Monday 11 November 2013

The days to the holiday season are getting closer and now that the Christmas Pageant has been and run for another year the countdown will gather momentum. Once upon a time the shops would start with Christmas from Pageant Day, but lately the Pageant just tells us to take the shops and catalogues seriously as Christmas is really here and its time to put up the Christmas Tree. We used to decorate the tree in mid December, but once the children see the pageant the Christmas Tree is almost required to be erected that day.

Whilst I do not agree with this I don't mind because it really gets me in the Christmas spirit so much earlier. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I love the fuss, the food, the preparation, choosing gifts, making gifts & cards and sending and receiving the cards.

I do not like the COST of Christmas these days, it has blown completely out of proportion with reality. There is no need to go into debt to give your children everything they want. If children receive everything they want then they never learn to appreciate anything. (But that is for another day.) I am on a small fixed income and Christmas can bring great difficulty but it is included in my budget and I give to a few close friends and ALL immediate family members, that includes my brother and sister and their families. My goal each year is to see what exciting imaginative very reasonably priced gift I can come up with for each family member. This means (not only due to finance but to mobility) that much of my shopping is completed on line. It is amazing what small gadgets are out there for both males & females, children & adults for under $2.00 and only buy if I can get free postage. I feel guilty about shopping on line, but firstly I do it as mobility is an issue for me and secondly I CANNOT AFFORD the cost of goods in our Australian shops.

Enough of my ranting and rationalizing for this week. Back to how much JOY Christmas brings me!

This week our letterbox is being bombarded with brochures for Christmas and my in-box on g-mail is being flooded with specials from the different stores I occasionally buy from and the weekly newsletters I receive from different craft groups are now at least twice weekly with Christmas patterns and recipes. Which means I have to choose the best and most exciting to place here each week. I know I am going to miss some really good ideas out, but will try to still place them on my Christmas Page.

So on to the week ahead of us:

Christmas Planning:

Iridescent Christmas Ornament

A gorgeous bauble to hang on the tree or give as a gift. Go to the link above for the directions on how to make.

Recipe of the week

A great recipe for everyone. Soup can be eaten at any time and can be so filling. Add crunchy bread if you want to make it a main meal. (Gluten free of course!)