3rd December

The forecast for today wasn't far wrong, it stayed below freezing all day but did remain dry.
I had another little snowman in my advent calendar again.

This is an odd photo for today, it was actually taken in colour - not sure where it all went though. I took the photo on the way home from work. To be honest, there were nicer views but I couldn't stop the car to take the photo. The trees looked pretty with the frost and snow on them, why did I take this drab photo?

Cards!

So, I've decided this year that I'm not going to send any cards until I receive my first one. I had expected to receive a few by now, but not one. I used to post my cards on 1st December, but I went for a change this year (living dangerously!).

I've made all my cards this year, I like to make my own, but sometimes I don't get round to it. I started early this year as I'm waiting to go into hospital for an operation on my hand and I didn't want to get caught out and have to buy them. I went to a card making marathon at the end of October and made quite a lot of my cards there, it was run by Julia and Ali, the 2scrapladies (they're here if you'd care to look

http://www.2scrapladies.blogspot.com/ ) and a fabulous time was had by all.

I always think I send too many cards. I swing from wanting to send only to people I know well and see or speak to regularly, to want to send only to those people I don't see often. I send to and receive cards from people I haven't seen for fifteen years - Should I carry on sending cards at Christmas when I haven't seen them for donkeys years?

I never write "round robin" letter, I can never believe that people are in the least bit interested in what my family and I have been doing all year. One family send a letter every year and it's written almost like a diary, everything each individual member of the family has done all year is documented! I usually just sign the card and post it off.

I haven't photographed any of my cards so I can't put them here. May do that later.

Well, dear reader, that's all for today.

2nd December - It's snowing

What a good prompt today from Shimelle, we have snow! Just before going to bed last night I realised it had started snowing and took this photo. There has been snow in a lot of places for a few days now, but we hadn't had any. When I got up we had about 3", I hoped school would have a snow day, alas - no. Most of the kids came in to be fair and the ones who had wellies could go out and play on the field which they loved. I also had a little snowman in my advent calender.

I suppose it's a bit early for the snow to last until Christmas. I expect by then it will be cold and wet and horrid. We don't often have snow at Christmas. I always think that it snowed at Christmas when I was little, but I'm not sure if it did. Last year we had lots of snow, the good thing about writing a blog is that I can go back and check what it was like then.

Well, we didn't have snow this early last year, I don't think we've had snow this early in the year for decades. I wonder if it's going to be a long long winter.

Here's the weather forecast for tomorrow in Wiltshire:

Friday
Mainly dry for much of the day, with frost lasting through the morning. Cloud may reach the far west by evening. Remaining cold, with light southwest winds.

Let's see if they're right. It doesn't look as though we'll get anymore snow. So, dear reader, until tomorrow stay warm and safe.

1st December 2010

Here we are, December again! I'll try and remember a little bit more about my Christmases past. Also a little bit about this Christmas too.

I've made all my cards this year, even the ones for the children at school. They're all ready to post, but I'm not going to be the first so as soon as I receive one I will post mine.

Most of the Christmas presents are bought too. Wow! I am organised aren't I? Watch this space. I know some people who have their decorations up already, but I think it's too early for that. I will update here when I put mine up.

So that's the start of my Journal Your Christmas this year. I will try to add a photo each day and this one is my first. A lovely lady who I work with gave me this Advent Calendar today, I was very touched. The chocolate today was a little Christmas tree. Lovely. Thank you Beryl. I haven't put up my Countdown to Christmas layout on my magnetic calendar yet, I'll do that later and put up a picture of it tomorrow. Until then, dear reader, take care and keep warm.

10th January already

Well, I wasn't a very good blogger was I? I may fill in bits about Christmas as I go. I would like to remember Christmas's from my past, so that's what I will try to do.

Wishing you a very happy 2010.

Day 18

Oh goodness, five days since I blogged. I don't even have a photo for today, or the days I've missed.
I've finished the cards and they've all gone in the post. The gifts are wrapped and are under the tree. The house is decorated. Now I'm just waiting for my brother and sister-in-law to arrive from LA on Sunday.
I can't believe the weather this week, it's been freezing and there's been quite a lot of snow in some places. We've had a few flurries, but nothing has settled. I want it to stay that way until the Americans arrive then it can snow and give us a lovely white Christmas. I just hope they'll be warm enough, it's freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing in my house.
Well, dear reader, that's all for today. I promise more later. Take care and stay warm.

