I do like the design of this year's Christmas stamps. Designed by Paula Doherty.

If that's not a contradiction in terms! I am referring to the colour of the hellebore flowers which opened in time to decorate the Christmas table, but the food was pretty sumptuous too. 'Best ever Christmas dinner.'

We really had the nicest day.

I hope that you did too.

It's 5.40 in the morning and I have just lit the fire and made a cup of tea. I have a nince pie on a plate beside me here as I write. It is blissfully quiet now that the wind has abated.  I had another power cut yesterday.  Many mature trees  have been blown over, including the one with my owl box on it, and the road was closed for a bit so my younger daughter did the Christmas food shop and she is bringing it all today as I am hosting Christmas dinner (hope the power cuts are over!).

One of the things I love most about Christmas is that so many people all around the world celebrate this one day. Astonishingly 370 million people tune in live to  the radio service from King's College Cambridge at 3 o'clock today.. In our crazy fractured world isn't that just WONDERFUL? 

I will be listening as we prepare tomorrow's food.  Will you? A marvellous time of unity.

Here is the post In Praise of Homely in which I ramble on about decorations! Whether your preparations are plain and simple or elaborate I hope your day goes smoothly and you enjoy every minute of it!As someone once said 'You might as well be happyy'.   :-)

Home made Christmas Tree Ginger Biscuits We used to hang them on the tree. One year my daughter's usually well behaved dog ate all the ones he could reach!

I could be content with a very plain Christmas, but I think I would actually be 'styling' it as plain, which could be kind of falsre if you see what I mean. As someone who loves variety and change and arranging things I do feel the need to push the boat out and make an extra effort to be different. We can afeter all be homely any day of rhe year.

I think I have evolved a way of being both simple and festive by starting early in December eith branches of fir around the house, then sprigs of holly and a scented candle or two ...I gradually build up to a more  flamboyant look as Christmas Day nears. Nearly ready for the finale..

The window Christmas decorations of Ask Italian restaurant feature the statue of The Duke of Wellington with his traffic cone - an exapmple of a kind of wordless, irreverent Glaswegian humour which perhaps only Glaswegians fully understand..

Read more about it here

!
The days will get longer now, but I wish the gale force winds would let up!

..were fun, and Glasgow was much less crowded tham Edinburgh.

But as we say in Scorland 'East west, hame's best'.

..what you want your Christmas to be. My friend says women at this time of year become 'Christmas machines'.

Don't be a Christmas machine!  Step back, apply brain, choose a way of doing Christmas that means something to you. There's still time. Make a cup of something nice, get a pen and paper and 20 minutes to yourself and think about it...

..towards Christmas.

Down with the summer garden painting

and up with the Christmas star.

 A little bit every day. We'll get there.

..by some of the natural decorations  I saw in Edinburgh..

At the Sankta Lucia service,

in the Urban  Angel restaurant,

I went foraging in the holly and beech hedgeows which  grow all along our village road. My robin followed me, twittering quietly and taking food from my hand! (I keep some in my jacker pocket.) Perfect company.

Candle from Ikea.

'Fireside' candle from The White Company - I love this scent.

Far from the mad crowds in Princes Street Elliots studio had a two day event selling very beautiful things of the finest quality.

Expensive, a bit, but I like to support artisan ventures if I can. I admire the commitment and integrity and skill. I bought this woven tree ornament, some soap, lip balm and narzipan fruits.

Thank you so much Liz - I woulld not have found this place without you! I enjoyed the whole lovely excperience.


I can't get the link to Elliots to work, sorry, but Mr Google will take you to their website.


Batten down the hatches all of you  in the storm alert areas here in uk! (Thinking of you MaryB.) I am listening to strong winds and heavy rain as I write here in my warm cosy home. So grateful.

..if you are visiting Edinburgh this festive season. On Saturday the Christmas Market in Princes Street was packed full, behind high barricades with burly security guards in high viz jackets at entrances and exits very much in evidence. It used to be an open space where you could drift in and out at will.

We made our way to St Andrews Square where a gentler atmosphere prevailed, not crowded and child friendly - toast your own marshmallows, write a letter to Santa in an alpine hut, wander through the Christmas Tree Maze - a hundred or more real trees with simple soft white lights. I think little children could easily imagine they were deep in  a forest. I know I did, but then Christmas brings out the child in me..

