Advent

I’m sitting at the kitchen table bathed in candlelight with a cup of tea and a home made mince pie about to write my blog post about how I celebrate the month of December.   I don’t think of the run up to the 25th as Christmas, Christmas to me is the week in between.  Where the days blur, content with not straying very far but feeling cocooned in the warm glow of home and those you are spending the time with.

December to me is a slow walk not a sprint, I like to plan it out, to build gradually so I can enjoy every moment.  Bringing in the tree and decorating it is one of the last things on the list and this year isn’t happening for another week.  I do start the preparations in November starting with drying orange segments that will be perfectly cured by the time they adorn the tree, next is the making of the Christmas cake which gets wrapped and put away until boxing day.  Present buying happens slowly throughout the months before so that wrapping can happen once all the sparkle arrives.

Fairy lights start making an appearance around the house bringing a cheerful glow especially first thing on a morning.  Foraging for greenery at the beginning of December is another pass-time that I love, slowly filling vases and vessels with bay, holly and pine.  Making the time to play around with branches and gathered foliage to make our door wreaths is one of my favourite things to do, I get lost in my own little world, Christmas carols in the background as I create.

All these things are precious and dare I say it a tradition throughout Advent, taking the time to be in the moment as it always goes by so fast.  So for now happy December lets make the simple things be part of our festivities this season.

Images 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9