Day 13

Woohoo, the tree is up and decorated. It's taken all weekend, but I've done it. I would have enjoyed decorating more if I'd had the rest of the family to do it with me. We always do it together but this year I was alone. DH was cooking dinner, Big girl is away now and Little girl is stropping about something - who knows what (she can strop for Great Britain, this is day 2 of this strop already and I still don't know what it's about). The tree looks a bit lopsided in the photo, I hope it doesn't fall over, I sit just to the right of it!All the other decorations are up too, well except for the dining room ones. That's because I haven't quite finished wrapping presents yet and the room is a mess.
I made this nativity scene about eighteen years ago at a ceramics class I went to, it's still my favourite. Pity I cut the baby Jesus off the photo! He is there really.

I've probable had this one almost as long, but I've only just bought the kings/wise men and shepherds this year.

I love my little village scene. I add to it each year, the lovely little olde worlde shop in the centre is new this year. I wonder how long it will last when my nieces visit!

We had a Carol singer yesterday. A lone singer, who sang "We" Wish You A Merry Christmas. One of my Facebook acquaintances said they'd had some singers in November, she said her husband was going to give money to them only if they could sing at least two verses of a recognisable Carol. I think that's an excellent idea.

When I was young we always had Carol singers from the church. My Mum used to bake mince pies and ply them with home made wine, I don't know if the people they visited after us enjoyed their singing as much as we did, LOL.

I always put on a CD of Carols when I'm putting the decorations up. I was irritated this afternoon not to be able to find my favourite CD. I did find it eventually, but I had to listen to some very ropey stuff while I was looking. My father-in-law gave me a couple of CD he got free in the newspaper and there are some really weird Christmas songs on there. I like traditional Carols rather than Christmas songs. I love singing along with them, I'm not a very good singer at all, but that doesn't stop me. I don't think I have a favourite Carol, but I love singing The First Noel. I love the Noel, Noel, Noel Noel chorusy bit.

Well, dear reader, that's your lot for today.

Day 12

Here we are on day 12 of Advent. I suppose that means we're half way through doesn't it?

Well, what fun and games we've had with the tree, LOL. I decided I would get a bigger tree this year. I should have realised that the size of tree we normally get just fits on the table where we always have it, so a bigger one is not going to fit. Hmm, obviously I didn't think this through, so I bought one which is about two feet taller. I'm sure you're ahead of me here!
First the trunk was too thick to fit in the pot we have so my poor darling husband spent ages shaving it down so it would fit.

We then realised we'd have to put the tree on a lower table as it was too tall to fit on the table we usually use, but it was still a few inches too tall. We now had to chop the top off. I'm not sure we've ended up with a much bigger tree after all! With all this going on, and having to clean up before we put the tree up, it was too late to decorate it. So, as you see, it's sitting very prettily on the table in the corner waiting to be decorated tomorrow. It looks better than it did yesterday though and I'm hoping it will look even prettier tomorrow.

I've been thinking about Christmases past and how they've changed. To be honest, I'm not sure they have changed an awful lot. I think we spend more these days then in the past, but then that could apply to most things (I remember my parents spending 17/6d on bed and breakfast for four of us when we went on holiday. For those who can't remember old money that's about 75p! Goodness, how old am I?). I remember Mum complaining at Christmas time that we had enough food to feed an army and that people shopping seemed to be stocking up for weeks rather than days. So what's changed there? The shops are only closed for two days, so why do we all have to have overflowing trolleys and groaning shelves in the cupboard?

When I was little I used to get a new paint tin every year. I loved the paint tin, it was all clean and neat. I've always loved colouring in, and another favourite present was a colouring book and new crayons. Can you imagine giving a child a colouring book and crayons these days? I always got a selection box at Christmas when I was younger too, every year I ask for one even now but no-one ever buys me one. I buy one for myself just so I'm not disappointed. I don't think a selection box is an unreasonable request, do you?

I find it more and more difficult these days to decide what I want for Christmas or birthdays. Last year neither DH or I could think of what we wanted so we bought a new television, it seemed much more sensible than just having something for the sake of it. I think we'll do the same this year too, not a TV you understand, we're thinking we may buy a new sofa. The family are buying/have bought me an electric blanket this year. I was going to get some crafting stuff but to be honest, my craft room is bulging with stuff. I was clicking away on the laptop one evening thinking how cold I was and I decided that I could do with an electric blanket so in less than two weeks I will be the proud owner of a lovely new comfort blanket with a special bit at the bottom to keep my feet warm (regular readers will know of my passion for comfy feet).

So, dear reader, there we have it. I think as you get older, or maybe as your children get older, the magic goes out of Christmas, but I'm not sure anything else has changed. I'm sure our parents got just as stressed as we get these days. And maybe I'll get a colouring book, some crayons, a new paint tin and a selection box this year. Wouldn't that be nice?