Visiting Father Christmas

We popped along the road to Ham House on Sunday, where we followed a trail to Father Christmas's Grotto.

It was great fun, running around the garden looking for clues, making  a magic word which we could  tell Father Christmas when we met him.

I don't know who enjoyed it the most, our six year old daughter or my husband and me!

Ham House

Lots of Fun

Christmas decorations

The first clue was here, under this exotic fruit

We read the clues and filled in the wordsearch

Riding lessons at a nearby stables

More clues, and directions to the next one!

The clues were in the most unlikely of places

Wintery light dappling this wall

Another clue

They were all attached to bowler hats

Every where looked cold... Brrrr!

Some vegetables were still growing in the garden

But most were gone

the Holly looked spectacular

At last the final clue

We're nearly there!

Hot drinks for those feeling the cold

And here is Father Christmas!

Decorating for Christmas

When I looked out of the window this morning I thought I might be able to photograph some lovely wintery scenes, but sadly, by the time I returned from dropping my daughter at school, the sprinkling of snow had disappeared.

On Monday, when I had picked her up from school she had let our a plaintive cry, "I am the only person in my class who has not got her tree up at home!"  Poor lamb.

So yesterday, to remedy this dreadful disaster I set about decorating the house.  I put the tree up with the lights, but left the decorating for her to do, while I focused on shelves and windows.

I always feel quite thrifty when I decorate, as I reuse many things from year to year, in particular my crib figures, I just move them around to different places in the house, but one is always on the dining room windowsill and one on the living room bookcase.

As the song says; "It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!"

My beautiful Mexican crib figures
I bought them when the boys were small
they were made by a fairtrade cooperative in Mexico

These Italian figures are more recent
I love their simple elegance

I am rather partial to deer
and the turkey candlestick holders came from the States
(I think they are for Thanksgiving, but I always use them
at Christmas)

These are waiting to be 'homed'
The penguins and polar bears are for cake decorations

My new decorations this year, seem to all have some tartan
(it must be my Scottish roots!)

Wishing You a Merry Christmas

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My little girl opened the last draw in her Advent Calendar, and there she found the Baby Jesus.

We are nearly ready, I'll be preparing the stuffings for the Turkey, the  cranberry sauce and making some Mince Pies for Father Christmas, (while listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 3pm, live on Radio 4, from King's College, Cambridge.)

We will go to evening Mass tonight, before my little girl goes to bed, and hopefully to sleep before Father Christmas arrives at Midnight.

Have a Happy and Joyful Christmas.

I'll be back with a post from Brittany in a few days!

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Candle light in Advent

I do love Advent, there is something so delightful about dark nights and feeling cozy as I spend quite evenings at home preparing for Christmas.

Many people have featured Advent Wreaths and Candles on their blogs.  I personally prefer to leave the wreath to Church, and am looking forward to the lighting of the Pink Gaudete Sunday candle this coming weekend.  I always feel that we are very nearly there, when I see it lit.

I do like candle light at home though, and as well as the scented candles that I mentioned on an earlier post here, I have other lovely candles around the house.

Because I have a five year old, who is extremely interested in everything, and indeed sees that  one of her main purposes in the family is to rearrange anything I may have set out.  I have therefore invested in several LED tea lights, so I am not worried about her burning herself or setting the house on fire!

They are invaluable, as I can pop them into tea light holders and put them beside the cribs.  My little girl can then reorganise crib figures and candles to her heart's content.

This is my A Pause in Advent for this week.  It's great to have a few moments from the rush to focus on preparing and getting ready, Thank You so much Floss for such an inspiring idea.

NB most of the candles look better at dusk or once it is dark,  I am still relatively new to photography and can't quite master elegant evening photographs!

I used an old pie dish

I put a large 3 wick candle in the middle

and surrounded it with scented Christmas pot pourri

It looks really warming on the dining room table

This looks better at night with the lights sparkling, and
the candles lit 

My five year old made the animals and Mary comfortable
on a bed of cotton wool

The LED lights work really well, they even flicker

We live near the park, so lots of deer in our house!

My dining room crib, again the LED lights,
which are wonderful

Advent Calendars

Yesterday was the First Sunday of Advent, and the countdown to Christmas has really started.  To help us we  have three Advent Calendars in our house.

The first is one I made (at least 20) years ago when my sons were both small.  I saw one in Country Living magazine, and thought it was lovely.  It was beautifully sewn and appliqued.  Now I am no needlewoman, so decided the judicious use of glue would work.

I traced a very simple pattern of trees and deer and cut them out using some old fabric I had.  The background was a piece of tartan from an even older skirt.  I stuck the trees and deer onto the tartan.  At the base I added a piece of wood, into which I had screwed 24 round hooks.  I attached two curtain rings to the top two corners.

I wrote the numbers 1 - 24  above the hooks.

When it was completed I attached 24 wrapped chocolates.  (I used tree decorations as they already have thread on them!)

The boys loved the Advent Calendar when they were children, and were happy to take it in turns to eat the chocolate.

When their little sister came along they suggested I took the Advent Calendar out again, so she could use it.  It's a firm family tradition!

The Calendar hanging in the dining room

Christmas trees

Deer

With glittered coats!

Chocolate for the Calendar

Attaching the chocolate

Waiting for the 1st December

Our second Advent Calendar is new this year.  I bought it from Lakeland.  Two Christmas's ago I had noticed one at a friend's house, but was too late to buy one.  Last year Lakeland didn't stock it, so when I saw it this year I bought it straight away.

It features a little chest with draws on it, and numbers 1 - 24.  In each little draw there is a figure for the crib, and the child(ren) can make up the complete crib by Christmas Eve.  Again this is something that can be used from year to year, and although it was expensive I believe that it will delight us for a very long time.

Once you get to the 14th the stable turns round

For the second set of numbers

There is a tiny figure in draw number 17

A little shepherd

Waiting for the 1st of December

Our third Advent Calendar is this sheet stuck onto the fridge.  They were available at our Church this Sunday.  On each day there is a little message about Advent, which will help my little girl  focus on Christmas being  more then an opportunity to receive presents.  It will help her  to think about the 'real meaning of Christmas.' It has the bonus of continuing to the Feast of the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night.

This calendar started on Sunday

My little girl is going to mark each day as we read it

It's not long until Christmas.

Do you and your family have an Advent Calendar?  I'd love to hear about it.

I am linking this post to Floss's: A Pause for Christmas.