Excitement begins

For me, the countdown starts properly with the first Sunday in Advent.

As a student, this was the day when I decorated my room, but that was because I wouldn't be in residence at Christmas.  Once I became more settled, this was the day when I decided who would receive which card and when I started writing my Christmas letters.  I lit the first candle of my Advent ring, ate my first mince pie of the season, drank a glass or two of Gewürztraminer and listened to the Christmas music of the Messiah, while I pencilled names on the back of cards.  

This is a tradition I continue to this day. Most of my cards are now made, and those that are have all been allocated, with names pencilled in on envelopes and the back of cards.  Letters and cards are yet to be written, but that will be the joy of the coming days.

I know that later this week, we will start decorating our offices under the direction of team members who are as enthusiastic as I am myself.

Time to start work ...

Over the last week there have been a couple of important milestones in the countdown to Christmas.

The first two of the "last posting" dates for surface mail passed at the beginning of this week.  It isn't actually called 'surface mail' any more, but so many people still think of it in this way that even the Post Office web site uses the term somewhere in the explanation!

Secondly, we are now into October and, with last week's equinox behind us, the days are getting shorter.  We are having some glorious autumn days at the moment and my journey to work has been beautiful, with the mist sitting in the low lying areas so that just the tops of the trees poke out and with a large luminous moon hanging in the blue sky.

Time to start card making ...

Preparing to Prepare ...

It may have been July and I may have been on my summer holiday, but I couldn't resist going into one of the several Christmas Shops in Prague!

I didn't buy anything there, although in the market I did buy a couple of small wooden Christmas tree ornaments.

Back home I found that in the latest craft magazine there are Christmas card designs and while I won't be making cards just yet, soon it will be time to give serious thought to whether I have all I need to get started.

Christmas 2015

It's official!  The theme for Christmas 2015 will be 'Christmas Trees', and probably a fairly wide interpretation of the theme.

With the sales of Christmas merchandise almost over, with us now into the season of Lent in preparation for Easter and with the first craft show of the year attended, I have a good haul of tree-themed goodies to add to those we possess already.  The ideas are starting to flow and notes are being made.

The photo shows a few of the paper craft items but there are candles, napkin rings and both tree and house decorations as well as all the textile and other crafts bits and pieces.

It is just as well that I've got the basics for Christmas settled as it is time to start on the Easter makings ...

Twelfth Night

There isn't total agreement as to whether Twelfth Night should be celebrated on 5th or 6th January.  I have my own ideas, but they are not really relevant - the important thing is to mark it in some way.

For many people it is the day when the Christmas decorations are taken down and packed away, although the superstition that leaving decorations up after Twelfth Night brings bad luck originally applied to decorations left after 2nd February - the real end to the full Christmas season.  As I mentioned last year, I follow a tradition set by my great grandmother and keep some decorations until after 8th January, my mother's birthday.

Yesterday evening, as I drove through the local market towns, the Christmas lights were still on.  This evening they were off, although some individual shops and houses still had their festive lights.

We still haven't finally settled on our Christmas 2015 theme, but all will be revealed very soon!  In part the delay is because we found that the post Christmas sale at the major craft shop chain we visit was rather disappointing this year.  However, we have short-listed three possibilities and I think we have a distinct leaning towards one of them.

The photo is of some of our Christmas greenery - which, in a centrally heated house, can't last the full Twelve Days without being renewed!

A bit of a moan

In spite of all I see to the contrary, it is still Christmas!

I can understand people who have packed away their decorations this weekend.  While many of us were working between Christmas and New Year and on Friday, there was then a distinctly festive atmosphere, which will not be present tomorrow. Plus, the weekend gives people time to take down and pack away their decorations, which is important when you have a lot to do.

Where I do have a bone to pick, is with shops that want to pack away Christmas on Boxing Day.  While I may have some sympathy with price reductions on Christmas wrapping paper and similar such items, the disappearance of Christmas food before Twelfth Night is not so forgivable.  It is still the Christmas season, and get togethers this weekend should still be able to feature mince pies and other such festive foods without the need to have bought them on Christmas Eve!

So the photo that goes with this post is one of three tree decoration made by my mother. Each depict one of the three Kings - who haven't yet arrived …

Christmas Cards

The photo I posted on Christmas Day was of the card sent to Mary (my great aunt) 100 years ago.

I also have a card sent 30 years later, during the next war.  This one was sent from my father to his parents and sister.

Sending physical cards is falling out of fashion, for very obvious and valid reasons, especially with friends and family being scattered across the globe.  However, I think there is still something special about receiving cards and we have ours displayed in various parts of the house.