I have started my preparations for Christmas, which has consisted mostly of making lists. People Receiving Cards. People Receiving Presents. Present Ideas. I make very boring lists.
I’m not a big fan of the whole Christmas hysteria that shopping centres descend into, but there are certain things I like to do at Christmas. I send cards to family and friends, and to most distant family members I include something I call ‘the Christmas letter’, a chatty little missive about what I’ve been up to during the year, which occasionally steers perilously close to newsletter territory. (We used to get a newsletter every Christmas from a family we didn’t know very well - neat little reports of what every family member got up to during the year, with photos.) My latest Christmas thing is making up little containers of biscuits and brownies for friends and people I work with. I get to try new recipes and eat the leftovers, so it works out very well.
I only tend to buy presents for close friends and family, which keeps the materialistic side of the holiday to a dull roar. Prince Valiant gets the benefit of my marvellous gift-giving skills and receives a stocking full of terribly exciting things like socks. Some poor person always gets something I knitted during the year that’s taking up room in the linen cupboard. There’s an interesting scarf up for grabs this year that looks like I skinned a poodle and knitted with it, which I’m sure will make a very fashionable addition to someone’s wardrobe. I may sneak it in a package to the Rider - she’s in Geneva and therefore too far away to complain.
4 Comments
21 November, 2006 at 11:16 am
Making containers for biscuits and brownies would be a great idea..You can jus peep into my Holiday Blog for some cool stuff!!
22 November, 2006 at 9:35 am
I like the idea of making gifts for people. I make jewellery and so certain members of my family are going to be festooned this Christmas! Kiko’s Daddy and I made a rule a few years ago not to buy each other Christmas presents, to cut down on the festive materialism and stress. But last year he gave me a surprise gift and I hadn’t got one for him! Oh dear! This year, it might be funny to do him a stocking, like you’re doing for Prince Valiant. I’m going to do one for Kiko this year. A lot of the toys I’m putting in came from the Salvos but he will love them just the same. I enjoy traditional carols too.
23 November, 2006 at 2:25 am
I’m not terribly creative so I rarely make presents but I do love cooking so, like you, I relish Xmas time for all the new things you can cook (and eat).
I like the idea of a family newsletter (even though it sounds like something a family wearing matching jumpers would do lol).
23 November, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Helen - I think one day the Prince and I won’t bother buying anything for each other either - I just enjoy the ritual of opening presents. I do hope you post pictures of Kiko with his stocking!
It is a bit matching jumperish, isn’t it Madame B? My mother (and now me) always makes this gorgeous Christmas pudding icecream at Christmas - chocolatey and alcoholy. I love it, and there’s always enough to have bowlfuls for days afterwards. I’m going up north this Christmas though, so I’m mostly looking forward to lychees. Mmmm, lychees.
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