Friday 18 December 2020

This Time of Year

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will know that, in my flat, I am not overly fond of many decorative objects; I like my surfaces to be largely empty. But the weeks leading up to Christmas are an exception, and I open my personal floodgates in terms of decorating.

This year, I have put up a little less than usual, but still enough to give the place a festive look.

The Advent calendar village is shared between me and O.K. - one year it is my turn to fill it for him, and the next year the other way round. This year, it's mine to enjoy every morning:

The reading lamp above my bed:

The top of my shoe cabinet in the hallway:


Bathroom:

Like last year and the year before, my Mum, my sister and I went to a nearby garden center, run by a very nice family, some of whose members are my sister's neighbours. We chose our Advent wreaths and Mum paid for them. In other years, we would have made it more of an outing, with food and drink offered at the garden center as well as Christmas carols played by a small group of local musicians, but it was all banned this year; just put your mask on, enter the shop, browse, choose, pay, leave. It was still nice to see the place all decorated, and I really like my choice.

Can you believe we are already going to light all four candles this Sunday?

There is also a new star in my window, a gift from my sister. It is beautiful, and I have taken pictures of it when lit in the evening, but somehow the picture was not transferred from my phone to the computer. Must try again.

More cards and even a small parcel have been arriving this week. Once again, thank you if you are one of the senders!

A few days ago, one of my late husband's oldest and closest friends sent me a short video clip he made of us back in 2006 or so during a holiday in Scarborough. There were five or six of us meeting at a pub, and friend N. filmed us sitting at the table with our drinks, talking and laughing. It was strange in that this was the first time in 11 years that I heard Steve's voice again and saw him move - not just stationary on photos - and his facial expression change during the conversation. Also, I was looking SO MUCH younger (probably because I WAS!) there, with longer hair and a very smooth face.

N. was hoping that seeing this would not upset me too much, and honestly - it was not upsetting at all, maybe because it's been so long now since Steve's death, and I have found love and happiness again. But it made me smile and remember more of that holiday - I have not been back to Scarbie since, I think. Maybe some day, when we can travel freely again.

Back to topic: 

My Christmas preparations are coming along nicely. I plan to put up my tree today or tomorrow, and wrap my presents some time next week. Including today, there are only four days of work left for me this year; from the 24th onwards, I am off until January 4. And the break will be very welcome, as work has been so busy - while much about Christmas is different this year, this has not changed: My clients still come up will all sorts of things they want done before Christmas! Often enough, these are things I have been reminding them of for months already, so there is really no need for all this last-minute rush. But clients are what they are, and they keep my bread buttered and the roof over my head, so I am not complaining - just saying... ;-)

22 comments:

  1. I love that little village. I have no desire to put up decorations as I shall be here alone but I have had some lovely cards this year and they do give me pleasure.

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    1. Our little village is only four years old, but it has quickly become a firmly established part of this time of year for me.
      Christmas cards put up on the mantle or elsewhere are a beautiful decoration in their own right - complete with the kind thoughts of friends attached!

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  2. That's a wonderful advent calendar village. We used to have odd and even days but then the kids came along.

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    1. We love our little village, and I hope we can keep this up as our own tradition for many years to come.

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  3. How serendipitous! Only the other day I said I was sorry that you would never hear Steve's voice again.

    Perhaps you missed your calling Meike. You would have made a wonderful interior designer. That fox in the frame is excellent. Is it an original? If it is it must be worth thousands!

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    1. That fox in the frame is indeed an original, by famous painter/writer/walker/photographer/poet Yorkshire Pudding, hailing from Pudding Towers, Sheffield. It is priceless!

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  4. I was thinking the same thing as YP about hearing Steve's voice again. And not in sadness, but in loving memory.

    Your advent candle reminds me of a priceless gift I received from the mother of a wonderful German girl whom I hosted as an exchange student way back in the late 1970s when I had two small children (and two more yet to arrive). The mother sent me, as a thank you, a large box containing any number of carved wooden items, including a beautiful advent candle stand complete with a host of tiny wooden 'angels' all playing a different musical instrument that could be placed all around the stand. This year I gave it to my daughter--the youngest--to use with her family at their dinner table. Good to pass such a lovely gift to another generation.

