Tuesday 24 December 2013

Advent Calendar bloghop

You have no idea how honoured I feel to have 24th December as my Advent Calendar date.  I don't know where Jo gets the idea that I am excited from although she said it's something to do with the fact that her computer glows red and bounces up and down when she receives an email from me!!!  Imagine if it was snowing too...

Anyway, this is my offering for Christmas.  I bought the kit at the Harrogate show and have never tried beading before...well other than adding beads to cross stitch designs.  I loved it!  Something happened to it and one bit came undone so I unpicked it and started it again which didn't take too long.

Spellbound Beads - Starry Night kit
We don't have many traditions as such that revolve around food in our house.  Our big (non food) tradition is doing the Christmas decorating.  The first full weekend of December, the tree goes up.  Our tree is huge!  It is 7.5 feet tall and with the angel on top there is about an inch gap between her head and the ceiling.  So the big tree box comes out of the cupboard and the children sort the colour coded branches out.  Then the 'fun' part of making the branches look like a real tree begins.  The children do the donkey work whilst I add them to the tree and titivate them so they look their best.  Once this is done I put the lights on the tree. Aftwerwards, all four of us take it in turns to choose a piece of tinsel for me to put on the tree with the only rule being not to have two of the same colour next to each other.  Then the decorations come out and we take it in turns to choose one and add it in a suitable space.  The only person allowed to hang the lovely Kris Kringle that I received from Shirlee about 10 years or so ago is me and it goes where I can see it from where I sit.  I also tend to hang all the cross stitch ones I have been gifted whereas anyone can add the ones I have made.




The final thing to be added is the angel on top.  This year she was added by Rachael.


For food 'traditions' we have breakfast first of all.  Breakfast is either croissants or pain au chocolats depending on who wants what.  Sadly Rachael is very fussy and ends up with either a bowl of cereal or bog standard toast.  She might go really mad and have some Nutella on it this year!!

Christmas dinner is cooked by Colin who does a better roast dinner than me.  We have turkey and gammon with mash and roast potatoes.  Veg wise it's a mix of sprouts, runner beans (home grown but frozen!), peas, carrots, parsnips, butternut squash, cauliflower and broccoli.  Different people eat different veg so we cook them in the steamer and add bits for each person! There is also yorkshire pudding and stuffing with gravy. After dinner, we leave having dessert for a long time!  This tends to be a gateau of some kind, this year is a Marks and Spencer's strawberry gateau.  

Then that is all the big cooking done for the Christmas period.  Boxing Day is a buffet meal with everything being a bung in the oven or whip out the fridge item.  From then on, we tend to graze on buffet bits for the next few days just cooking up things as we need more to add to it.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day see the children allowed to eat chocolate/sweets whenever they want to without asking.  Not until after Christmas dinner though!  Usually sweets are a treat which are generally only eaten after meals.

On New Year's Day we recreate the Christmas dinner as our first meal of the new year.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and wish you peace and joy (with some stitchy gifts thrown in).

16 comments:

Rhona said...

OMG....I LOVE your beaded ornament! It's gorgeous! I must have a hunt to find one of these kits as this is just adorable.
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Linda said...

What a gorgeous tree Sharon. I love your meal traditions. Great looking ornament.

Linda

Annette-California said...

Gorgeous ornament - WOW. The beading is remarkable. I loved reading your traditions especially decorating the tree. Wishing you a Blessed Christmas and New Year.
love Annette

Brigitte said...

A nice post and pictures for the last day of the advent calendar.
Have a great Christmas holiday!

Shirlee said...

A lovely post my friend ... your tree is beautiful! I am touched that you still enjoy the Kris Kringle I made for you : ) I wish you & your family the most happy & blessed Christmas you have ever had!

Christine said...

The beaded ornament is beautiful.
Have a very happy Christmas

Anonymous said...

The beaded ornament is so beautiful. You did a great job!

You have a simple and family fun tradition.

Your tree is simply gorgeous..Thank you for sharing!

Hugs and Merry Christmas!

Andrea said...

Wow that beaded ornament is so beautiful.

Happy Christmas.

stitchersanon said...

A lovely post: we have the same things for breakfast lol. Have wonderful Christmas!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Yay, one more sleep!!

Love the beaded ornie and the tree pictures too.

Your food sounds pretty much like our's although we stick to the everyday cornflakes for breakfast.

Have a lovely day tomorrow.

Astrids dragon said...

Lovely beading and your tree looks beautiful!

cheryl said...

Lovely ornament and lovely tree.
Merry Christmas!

Jan Gartlan said...

Such a delightful new ornie! Nice to learn a new technique. I trust you had a lovely Christmas day.

Gillie said...

Oh I remember seeing those ornaments at Harrogate but didn't succumb, yours looks lovely!

geeky Heather said...

Oooooo...That ornament is beautiful!!! Your food plan sounds about like ours...one good meal and then non-stop grazing! =)

Lindsay said...

Starry night looks fantastic. Did you find it as hard as you thought it'd be to do and will you be doing more?