December - A Few of My FavoriteThings

Here it is almost Christmas.  

Maybe my being in a walking boot and brace for 8 weeks prepared me for a more relaxed holiday season.  I have been mindful and realistic with HOW I wanted to spend my time, HOW I wanted to decorate and HOW much I wanted to bake and create.  The younger me, tried to do "it all" - truthfully, I did...ahaha, but, somehow in all that busyness, the feeling of the season often times escaped me.  Not that I didn't enjoy it all, I did.  It is just that I didn't "need" to do all that.  

So, what have I done differently this year?  

Created experiences for those I love.  

My daughters and grands came over for a gingerbread house and cookie day.  We decided to make this a tradition on the first Friday of December.  I made the kits and assembled them so that we had time to do the "fun" part together.  

My grands, Ezra and Lauren.

I hosted a Christmas Craft night with my 4H kids.  I supplied all the materials.  I also made kits of projects that they could take home and complete, this is my gift to them.  The first project, the sweater ornament, materials were supplied by Cheri.

I love these! I made 12 for my own tree.

You can see the kits, I put in baggies.  

A tree for me (wink, wink) I do have a lot of Annalee dolls.  This past summer, I was lucky to find so many from a flea market in Minnesota and my mother in law had a collection that we divided before here estate sale and I now have hers.  She was the one who got me hooked on these little felt cuties.  So my whole tree and pretty much only decorations this year are them.  I did do a Nativity area with my mother in laws old set.  

Finally hung the closet doors.  

We are breaking with the traditional Christmas meal and replacing it with a Christmas brunch.  I asked what they wanted to eat and smoked fish won (I will have some ham for Jon).  So today, Al and I went to Green Bay to Bearcat Fish House.  We also stopped at Woodmans (HUGE grocery store) - we instantly regretted it as it was a 3 ring circus.  However, I needed stuff to make my candies with tomorrow.  We stopped at a St. Vinny and I found this, I love it.  

Tomorrow I will make some candies that I have wanted to make for a couple of Christmases.  Monday I will bake cookies - I like them to be fresh.  We will have a get together with Al's sister and brother and families after Christmas.  First Christmas without grandma.  

On Sunday, I will be reading The Tale of the Three Trees for our church presentation.  This year, they asked everyone to participate if they wanted.  I bought this book for my grands last year and it's a tear jerker.  I hope I can read it without crying.  If not, that is o.k. too.  

Have you planned anything special for yourself or others this Christmas?  

Blessing from Ringle, Wisconsin.