..by the Sankta Lucia service and procession  of the Scottish Swedish Society in Edinburgh....

I firsr experienced this ceremony in Stockholm in in the early 2000s (a huge outdoor event - it was like being in a  in a fairy tale) and last year a very beautifull Sankta Lucia in York Minster, (see 13 Dec 2023 ) but this one, in a friendly connunity, was  charming, more intimate, and with fika afterwards was as much of a delight.

..to myself.  I bought myself this nativity calendar because I so love the image of Milan Cathedral. You may remember it from my Christmas card last year. Utterly magical, and definitely putting me in the mood.

Short blog break - have a lovely weekend everyone.

Sunshine and frost. A perfect day for a short walk.

Today's picks  - holly and the first hazel catkin.

All the Christmassy things are put awy, but  I still want winter table decorations and holly fits the bill.. a few red berries would have been nice but I never see any holly with berries here. We planted a female holly in Coronation Wood some years ago, but to no avail. Yet.


The words of the The Holly and The Ivy have been in my head all day, so perhaps a last glimpse of Christmas past with these spine tingling voices from King's can be my last Christmas flourish!

I was very glad I did the shopping yesterday.

Assuming you don't have to go to work that day, what is your favourite way to spend a snowy day?

I stoked up the fire and  had breakfast by candlelight, fed the birds, took a little bare foot walk around the garden,  listened to The Snow Child on Audible. I had some soup and some Christmas chhocolates and looked at my Christmas book and thought about my word for 2024...

I had a thoroughly lazy and self indulgent day.

It was lovely.  :-)

 

When I got off the bus, which drops me right by my house, I had my phone in my hand to use the torch (no street lights here which I rather like). There are no bus stops either, the drivers drop you where you request.

I loved  how the house was welcoming me so I put down my bags of shopping and took  few quick shots....

It's very cold and starry and they say it may snow!

food and drink          appreciation          love          inspiration          gratitude          happiness         

joy          beauty          creativity          gifts         

Most of us can have most of these at Chrismas, but only if we have the most important thing of all -

peace

from me, to you.

..coming along?

My little sustainable save-the -planet  growing Christmas tree is rather bald on top and a bit sad looking!

So I cut some pine branches and wired them on.  I will give the tree some extra TLC during the year and see if it will grow more needles on top for next Christmas.

Meanwhile it looks quite pretty. When it is dark.

Have you got your decorations up? Your cards posted? Your presents wrapped? The menu planned? Mid-winter would be so dull without Christmas!

For me the start of the real Christmas..

When the main lights go out (about 14minutes in) and the procession starts, the magic begins.

..I just get a bit fed up with eating sensibly. So I had a mince pie for breakfast.

Now to get down to the lovely task of sending greetings and messages of love...Its a happy
thing to do on a wintry day.

Donald MadLeod on his brilliant programme Composer of the Week (Radio 3 mid day) points out that in Medieval times the festive season lasted from now until Candlemas on the 2nd of February. Maybe they had the right idea.

Would it not be a wonderful thing to celebrate every day of winter until them? In some quiet simple way?  Any ideas on how you would do that? Mince pies for breakfast might be one.. well, occasionally.

..that I once said I would put a link to the beautiful holiday apartment in York which my kind friend let me say in during the pandemic on my way back from Venice. What a strange time that was.

Here is the link. The house is lovely, the location perfect and York is gorgeous at Christmas!

Getting in the mood

to add a little decoration

 with the first Christmas card.

..to yourself.

Do you buy yourself a Christmas gift?

I have just bought myself a subscription to Headspace, as headspace is something I feel I need this year.

Giving myself a gift each Christmas started one year when, although I had droppped many hints about what I would like, no-one had picked up on them and I did not get what I had been hoping for!  A few days later it dawned on me that I could quite simply buy it for myself, without any fuss or even mentioning it to anyone.

I now buy myself something I really like every Christmas.

Whyever not?

You've been lovely.

Twelfth Night dinner -wild venison and chestnuts in red wine, followed by home made ice cream with cherries in kirsch. I am so glad I did all that cooking early in December.

Once all the leftovers are eaten up it's back to plain fare..

There is still magic. Yov have to be alert for it, or create it yourself! (How will you do that I wonder?)

Till next week..