And there have to be candles.
Every year, I keep the most beautiful of the Christmas cards I receive, and the following year, I put them under the glass plate on the desk in what used to be Steve's room.
The advent calendar (filled with choccies, of course!) and the advent wreath were given to me by my parents.
This children's picture book about Christmas has been a firm favourite of mine since earliest childhood, and I do intend to keep it for many more decades. It was old already when my sister and I first saw it in the early 1970s; I believe it is originally from the 1950s. Inside, it has been clumsily taped by either my sister or myself at some stage when we were kids, and it could really do with some re-taping.
Apart from what you can see in the pictures, there are some little ornaments dangling from the doorknobs on my kitchen cabinets and on the bathroom cabinet, plus a snowflake mobile in my bedroom and another one in my tiny hallway.
And soon, I'll have a large tin full of Christmas cookies, too - not made by me, but by a family friend who makes the best and most beautiful cookies for miles around!
On the first of the four Advent Sundays, we even had some snow, as you can see from my kitchen window (not the garland-festooned one, obviously):
What a lovely post. I do love the idea of putting the Christmas cards under the glass on the table top. What a great idea! I think I'll have to try it this year.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the cookies. My best friend's mother used to make the most wonderful candy, and I always think of how wonderful it was, at Christmas time.
Take care and God bless, during this special time of Advent, xoxo Carol
Thank you, Carol! I quite like that glass table top decoration, too. It is not in the way and still looks nice.
DeleteI'm not one for Christmas decorations in my own home although I can enjoy them in other people's. I'm afraid though that my ideas of having a non-cluttered house never manifest themselves into reality. I always seem to have too many 'things' around however often I have clearouts: principally books, ceramics and pictures.
ReplyDeleteThe one Christmas thing I do miss though is the tins of Lebkuchen we always got from our friends in Berlin. Unfortunately they split up as did my wife and I and we all went our separate ways. Sad.
Lebkuchen are not my favourites, but I do eat them when offered :-) I much prefer all the other types of Christmas cookies that my Mum and our family friend make so well. Tomorrow, I'll pick up my share at my parents'!
DeleteJust enough decorative touches to feel festive, but not enough to overwhelm, i like that.
ReplyDeleteUnlike a friend of mine who has decorations in every single room of her house, and it's too much. Her house looks like you walked into Santa's showcase, nice to visit, but i'm not sure how she lives with it.
Messymimi, I know exactly what you mean!
DeleteI love the Advent wreath with big candles. I've only ever seen them with the long skinny ones - tapers?
ReplyDeleteAs messy mini described - 'enough decorative touches to feel festive but not enough to overwhelm' that is pretty much my house all the year round. Otherwise I think the special items get lost in the clutter.
Your special cards are especially touching.
Yes, Nan, that is precisely what I think; too many decorative objects, and you can't take in each single one anymore.
DeleteYesterday, I found a bunch of cards in my mailbox; some of these I already know will be under the glass plate next year :-)
Like Nan above, I love the big fat candles in the Advent wreath!
ReplyDeleteAnd Meike, you make me laugh. Your idea of clutter, oh, just a few things and you call it clutter!
I love the children's book from your childhood! Your snow out your window makes it look like a Christmas card.
That is how an Advent wreath has to look for me :-) I am rather conservative when it comes to Christmas, just like I always want real candles on the Christmas tree at my parents' place for Christmas Eve.
DeleteThere has been a bit of fresh snow over night, which makes me wonder which shoes to wear for the way to work today.
And I am just like her. What most people call 'normal' I often see as 'clutter.' ;<)))
DeleteI love seeing what people do for Christmas decorations....And I'm delighted to see you have the Advent calendar with chocolates and oh, everything in your photos makes me smile. I'm off to put on a CD of Christmas carols!
ReplyDeleteGlad you like it, Kristi! Before I put all those decorative objects out, I polished all the wooden surfaces with beeswax polish, which gives such a lovely scent to the entire flat. So far, I have not been listening to the only Christmas CD I have - carols sung by a male choir from Yorkshire, where one of my uncles sang (he died years ago).
DeleteI haven't started with my decorations yet. Even our city, Trapani, has not yet lit up...the new mayor said there will be no public Christmas lighting because there is no money! Can you believe it??? Everyone is so angry.
ReplyDeleteHere in Germany, most places start their public decorations just before the first of the four Advent Sundays, and ours is now exception. It usually lasts until January 6th.
DeleteSuch a shame Trapani can't afford Christmas lighting!! I hope some of the wealthier citizens are going to make up for the lack of public decoration :-)
I have pared down with my Christmas decorating, mostly from the adoption of my newest kitty. The lights are the thing my late husband and I loved. So I got a 3 foot tree and adorned it with blue lights and blue and silver ornaments. I quite enjoy it, and since the tree is sitting on a dresser in my living room, no kitty climbing and knocking over the tree!
ReplyDeleteI've used both the short thick candles and tapers. I like both and really have no preference, but the silvery wreath I bought a few years ago will hold only tapers.
Blue and silver sounds very beautiful, Norma!
DeleteOh yes, the kitty vs. deco problem... :-) We could never have a floor-to-ceiling-tree as long as there were cats in the household. Now that there aren't any left, we enjoy having a large tree every year.