Tuesday, December 4, 2012

~ birthday season ends and the season of jolly begins ~




We have so many birthdays in Spring (and heading into summer) that it's become our rule not to start Christmas planning/decorating until they're all over.

Last  weekend saw the final birthday of the year (for us - we still have 3 parties to go to in the next fortnight) - a bowling party with afternoon tea at our house for Gracie.  Easy party (for us) and then they ran round in the back yard until it was home time....perfect!
On request I made Donna's Hays chocolate cake - with choc icing, kit kats and m&ms  - easy and yum!





I resurrected last year's advent calendar  and we've put the tree up (we've gone fake for the last few years - I got all green about it).  I also made a washi tape tree for a bare wall and hung some recycled card garlands on it just for fun.



 


Its a total trip down memory lane unpacking all the decorations and finding the handmade treasures from years ago. We've exchanged the first presents, started the baking and already (much to the Doc's horror) the Christmas carols are on repeat on the ipod. 










I'm getting excited.  I'm such a  big kid at this time of year ... I really want to pass that sense of excitement and joy onto my kids.


Have you started your Christmas preparations yet?
Do you love it?  Or is it overwhelming?  Or a bit of both?!





8 comments:

  1. We've started - our tree is up & things have started to be baked/cooked & then frozen in preparation. It's a fun time of year :)

    love the washi tape tree!

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  2. It's all so gorgeous Ally! I haven't started yet, well not really. I made a Christmas fruit cake today - took all day! And I have dug out the deccies. We are doing the tree this Saturday. I adore your reindeer but I am wondering where one gets corks there days as hardly anything other than champagne is worked. Like hens teeth, but I'd love to make a reindeer!
    Was so nice to meet you the other day - thanks so much fro dropping by :)
    x

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  3. I am ABSOLUTELY a big kid too at this time of year and LOVE the idea of passing this onto my children! It isn't overwhelming at all, apart from the fact that I wake at night to go to the loo all night because of bubba...then can't get back to sleep because I start thinking about what I can bake and make for Christmas - argggh would LOVE some sleep! Still, I'd rather have insomnia because of Christmas excitement than for something yukky. xx

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  4. Like your family, we have a run of family birthdays in spring (6 of them). The last two (twins) we will celebrate belatedly tomorrow, then we can think "Christmas". We all (except husband and eldest son) become quite excited about the preparations and fun. I'm not game show your birthday cake to my children - they would ask for one just the same!

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  5. Oh that cake! I want one for my birthday this month!

    Sophie xo

    P.S. I see you're a co-Good Mail friend :)

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  6. Gorgeous! I love your advent calendar, and that rudolf! We've put up two trees - a big one and little one that our little people can touch and is easy to redecorate! Feeling very excited about Christmas this year too, mainly because my big girl gets it for the first time! xx

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  7. I love the little cork reindeer

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  8. Lovely post! Leaving Christmas until December has got to be more exciting anyway! Your washi tape tree looks really good and those biscuits look yum!
    Take care, xo

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