Just Around the Corner

Christmas!  So close.  It’s just around the corner and I know I say this every year but it seems to have come round so fast.

Yesterday I had my family come round for lunch and an afternoon of just being together.  I’d spent a few days cleaning the house + putting up the Christmas tree.  My living room smells amazing.  Real pine tree.  There’s nothing like it.  I have to be honest, I usually put the tree up 2wks before Christmas so it’s a little early this year but I’m happy.

The past couple of weeks I was really struggling every time I thought of Christmas, I thought of my Mum.  Her favourite time of the year.  It made me want to curl up under my bed covers and not come out til the New Year.  But, her voice was ringing in my ears.  “I just want you to be happy.  My family will go on and will be ok”.  I have to honour that.  And she’d be so very sad if she knew any of us were sad or depressed and not on top form for Christmas, her favourite time of year.

Steve got the Christmas decs from the loft and once I started sorting them out I honestly felt my mood lift and felt a wave of excitement about going out and buying our Christmas tree and then preparing the house for Christmas.  Done!  Christmas has officially arrived at the Rooney-Pinchbeck residence.

I even managed to design some gorgeous Scandinavian digital papers and gift tags.  I lived in Norway for four year during my teens back in the 70s and I have such fond memories of our Christmas’ there.  It was cathartic to design these digital goodies and also made me want to get on a plane and go visit again.  Maybe next year.  Please click on the images below if you’d like to buy the papers or gift tags – thank you!

My evenings are now filled with Christmassy endeavours from finishing off a little crochet blanket for my granddaughter’s doll’s pram to going through Christmas recipes and trying to decided what is too ambitious and what definitely needs doing.

I’m loving Delia Smith’s Happy Christmas book from last year for inspiration.

Oh and I need to get my Christmas Cake done this week so it’s got a good couple of weeks of rum feeding!

So are you ready for Christmas?  What are your “must do” Christmas traditions?  Or is there something new you’re going to do this year?  Please leave a comment to let me know, and a link to your blog especially if you’ve done a Christmas post.  Thanks so much!  Happy Christmas prepping!