It is the same every year. I find myself seduced by the various seasonal editions of magazines promising me that this year I will have the perfect stress free Christmas.
Filled with clever ideas for the perfect tree.
Interesting and exciting recipes for new twists on old favourites for a fabulous festive feast.
Grand designs for gingerbread houses.
Ways to deck the halls with garden greenery...
or with beautiful collections of eclectic objects.
And gorgeous gifts for all the special people in my life... homemade by me of course!
And every year I end up doing it all the same way as I've always done. But I'm not the only one am I?
Filled with clever ideas for the perfect tree.
Interesting and exciting recipes for new twists on old favourites for a fabulous festive feast.
Grand designs for gingerbread houses.
Ways to deck the halls with garden greenery...
or with beautiful collections of eclectic objects.
And gorgeous gifts for all the special people in my life... homemade by me of course!
And every year I end up doing it all the same way as I've always done. But I'm not the only one am I?
Yes, it all gets a bit overwhelming doesn't it! I suppose they are nice to evoke the spirit of a handmade christmas - and maybe tackling ONE thing is enough! That's why I make my cards using all the images, keeps the prettiness going - I do love a bit of winter styling. Hope you are well Gina - the mince pies looked great btw! Caireenx
ReplyDeleteNO YOU ARE NOT!!! :o)))) However, the paper stars on page 34 of Country Living fascinate me and I have struggled to make sense of the very minimal instructions on page 35!!!!! The pear and stilton tarts further on are definitely on my "hit list"..........
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly. We always muddle through the same but it's nice to dream of the perfectly decorated house!
ReplyDeleteno you're not the only one!! Makes me feel inadequate!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not!!
ReplyDeleteAt the moment my husband is circling our tree (which I lovingly decorated last night) to find out why one set of lights, which were going last night, aren't going this morning. I'll probably have to buy a new set, take everything off the tree and start again!!! Grrr!! So no it's never like the magazines!
Vivienne x
Not at all! I think many families have their own favourite Christmas traditions which is as it should be. There's no harm in looking to see if we've missed out on anything new though.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to add to the stress! Easy way out for me!
ReplyDeleteThere is great value in reading. I hear it expands the mind...
ReplyDeleteI love to stick to the same routine each Christmas as it makes it feel less stressful. The tree and decs go up on my daughter's birthday (11th) and we make the clove oranges for the basket by the fireplace.......will be strange this year though as sadly Dad not with us so one less place at the table :(
ReplyDeleteJane
Wow! Clementine curd - sounds fabulous. Save a tiny little pincushion-sized jam jar ful for me!
ReplyDeleteThe reason you get stressed is all that cooking if you ask me x
I'm not sure my children would recognise it as Christmas if we did it all differently.
ReplyDeleteWe actually DO have a stress-free Christmas - I think one of the reasons for this is that we remember the true meaning of this special time and try not to get caught up in all the hype although of course we do have presents and decorate the house to celebrate [just like the first Christmas]. We have a 'special' meal and spend time together. Sorry if this is a bit old-fashioned and naff for some but it's just the way we like it.
ReplyDeleteNo Gina, I do the same but end up going back to the way I have done things for the last 32 years. The other Christmas I changed things and put the tree in the dinning room, I got moaned at so it's back to putting it in the living room (it's tradition). But like Chicken Lover there will be someone missing this year at our table too.
ReplyDeletephew glad i am not the only one who feels that way. I avoid the magazines until after Christmas for that exact reason :-) Just had a rant on a forum about the comercialsm of Christmas actually, feel a lot better for it :-)
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely not the only one. I've had to stop looking at December magazines!
ReplyDeleteK x
I say "bah humbug" to Christmas editions of magazines. But they are so colourful and inviting, aren't they? I remember helping my tiny nieces to assemble a gingerbread house from a kit. It became postively lopsided and ended up as a gingerbread shack. It tasted good, though.
ReplyDeleteNo, you're not the only one ... those magazines are just so gorgeous, almost edible in their loveliness. And then there's the mess and stress in 'real life'! x
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely not the only one! Last January, a friend and I vowed that this year it would be different and we would be ready -- even making an advent calendar a little bit every month so we'd be ready this month. We were just discussing this morning what went wrong. We have plans to start again in January. And guess what -- I'm betting next Christmas will be just like this one -- still with no project!
ReplyDeleteI do love to stick some of the familiar traditional things about our Christmas, but then I do get seduced by the beautifully styled photos in all my favourite mags!
ReplyDeleteI don't get nearly as many magazines at Christmas as I used to...way too much pressure! But I do like looking at the styling, though I'm not sure content varies much year on year.
ReplyDeleteLOL Gina, that's exactly what I was talking about with a friend the other day! And no, you're definitely not the only one. I may end up doing one of the suggestions from all the magazines so every year the traditions evolve somewhat, but the perfect Christmas? uhm, no!
ReplyDelete