HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS

Hello dear friends!  Staying dry?   I can't believe it!   We actually had a thunderstorm today.   If I had known it was going to be this mild, I would have planted more lettuce!   I suppose we'll merrily glide along this winter with balmy temperatures and on the first day of spring we'll get a blizzard.   It never fails.   Winter always does show up.   I just discovered one benefit of snow, it brightens up the short dark days.   I feel as though we are living inside a coal mine these days.  Now I understand why the Druids brought evergreen boughs into their huts.   Anything to add a bit of cheer.

Here's a bit of greenery I made for our side porch:

A wreath I made from the rosehips I gathered this fall.   More and more I find that I want to decorate with handmade items and less store bought things.  It's funny, but when you are young, you want so many things, but as you get older, the less you want.  I was watching an old TV program the other day and one of the characters summed it up so well.  Happiness is within oneself.  It isn't what we have or how much we have that counts,it's how much of what we have that we actually enjoy. It's a gift to enjoy what you have, even if it is meager, and to share it.  I was reminded of this the other day when I saw the uproar on social media about a woman that posted a picture of her Christmas tree stacked to the top with presents.  I really have to wonder how many of those presents her children will enjoy.   After a while too many things becomes tiresome, like eating too many Christmas cookies.  The first is good, the second is nice, but by the time you bite into the third one, well, you start to feel a little ill.

IT"S ALL ABOUT THE PRESENTATION

Speaking of Christmas cookies, I've discovered that any cookie recipe becomes a Christmas cookie, if you frost it and add some sprinkles.

Put them in a tin with a doily or tissue paper and you have yourself a gift.   Long ago I learned presentation is everything.  I never spent much on presents, but taking care  in wrapping them and tying  on a nice ribbon (bought at the thrift store) impressed people. If you are going to be thrifty, you have to be clever!  A mug of hot cocoa is extra cozy if you add whipped cream and crushed candy canes (free from the local Santa).

Bonus points if your mug has a Grandma Moses illustration on it! (Or whatever you love)


CRAFTS

Another homemade item that says "Christmas"  are homemade pomanders.  

I make a few each year from those oranges that get shoved to the back of the fridge and aren't discovered until they have become wizened.   All you need is a darning or knitting needle and some cheap whole cloves from the dollar store to make them.  Just poke holes in the rind and poke the cloves in.  Then just let them set out until the dry and harden.  I make a few each year, and store them in a plastic bag in the attic.   I also add dried oranges, pinecones from the yard, star anise and cinnamon sticks to the mix.   Boy does it ever smell wonderful!   They never seem to lose their scent.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

I finally got my nativity set glued back together.  It is one of the focal points of our Christmas decor.   The stable was built by my grandfather during the Depression from scrap lumber he had lying about his farm.

Growing up, it had celluloid figurines from Woolworths that my grandmother had painted, but eventually they all broke and had to be replaced.   We were always allowed to play with the creche.   It's a wonderful way for children to learn the Christmas story, acting it out with the figures.

Years ago, I used to spend days decorating for the holidays but now I just do little touches here and there like this tannenbaum candy mold hanging from a ribbon with a sprig of red berries.

And I place small nativity sets and angels   here and there; reminders of the spiritual aspects of Christmas.

HAVE FUN

Another homemade decoration is paper snowflakes.  Here's  how to fold and cut them:

Step 1:  Fold a regular sheet of copy or writing paper to make a triangle, like this:

Cut off the excess paper at the top and save for making lists.

Step 2: Fold the paper into a smaller triangle.

Step 3:  Now take one corner and fold the paper to the halfway point of the triangle.

Step 4: Fold the other corner to match the edge of the fold on the other side.

Step 5:  Now cut across the paper at an angle.

You'll have this shape:

Step 6:  Cut shapes along all the sides.  The more shapes you cut the lacier your snowflake will be.

Step 7:   Unfold and behold! you have a snowflake!

This was one way we used to entertain the boys.  If you don't want to waste paper and are more techie, here's  a site for a fun on-line game for making snowflakes.  Warning!  It can become addictive!

THRIFTY THINGS WE DID THIS WEEK

Heated our house with wood.

Washed our clothes in the old wringer washer, saving on water and detergent.

Reused the rinse water for flushing toilets.

Hung the clothes in the woodstove room to dry, thus putting humidifying the air.

Baked cookies for inexpensive Christmas gifts.

Discovered it was cheaper to ship presents in our boxes, then those pre-paid ones at the post office.

Re-used Christmas card from the past (there's always a few left in the box, rather than ditch them, just put them away with your decorations at the end of the year.  In a few years, you'll have enough so you won't need to buy any)

Walked almost everywhere because we thought our car was having a problem.  Today we figured it out on our own saving us mega bucks at the mechanics!

Ate from the pantry.

Started knitting a hat from my yarn stash.

Watched a Christmas movie on Hulu for free.

Used our cash-back incentives at Walgreens to get our items (cashews on sale) for free.

So that's it!  Not the most exciting week, but that's OK, because sometimes we just need quiet!   Hope everyone is enjoying this Advent season.  Always remember that joy is within your reach!

Hugs
Jane