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    1. The wooden items you describe sound like they could be "Erzgebirge" items, a typical German style of wooden decorative objects coming from the Erzgebirge region in Germany, very popular here, too. We have an entire orchestra of angels, all playing a musical instrument; our family collection was started by our grandparents and is now at my sister's. Yes, those are certainly gifts to pass down the generations.

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    2. You're right! Had never thought to look them up. I checked their website and there was the exact advent stand, very similar angel orchestra figures, as well as similar forest ranger smokers to one she gave me, too. A lot of precious gifts.

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  5. Your home is lovely and you have the perfect touches here and there to bring in the holiday spirit. I have many more things up but that is just what I have collected and have been given over the many years I have been in my home. I had 5 children so I just ended up with a lot of stuff! Each year I think to put out less but then the boxes come up from the basement and I don't want to leave any treasure or memory stuck in the boxes. All go out to their traditional places!
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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    1. I love pulling out the familiar items of the box each year, it is a bit like greeting an old friend not seen in a while! And once they are up in their usual place, it feels a lot more like Christmas can come.
      Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too, Ellen!

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  6. It's lovely to see your decorations for Christmas. I haven't even thought about them yet. I shall probably not think about them until after Christmas and then I won't have to put them away!

    I thought your description of hearing Steve again was very poignant.

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    1. Not even Catriona's tree yet? You still have a few more days!
      I don't mind putting my Christmas things away on Jan. 6th; that always feels like now the year starts properly.

      I didn't think I would ever hear his voice again, so was rather surprised when friend N. said he had a recording.

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    2. Oddly enough I remembered Catriona's tree (what an amazing memory you have) as I was writing that comment. It is now hanging up.

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  7. The 'Advent' village is so pretty Meike - and love that you two swap it annually!
    The video clip sounds really sweet - I'm glad you found happiness watching you, Steve and your friends all those years ago.
    You have just enough to add to your decor for the Christmas season, and they are all special items with history I'm sure. The red Dala horse is beautiful.

    Hope you share your tree with us later - we have a shortage of Christmas trees here this year - anyone who doesn't have one by now most likely won't find one as they tree lots are sold out - odd because North Carolina grows so many - it's a huge business in the mountains!

    Enjoy your upcoming time off - you've earned it dear!
    Happy Christmas to you, O.K., and your families - and here's to a better new year!

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    1. The red Dala horse is a gift from a blogging friend from Sweden, Mary! It is actually a brooch, and the year it was sent to me, I pinned it to one of my winter coats.

      The tree made it up the stairs from the cellar to the living room and out of its two large black bin liners - only for me to find out the stand was not in the bags... now I have to either construct something myself (not likely) or my Mum finds their stand for me in the attic.

      Happy Christmas to you and your loved ones, too, dear Mary, and I'll join you in raising a glass to a better 2021, although 2020 was not at all a bad year for me personally.

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  8. Your decorations are lovely! It must have been wonderful to receive the video. I understand about hearing his voice. I have many photos but I would so love to hear my parents voices again. I remember you mentioning the Advent calendar village last year. How fun that it is your turn this year! Enjoy your time off over the holidays!

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    1. The little village is now four years old, and will hopefully last many more years. We are always very carefully in handling the little cardboard boxes.

      Friend N. asked if I wanted to see the video before he sent it, he was worried it would upset me, but it was just really nice watching it.

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  9. Like all your decorations and think they are warm and tasteful and just right for your home. I've put up less this year, but managed to use the old favorite things that I use each Christmas. What sort of tiny gifts will you put in the Advent Village for OK this year?

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    1. Thank you, Jill! My decorations are certainly not to everyone's taste (for instance, O.K. likes more natural materials and less of the glitter), but they are mine and just what I like.
      I have a few ideas already for when it is my turn to fill the calendar for O.K., but I won't say what it is yet - occasionally, he reads my blog! Mostly, it will be chocolates.

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    2. Oops! I misread and thought you were giving the Village to OK this year.

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