It has handmade ornaments plus old ones from my girls' childhood...

 Last year my friend Lee gave me some lovely Aussie animal ornaments....

It has been quite hot here and the gold candles have started to bend because of the heat :-(

Next time I'll post some photos of other decorated areas. The girls will get a surprise when they come over on Christmas Eve...I've really had fun!