No cards to show today....I am just about done making Christmas cards for now. Instead I thought I'd share our (only just) decorated home. I will, no doubt, shuffle and rearrange things in the 10 days up until Christmas, but here are a few snaps of the Christmas deco's around our home.
These are the simple felt Christmas stockings I made for the boys about 5 years ago. I made matching ones for my nephews, Jack and Cooper. My sister will bring them with her when they arrive on Christmas eve, so Santa will have FOUR of these to fill up when he gets here! Lucky they are not all that huge ;)
The wreath is something I made years ago - probably for our first Christmas in our new home. It's just strips of Christmassy fabric tied around a metal ring. Easy-peasy! The Santa box is used for storing ornaments through the year and goes out on display over the festive season. The top box is an "exploding" Christmas photo album which has lots of photos of the boys in their Santa hats and reindeer antlers. (Must show you the inside of that one day...)
A little cluster of Santas (and a snowman) on a table by the window...
And there's a stitchery from a couple of Christmases ago - I think it's a design by Tracey North. It sits on a little sofa table with a few special little candles. I have some other stitcheries to show you, but I forgot to photograph them, so I'll save them for another day.
Finally, the Christmas tree, which sits in the box-bay window at the front of our house. It blocks the beautiful view of the surrounding hills for a while, but we think it's worth it ;)
This year it FINALLY has a Christmas tree skirt to wear! It only took me about 5 years to finish! I just love getting out all the ornaments that have special meaning, especially the boys' "First Christmas" baubles (pale blue). There are also ornaments that have been hand made for us by friends and family (including Aunty Laura, Jenny the quilting diva, my new friend Lisa P in Tassie .... and some made by me, of course). Our tree hits the ceiling.....a slight miscalculation......or perhaps some festive exuberance by my husband and I. We do tend to get a little carried away sometimes :) Who said Christmas is just for the kids?!
I went to the shops today and I think I've finished my Christmas shopping......I can't think of anything I've missed. I have a few presents to make, so I'll get onto those in the next few days. It's a good feeling to know you're almost there. I haven't sent a single Christmas card yet....I've got a huge stash but I haven't written on them or posted them. I have put such a lot of love into the making of all those cards - now I just need to get them out to the people I care about :)......that is also on my list for the next couple of days. The kids finish school on Friday so I'm running out of "child-free" crafting time....fortunately they are pretty content to let me potter in the craft room these days for quite large chunks of time. They come in to cheer me on from time to time, and even join in when there's a bit of spare desk space.
I am making a conscious effort this year to give as many handmade gifts as I can. Hopefully the recipients will like them - I think they have more meaning than some store bought "stuff" - spending $ does not necessarily mean "giving". Christmas gifts should be more about the giving, and receiving, of tokens of our love and affection. The "stuff" doesn't mean that much at all really. I'm reading a really interesting book (about living with fibromyalgia, actually) that has a section about giving and receiving. While the chapter I read is about how people with fibromyalgia need to be able to accept the gift of help from others without feeling guilty or feeling endebted to the giver, I thought it was appropriate for this time of year when we're all over-run with the commercialism that seems to engulf us at times.
Here is an excerpt:
"The grace of life is being able to freely give and receive without keeping track; in other words, giving because we want to, without expecting anything in return. It also means graciously receiving what other desire to give without insisting on compensating them in some way. If someone gives us something, we need to accept it as a gift. When we try to pay someone back for something they desired to give us, we are refusing their love. Giving and receiving should both be a joy.
There is nothing more satisfying than having the privilege of truly helping someone who appreciates and accepts the gift. There is nothing that touches the heart more deeply than receiving a gift from someone who truly delights in giving."
(from "Living a Meaningful Life - Dealing with the Daily Challenges of Fibromyalgia". By Sherry Boettcher. Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises. 2008).
This chapter struck a chord with me, as I suffer constant guilt from having to ask others for help, or favours, when I am having a bad day, or week, with my fibromyalgia. Reading this made me realise that accepting help is accepting love, and to feel negatively about accepting the gift of help is denying the giver the joy of giving. I know how good it makes me feel to give; be it material things, handcrafted goodies, time, help or just a listening ear. I need to be able to accept these gifts from others too.
So back to Christmas, I want you to remember that all the gift giving is merely a means of showing people how much we love and care for them. It does not require "mega-bucks" - it merely requires a generous spirit and a token of your affection. Perhaps if more of us can take this approach, we will be less easily influenced by the commercialism that surrounds us, and more focused on the true meaning of Christmas.
I love browsing around blog land and seeing how people decorate their homes for Christmas. If you have some pics on your blog, please leave me a comment with a link so we can come and visit.
Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you are able to take a little time to rediscover the true joy of Christmas throughout this week.
Love Anita. xxx
