2023 Comes to An End

Where has December gone?  The flurry of Christmas preparations always begins with my mass production of a handmade decoration, most often a Santa. This is the Santa 2023. With so much emphasis on decluttering  I very nearly decided not to make them this year but when a couple of friends sent me photos of  their collections I set to.

This is my friend Helena’s mantle, there are more of my Santas tucked away in other spots in the room.

Decorations went up nice and early, every surface had a Christmas makeover. Nothing like a daily visit from my grandson, Oscar, to spur me on.

We had lots of fun making decorations. There is nothing like the enthusiasm of a young person who would ask ‘What are we making today, Nanna?’

Something new for me this year. I treated myself to this fabulous Advent Calendar from Kate Davies Designs. 

Each day a new skein of yarn. So pleased to say I did not give in to the temptation of opening before they should have been. So excited , there is an online knit along starting in the new year that I may join but more on that another time.

There has been baking, lots of baking. All the usual Christmas treats which are all on this blog and some new ones like these Christmas Spice Cookies and Sugar Cookies

Plus this small celebration cake to celebrate my friends Kaylene and Flavio’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. I have made this cake before, it is a beautiful cake and gluten free, perfect for Kaye. The Kransekage / Celebration cake from the Fika and Hygge cookbook by Bronte Aurell. I was so pleased to make this for them.

I hade enormous fun with ‘the elf ‘ helping him to find a new hiding place each day. Oscar loved the experience of  finding him and was quite taken by the elf getting into the chocolates in the cupboard.

All the leftovers have been consumed and of course I love the fun and joy of the silly season but really glad ‘it comes but once a year’. Now for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. 

The Silly Season

The lead up to Christmas and New Year is always a busy time and here in Australia it coincides with the summer vacation season. This year saw a major change with my Christmas arrangements. With a couple of  our family too frail to manage the stairs into our house we swapped the venue to my son and daughter-in-law’s house. For the first time in thirty two years I did not host Christmas. Not one to bring in too many changes I opted to to have our usual menu made cold, except for the pudding. It was a meal cooked and plated at my home and transported four kilometres (two and half miles) across town.  It was a great success and perfect for the hot day.

Setting up the Christmas feast. 

Pavlova, a staple for Christmas in Australia. This year individual serves rather than the big one that usually graces the dessert table.

The Christmas production. This was a late run as I had been considering ending this aspect of my Christmas making.

A simple Santa hanging decoration. I have called them the Nordic Santas.

And Holly, a little angel, for a special friend.

This got my mojo back. A fun activity to do with my textile art group. I wanted them  to make something ‘Christmassy’ with them and these little tassel Santas were a relatively quick make and had the bonus of using up all the oddments a bits of balls of white yarn that have been in my stash for years. They were the inspiration for my Nordic hanging Santa production.

There has been a lot of catching up with friends and dining. So much dining! This white chocolate cheesecake was a great hit, recipe to come. In between times there has been some knitting and crafting  including this bracelet for my grandson. Made with the discarded chocolate wrappers from Lindor/Lindt balls that seemed to accumulate. He is an enthusiastic recycler for his arts and crafts and we have a lot of fun together.

I decided to just take each day as it came. I guess it is called the ‘Silly Season’ for a reason. 

A Slow Start

Perhaps it is a sign of the times, the year that we have had and getting older but it has really been a slow start to the year. Christmas came and went with the same fanfare and festivity albeit with reduced numbers, followed by a few days of visitors as holiday plans were abandoned and then it was New Year. It seems as though we were not alone in our quieter celebrations.

It has become a tradition for us to celebrate the passing of the year with Oliebollen and Appelflappen. A late afternoon treat with Tina and Frank who continue with their Dutch traditions.

There has been more time in the garden

Which has loved the attention and all the rain that we have had.

Lush growth, gorgeous dahlias and Calla lilies 

My Christmas project. Each year I do a run of some handmade Christmas decoration.

It started with these. Christmas stockings, mostly filled with chocolates or sometimes small items that suited the recipient.

And then very quickly escalated into a massive production

I have made enough for the next two Christmases

While I had the box of red fabrics out I also started cutting out these Santa’s. A few people managed to score one as well as a stocking, however, a good number of these are now made and ready for 2021.

And while I was at it I made a few Christmas cards ( for the cat lovers in my life) from some of my prints. I always print way more than I need and this is a good way to use them up.

What has has been a slow and gentle start to the year has also been quite productive.

A Book in a Tin

These little books were made for a challenge with a Textile Artists group. The idea was to make a book that would fit into a tin or box or a scroll for those who were not inclined to make books. The theme was The Twelve Days of a Stitcher’s Christmas.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, a small concertina book that has pages that have been altered and simple Tree shapes cut from pieces of embroidery.

The tin was altered to match the book pages

The original tin, a gift voucher tin.

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas. This was the piece that I made first, however, once the book was made it would not fit in the tin due to the thickness of the embroidered trees. The  papier-mâché / cardboard tree worked perfectly as a tin/box to hold the book.

Another small concertina book with altered pages and trees made with off cuts from some of my embroideries or bits of stitching. An advantage of a well stocked scrap bin and a tendency to hoard all manner of  textile bits and pieces.

A Very Merry Christmas

And it was a very merry Christmas. Whilst I really enjoy the Christmas feast it is the lead up that I really enjoy. Our Christmas feast stays much the same from year to year, some minor tweaking of the veg may occur but it is fundamentally the traditional roast as it appears in the Christmas section of this blog. It is all the making, baking, decorating that makes it Christmas for me. The arrival our first grandchild Oscar has added another level of joy to our Christmas celebrations.

O is for Oscar. My daughter in law Rachel asked me if I would make Oscar a stocking, our son Liam still has his and each year he we put his Christmas loot in it.

Even though he is too young to appreciate this Advent calendar I had a lot of fun putting it together. There are twenty four numbered hooks and pockets to house a small gift. The Advent calendar is a Maileg Elf. My plan is to do this every year as a family tradition.

Oscar seems to be enjoying the fun.

I have begun to collect a bauble for each year, his name and year. The baubles will go on one of the hooks of his Advent Calendar.

I love the ritual of doing the tree, both the setting up and then the packing away

It is all very interesting for a young man.

And doing the Santa production. Each year I do a run. This is the second year of making the star Santa, the swag is the plan. Next year everyone will get a third Santa and they can be sewn together to form a small swag 

The pudding was made and stirred

Tons of biscuits, cakes and panforte de sienna cakes were made for my gift hampers

It was fun to decorate the dining table with this metal tree, lights and Lindt ball chocolate baubles. This has been a hit with many guests.