Its fun to get ready!

It is Advent and that means getting ready for Christmas. Not the kind of 'getting ready' that the shops ask us to do -spending, spending and more spending then complaining that 'it doesn't feel like Christmas"!

In our house we have some traditions which make Christmas a lovely time for us without a lot of expense.

Over the years I have collected a lot of Christmas decorations. Some were made over the years by my children. A lot I found in op shops (see the little mice below -which goes with my little china cat to remind me of the Cat and Mouse Carol) . Some I bought from my favourite Christmas shop in the Blue Mountains.

Each year on the first Sunday of Advent the boxes of Christmas decorations come down from the roof. The CD player has our favourite Christmas music on it.

Everyone has to be here to help!

All the decorative items that help make my 'country decorating' real have to be taken down and put away and all the shelves dusted. Books are pushed to the back of shelves to make way for decorative items in as many places as possible.
Some pictures are put away so that Christmas specific decorations can take over.

Then we decorate every space we can.

This year I have given my children the task of trying to count how many 'nativities" I have in the loungeroom. It is more than 5 and less than 15!

I now have a tree in the kitchen, a tree in the loungeroom, several small trees in the dining room and a tree in the family room.

It has become a lovely start to our Christmastide.

This year I have added my Christmas Quilt to the back of the sofa -I am very proud to have made this in my sewing class. And soon I hope to add my newest quilt -an Advent quilt -but first I have to finish it.

I am amazed how many people don't bother to decorate for Christmas. It brings out the child in me and that can't be a bad thing surely!

The final picture is of my DH who was so inspired that he actually sat down at the piano and played some Christmas carols!

I plan to write more about putting the meaning back into Christmas in simple ways next time, with more pictures of my decorating efforts.

My wish for you is for a simple meaningful run up to Christmas.