Thankful for feeling Christmassy (yes it is so a word) (maybe)

December is here and I am super excited about Christmas.

I have shaken off the bah-humbugness of last Christmas – fraught with newborn-ish sleep deprivation and anxiety over what was causing our little bubba concerning symptoms (the as yet undiagnosed mspi.) Last year, you could take your stocking and stuff it, as far as I was concerned.

This year however, it’s jingle all the way to December 25th.

I have bought a new Christmas album : A very She & Him Christmas, which I intend to play ad nauseum. I like it so much and it makes me smile to think this is likely to be the album that my kids will associate with christmas for years to come.

And, I actually made an advent calendar!

Taking inspiration from Kellie at 74 Lime Lane when she posted five lovely Advent Calendar ideas and also from a handy newsletter I subscribe to called Kids Craft Weekly, I made up my mind to make a cool, simple envelope advent calendar with activities for the kids each day. For extra activity inspiration when my imagination got a little tired, I found this post from Puddles and Gumboots handy.

So I was going to go and buy some cute paper bags or mini envelopes, some tiny pegs, some twine.

And then I changed my mind completely and decided to use materials I had at home.

I did origami envelopes!

I hand wrote the numbers and the messages due to lack of ink in my printer.

Then I stuck them up with blu-tac.

I am by no means a crafty person but I am happy I decided to make this, Little W. thinks it is just great.

This afternoon we all put up the tree together. Little W. loved helping and Lula loved pulling all the ornaments off. It’s just a humble plastic tree with shiny plastic baubles in bright colours and basic lights. It looks a bit of a mess to be honest.  We all helped add the decorations, Little W. putting them on wherever he chose. I let my glossy-home-decorating-mag tree-perfection fantasy evaporate as I realised that this tree is perfect for us.

There will be plenty of Christmases in years to come in which I can choose a ‘theme’ and place each ornament in perfect alignment. But there won’t be many years spent making Christmas memories with my children being so small.

I watched my son cluster all the decorations in imperfect perfection. I watched my daughter excitedly steal another bauble from the tree’s green plastic grasp.  I watched as my husband picked up my son and helped him place the star on top of the tree.

Best Christmas memory yet.

Only 24 sleeps to go.

I’m spreading the gratitude and the Christmas cheer far and wide this week;

Linking up with Kate Says Stuff for Thankful Thursday

& Flog yo Blog Friday with Glowless

& will be linking up with Maxabella Loves… for her grateful linky too on Saturday.

They are all awesome blogs and link-ups and I urge you to check them out.

Are you feeling Christmassy this year? Do you do an Advent calendar? Does your tree go up on December 1?