The (real) tree at my parents' with the (real) candles lit on Christmas Eve:
Its shape is a bit... unusual, but we like it! And it being a bit shorter than what we usually have means that the gold star on the top could be attached without much difficulty, and sit really straight this time ;-)
On the morning of Christmas Day, I opened my presents from England after having already received many presents on Christmas Eve. It amazes me every year how much there is! And with the exception of one scarf that is simply not my style (when it comes to pattern and colour), everything is either useful (such as the curry-coloured scarf my sister knitted for me, or the legwarmers my Mum made for me), or can be eaten (look at how much chocolate I got!) or is simply beautiful, such as the wonderful items of jewellery I got this year. In this picture you can see only their elegant little boxes, but they deserve their own post, and you know I won't pass on the opportunity to show them to you!
I hope nobody was too disappointed with what I chose as gifts for them. I was - disappointed, I mean - when we found out that the perfume I bought for my mother was not the one I intended it to be. At the shop where I bought it, I had specifically asked for a scent my Mum used to love, and had not had in years. The lady at the shop had assured me that this was the one, and I trusted her, but she gave me the wrong one. It is as much my fault as hers, and I offered to take it back to the shop, but my Mum said she'll keep it. Still, it is disappointing, because I meant to give her this special gift and now it is not special at all.
And while up until now, our month was more like March than December, look what view I woke up to this morning:
It is the 27th today, and the shops will be bursting I guess, but I still have to go and get some groceries in. Never mind; I'll just wear my new scarf and the warm wellies I bought a few years ago, and I'll be fine.
Hope you are all enjoying this "in between" time of the year.
I love this tree, Meike! It sounds as though you had a lovely Christmas! And you know, the celebration should last until January 6th...........My kids are enjoying the fact that some of their cousins whom they rarely see are here in town and they are doing things together. Yesterday they had a big hike in the National Park after a "Cousins Lunch"....I do love your last photo....It is very unclear whether there will be any snow here during the Christmas holiday which is a bit sad for the children who want to skate and sled.
ReplyDeleteWe do keep the tree and all Christmas decoration up until the 6th, but the actual celebration is over now. Of course, there is still plenty to look forward to; for instance, I am hosting a mini family lunch today (just my parents, my sister and I), then there will be New Year's Eve at my sister's, and on January 2nd, we'll be going to see our aunt and uncle for a few days. But Christmas proper is over.
DeleteMore snow has been falling last night, and I woke up this morning to the scratching sound of people clearing the pavement.
"one scarf that is simply not my style"... You mean it wasn't barbie pink with sparkly bits in the wool?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you really are a Chritmasssy kind of gal Meike! Only 363 days to go!
It's a kind of animal print (I heartily, actively dislike animal print) in black and white without any sparkly bits. Only 362 days now!
DeleteAnimal print cats or kangaroos? Hell, who knows the difference!
DeleteEasily explained:
DeleteAnimal print = a pattern that is supposed to look like an animal's skin (snake, croc) or fur (leopard, tiger, zebra...)
The cats or kangaroos (or whatever they are) on my top are a pattern in the shape of the whole animal, not meant to look like the animal itself.
Thank you for that explanation. My ignorance weighs upon me like a terrible burden in the glitzy world of fashion.
DeleteYour gift to your mother is special to her, i promise. A mother-heart sees things in a different way.
ReplyDeleteThat may be so, but I still wanted to give her that specific perfume!
DeleteThe perfume you got your mom is special, Marcheline. When you think about all the effort you went to, to try to find that special one, how could anyone's heart not be touched? It was a very thoughtful and special gift, because it was a gift of self. Love to you and happy New Year! xoxox Carol
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol, the same to you!
DeleteWho is Marcheline?
So sorry, Meike! She's another blogger I like to follow. I have no idea where my mind was when I wrote the above comment.
DeleteWell, at least I got the first and last letters of your name correct! I will try to do better in future. xoxox
I hope the person who gave you the scarf does not follow your blog.
ReplyDeleteI know they don't. Otherwise I would not have written this.
DeleteI'm so envious of the tree with real candles. We always had one as a child, but nobody uses candles here any more. My mum would have died rather than buy fairy lights!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a good Christmas.
It really is so much prettier with real candles, we think. Sooner or later, though, I think my parents are going to switch to electric lights, too, but I hope it will be rather later than sooner.
DeleteI hope your Christmas was a very good one, too!
Glad you had a good Christmas. I woke up to a white world on Saturday morning, too - much to my surprise. (I knew it was going to get colder but hadn't heard any predictions about snowfall in these parts.) I've hardly been out this "in between" weekend though - I don't know where time disappeared to. I also thought I'd have lots of time for blogging etc but somehow I kept getting sidetracked into other things every time I turned on the computer!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean; I get wrapped up in so many other little activities that I usually don't get round to doing that some of the things I originally intended to do over these holidays are left behind.
DeleteMore snow here now, and it still looks beautiful.
The last picture is magical. I understand exactly how you feel about the perfume. That can be remedied in the future I assume. In the meantime believe me the thought was the important ting to your Mum (together with the perfume she got).
ReplyDeleteThe camera couldn't catch the full magic of that snowy moment, Graham - the silence out there, much different with snow than without, and the fairy lights in the apple tree are hardly visible in the photo but added a special touch to the scene in real life.
DeleteI know that the perfume was special to your mum because of your attempt! There's an American store that sells all sorts of old-fashioned perfumes. I'll go find a link for you: http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas sounds perfect. Wonderful.
Thanks for the link, Nan. It's not that the perfume wasn't available - the shop lady made a mistake, and I wasn't checking properly what she was putting in the box.
DeleteMy Christmas was very wonderful indeed!
Happy New Year! . I am glad your Christmas went well, but it is a pain about the perfume. I have just bought a replacement for some perfume which I have had for years and finally finished (it was a fairly large bottle, used only for special occasions) T. bought me a new bottle when we passed through the duty free in TOkyo. It's a completely different package and to me it didn't smell quite the same when I tried the tester but it is the same (famous) brand and I suppose I must be fixated on the bottle shape or something to think it smells different. Or perhaps it was smelling it freshly on at the airport instead of at home - I guess there are many associations with the perfume.
ReplyDeleteI think your mum must like the new sort, if she wants to keep it. But I know what you mean about the special present disappointment.
Every now and then, the big names (and some not so big ones, too) think they "have to" re-formulate a popluar scent. Sometimes the reason is very banal, such as when some ingredients have become much harder to come by than when the scent was first created, or have even become illegal (such as some substances derivating from animals). But more often than not, their marketing people tell them the famous scent needs a re-vamp, new bottle, new package, new formula - and most of the time, the result is disappointing to those who loved the original perfume.
DeleteHappy New Year to you, too!
What a lovely view to wake up to. We had a very hard frost in central England this morning, so the effect was good, without having to shovel away the snow. Warmer weather is on the way I hear. It's actually been a very mild year. Sorry for talking about the weather, but I am English!!
ReplyDeleteI'm always interested in the weather, too, Maggie, probably because many of my acitivites depend on it (my beloved walks, or when I go running, for instance). We're on our fourth day of snow, and because I do not have to go to work right now, I don't mind at all but enjoy the beautiful view across the gardens from my kitchen window.
Delete