The Christmas Novel

Christmas is one of those events that can have so much written about it, it's almost intimidating to get down and post about. I've a few minutes now, on this last day of December, to say a little about how my festive season wet, and is going, which seems fitting - it would be strange in some way to write about it in 2007, which is only 8 hours away!!

As I've mentioned before I adore Christmas, but this year realised that I mostly love the build up to Christmas, and the significance the season has to me in terms of childhood memories, abundance of spakles and joy about, and a feeling of specialness and thinking of others. Hand in hand with this realisation was admitting to myself, and actually accepting that Christmas Day itself is never what I build it up to be, is always something of an exhausting mission - and never really will get back to the joyful bubbly heart burstingly full of wonder and love that Christmases of my childhood were.

And that that's ok.

So this year I had a different attitude, and was equipt with the knowledge and acceptance of Christmas is for me now, and I really honestly had a fabulous time :)

Last year skoot and I ended up at home after three back-to-back family gigs, having driven countless kms North and South of Perth City, always feeling rushed from one gig to the next, so we weren't really able to chill back and absorb each scene. But this year was brilliant :)

We started furthest away from home at my lovely Dad's home, where we breakfasted with my Gran and Pa, brother Ben, his girlfriend Sarah and the fluffy muffin Chill bill :) It was such a relaxed and natural atmosphere, chilling out around the brekkie table, then sitting in the lounge chatting and exchanging gifts and cards etc.. Chill was allowed in from outside (being part husky she malts MAXIMUM amounts of fluffy white down which makes inside-dog status not an option most of the time) to take part in the festivities, and I had several fun treats for her all wrapped up! Here she is "playing with" her exciting squeaky rope tailed horse toy! She loved this one and went racing about the lounge chasing it when we threw or squeaked it!

From there we cruised closer to home, to my maternal Grandparents' house for a lunch get together. Ben was in the kitchen creating an exotic salad masterpiece, we all sat in the lounge and caught up - Grandad's been quite crook on and off lately, so it's always great to see him and Gran, plus my uncle Pete and his partner Ingryd were there so it was great to have a natter with them - Pete's a barrel of fun and imagination, awesome to talk with!
We feasted on a delicious pumpkin and something quichey tart Mum had made plus other meat-eatery things for the non-vegos there, and desserted with divine berry tart, icecream, cake... etc! Mmmmm!!! We retired back to the lounge - barrel like and satsified, and there was much laughter and excitement as we gifted each other. As I said, Pete's got a magic sense of humour, and gave Ben a Dr Who Darlek (spelling??) shaped bottle opener with a magnetis sensor on the tip so each time it connects with a bottlecap it exclaims "EXTTEERRRRRMINATTEE!!!!" - brilliant!!
It was my gorgeous maternal Gran who taught me to knit years ago, so when Mum gifted me a book on handknitted Ethnic Socks and Stockings, the three of us absolutely pored over each page oooh-ing and aaaaah-ing at the fair isle and craftsmanship.

Time flew past so much faster than it felt is should, and we were off again down south to skoot's Mum's place - just the next suburb over from us. His Mum, and sister had done the house up with gorgeous decorations everywhere, a stunning table setting out the back for our light, cold supper, and even the little mini doggers were in festive spirits!!
Christmas Kahn
Christmas Poppett
And by the end of the evening when we were too ful for any more grub, and too knackered for any more talk it was only a short sprint home in the car to our own pad to really chill out and wind down from the day - The best way to do the day!

I was amazed by the generosity of our friends and family, and particularly touched with how their gifts reflected how much they know me and care about my interests. I received MANY knit-related pressies which I was absolutely thrilled to bits about!! A copy of Rowan #40 which I've been covetting for some time, The Ethnic Socks and Stockings book, a year subscription to Vogue Knitting and current copies of Vogue and Yarn mags, the Knitting Pattern a Day calendar, and my darling paternal Gran (who was a knitter herself at my age and knit an entire lace dress for herself once!) gave me a parcel of awesome retro patterns she's kept from her youth - fabulous designs I can't wait to have a go at! One of them is even Australian Vogue Knitting book number 2 - can you imagine!!

I thoroughly enjoyed crafting gifts this year to go along with purchased goodies, but in the frenxy of it all didn't take a photo of even one of the creations!! So in due course I shall hunt them down and take happy snaps! Particularly as I was absolutely spoilt by Scumptious Skoot who bought me a digicam! Hooray!! So no more blurry shots or inaccurate colour! Yipee!! He was equally spoilt with a pottery wheel, crafted items (painted shirts and things - photos to come) and..... an electric remote control belly hopper! He's wanted one for yonks but I've never been able to find one that suited - til now! Wheee!

Notice the extremely Aussie interior of The Shed!!

So all in all the day was a complete success, and not only that - an enjoyable success, and you can't ask for more than that :)