Next has designed a number of rather beautiful images in the run up to Christmas and it has gotton me thinking to how we prepare for christmas. Therefore I thought I’d share with you twelve ways we are preparing this year.
Now we have had some great christmasses and a couple of pretty hard ones too. 2005 was probably the hardest as Dylan was in hospital on a drip with IV antibiotics due to a particularly nasty ear infection. But that is a whole other post! This year however we are spending our first ever Christmas in our new home, just the husband, kids and me. Late afternoon the house will be opened up and we have ‘the family’ coming. That consists of another eight guests. I feel (at the age of 34) like a proper grown up this yr! I’m cooking lunch (afterall Asda are not open to collect a precooked hot chicken) then entertaining.
The run up then has started. So I will share my twelve stages of preparation!
1. Introducing advent and buying the calendars.
The advent calendars/ advent candle are very important and at the same time we will set up our crib at home (note to self – brave the cold, go into garage and find it – in the box you havent unpacked yet since moving in June). The children really enjoy the advent calendars and it signals the start of preparation for us. Dylan the mathematical genius very much enjoys working out the dates, weeks left etc and will race down each day to his calendar. The novelty of a chocolate with breakfast doesn’t wear off with him either. This yr he has chosen Bart Simpson, so did Chloe (yes you guessed they were on offer). Erin has a rather beautiful picture based one from Pheonix cards.
I also have the obligatory Toy Story one for my tutor group, yes the yr 12’s who are16 / 17! They always like to take their turn opening!
We also have the advent candle that I start with such high optimism that it will be lit each day and we won’t forget to blow it out before it burns down too far!
I really like this candle holder from Next which would look lovely with my advent candle in. You can buy it here http://tinyurl.com/3xqdkot
As a family the children know what advent means and I think its such an important part, because as a Christian christmas is about so much more than soley the 25th of Dec. Therefore on December 1st we shall set up our nativity scene, which Dylan spends ages rearranging each day. We have a lovely set that I bought at a craft fayre.
The Next stage of prep includes the Nativity, the Santa Special and present wrapping. Come back to see how I am getting on.
