Getting ready for Christmas

I went off to do my big Costco Christmas shop yesterday - so that started to feel a bit like Christmas. We don't entertain all that much over Christmas any more - not like we used to. We used to have a big open house party where the house was full of people and food and activity, but we stopped doing it a number of years ago. I think once the kids start to have kids of their own then the Christmas activity will start up again. But I think it will be quite a few years yet before that happens. But I thought I should post a couple of Christmasy quilty things.


This is not quilty but it is a small Christmas wall hanging that Jessica made when she was about 8 years old - so that would be 20 years ago now - and it is always sitting over the fireplace. I just love it.


These next two wall hangings were made by a girlfriend who I introduced to quilting. She quilted up a storm every year for Christmas for a number of years and gave me some wonderful things - table runners, placemats, aprons etc. Then she had children and had to slow down on the quilting. I'm sure she will go back to quilting once the kids are not needing so much time.

I have never quilted anything for Christmas (except the Christmas stockings) but I really like having the little quilted things to put up and around the house, it make the house much more festive. I think I would have made a Christmas item or two except my friend sent me so many different Christmasy things that I never needed to make any myself. We have not put up the tree yet - we will do that next weekend, so I will post a couple of tree pictures then. We usually put the tree up the weekend before Christmas and take it down New Years Day. The kids come over and drink eggnog and watch their mum decorate the tree!! They used to help with it but now they just like to watch. Jim puts up the tree and the lights and does help with the decorating a bit - he doesn't like to put on the tinsel - which is a very important part of the decoration.

I have to go off to the stores again today, a few more things only to do and a couple of packages to mail off and a couple of Christmas parties yet to go to this week. Next week I am working so I will not be able to do much next week -- and I do not go to any stores on the weekends or the last 4 days before Christmas -- already the stores are getting way too busy for me. Not much for me to get in the stores now and I pretty much stick to a short list - go in, buy, get out.

Last year Eric gave me a massage (Thai Massage) for Christmas and I am going to go have the massage today -- see what that is all about. I have never had a massage, so I am a little unsure if I will actually like someone rubbing oil on me - I don't know how relaxing I will find it.