On 12 December I decorated the house in an afternoon, made my door wreath with foliage from the woods and put up our little fake tree. Hubby brought the boxes from the loft with my Christmas tea set and Christmas reindeer plates (which got plenty of use), curtains came down, fairy lights went up round windows and the furniture moved a bit to fit everything in.
Both sons came to stay, 3 of us worked through Christmas on one shift or another - it was the first year I had cooked Christmas dinner without help - as a vegetarian that was a challenge - I had strict written instructions from the other half and a meat thermometer for checking the turkey!
On 12th night I will take the decorations down, put the curtains back up and say goodbye to the fairy lights for another year.
I didn't watch much tv over Christmas but just found series 1 of Kin, on BBC (if you liked Peaky Blinders, you will like this) I won't spoil the plot.
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We kept an eye on last minute bargains online and were lucky to get a short break to Marrakech for the not too distant future. We bought a big World map to go on the wall as we are planning a lot of travel for 2025 and it needs some thought.
Great New Year resolutions! I especially like the one which says: "Don't think about being old, think how great it is to be alive".
ReplyDeleteI like to walk in Nature, I try to savour the moments, and above all, I express my gratitude to God regularly.
Savour the moments - I want to do more of that, God appears in many ways/forms :)
DeleteIt is great to be alive, yes, but the age thing is quite consuming.
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't consumed me yet but does feature daily, it's getting adjusted to small changes, I am learning to accept and stop analysing :)
DeleteI still need to take down my Christmas decoration. Which I plan to this up coming Sunday.
ReplyDeleteHi Dora, I think we will feel fully into a fresh, New Year, once those decorations have gone away :)
DeleteI cooked Xmas dinner with no help also! Then it took me 3 hours to clear up, with no help also! That's when I decided I'll never host Xmas dinner ever again!Your Marrakesh trip sounds exciting!All my decs came down on Boxing Day, before I was overcome with some lurgy or other.Thought my nose would never dry up! X
ReplyDeletethats not how its supposed to work however,, I have just realised I did all the clearing up too haha! work smarter not harder is hubby's motto - I need to use it!
DeleteI love your New Year's resolutions. They seem pretty realistic to me. I particularly like the "Wear something sparkly every day" resolution! I always try to avoid treading on insects. I recently saw some antique shoes (I think they were worn by a Buddhist monk) which were specifically designed to minimise impact on the insect community. They looked like wooden flatform shoes with tiny little stilts on each corner. Maybe there's a modern day market for them? x
ReplyDeletethose shoes sound amazing!
DeleteYour house looks lovely, I do like the swags of greenery on your bannister, glazed cupboard and over the window, very pretty.
ReplyDeleteWell done on cooking the Xmas dinner yourself - I used to oversee my brigade of chefs provide over two thousand of the things every year back in the bad old days, nowadays I still oversee and supervise but Jon's a lot easier to manage!
I absolutely love your positive affirmations, Betty. I'm going to print them off and stick them on the wall - but am I allowed to bend the rules and stamp on cockroaches? I hate them with a passion!
I'm liking the sound of Kin - we've not seen it. I shall bookmark it for after we've finished Auf Wiedersehen, Pet!
Have a wonderful weekend! xxx
I don't have a problem with cockroaches, having spent many happy years behind bars in their company I know they are everywhere that sticky beer gets spilt! The ones abroad are a bit of a shocker sometimes, especially spitting ones - but stamping on them does no good - they are industructable! having been on the planet longer than us they have developed bendy legs and wings of steel that cannot be shattered - only fire will kill them imo - so stamp away :) i have found a trick on holidays to keep them at bay - always keep the bathroom light on at night, they won't usually come up the drains when they think its daytime :)
Deletebehind bars! not the doing time type of course, the nightclub variety!!
DeleteI like your New Year's Resolutions , I'm pretty much working on those things myself . I just took down all of our decorations....at least I think I have ! Wishing you and all your followers a very Happy , Healthy and Peaceful New Year 2024 💐x
ReplyDeleteWonderful New Year’s resolutions! Have a very happy 2024! Sal 😁
ReplyDeleteSorry for being late this time dear Betty.
ReplyDeleteYour decorations were awesome and your house looked divine 😍
This is really beautiful your family was completed on Christmas day ❤❤❤
You guys made house look so good mashallah.
You gave up meat ,did you skip the fish as well ?
I bet memories you created together will stay with all of you forever!
Lovely resolutions.
Best of luck for travelling plans!
May they be safe and full of fun .
Hugs and blessings