It's open Season

I'm all happy and singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer.

Why is that? It's because in mylife I always begin Christmas time on the 28 of October.

I will tell you why. In October we have four birthays: first my nephew, then one of my girls, then mine and in the end, on the 27, it's my uncle's.

So, till his birthday, it's not time for Christmas - well, officially, because I don't tell anyone that in September I'm already strolling in all the shopping sites I can looking for signs of that blessed season.

Anyway, now we arrived at Christmas time !! 🎄

So, what am I doing now?

Besides singing Rudolph on top of my lungs, I will make a list of presents - that I have already some bought since September it's a thing that nobody needs to know. 😄

I will go fetch all the wrapping papers left over from last year - oh joy  - and the ribbons and tags also. 

That way I can begin wrapping the already bought presents, which is an activity that I like so much, while listening on youtube to all the Christmas songs I can find, mainly the more vintage ones.

This one is my favourite for the wrapping activity: 

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas 

Then I will beging thinking about the food for Christmas, the Eve and the Day. 

I will make a  list of the groceries, the cod, the meat, the potatoes, cabbage and pumpkin for the soups, the flour, sugar and all the trimmings for desserts - lots of them! 😀

(no, I never made these ones but who knows?)

And I will make a list too for the non perishables and non food related, like nice Christmassy napkins and some more little decorations that I can't resist to buy every year. And I say little ones because I think I have enough decorations.

And another thing that I want to do is a good overall cleaning and I will make a list for it too.

What's more? Oh so many things to think and do. I feel like dancing.

Partying at:

Grace Filled Moments

It's the most wonderful time of the year

 

 It's the most wonderful time of the year

I though of posting this on the 28 of October, the day after the last birthday of the year. Only in October we have four! So, even if I think all the time about Christmas and Rudolph lingers in my head day and night and I buy lots of presents and even wrapping papers all month and even in September, after the birthdays are over I declare open season and I sing aloud all the Christmas songs I want.

I went already looking for Advent Calendars to buy and took pictures of them so at my home they choose the ones they prefer.

I know that before Christmas we have Advent but each thing has its own purpose. I don't forget Advent and what it means but I must live the joy promised to us in each Christmas with the celebration of the

New Born King.

But for now let's be happy with the small things of life and live all the details of the Season.

Stroling the streets, watching the decorations and doing window shopping, seeing the Christmas trees and the happy families.

Such joy.

May Our Lord give us a very peaceful and happy time while we wait for Christmas.

.

Partying at

Slices of Life

The Twelve Days of Christmas

So it was the time to wrap presents and then, suddenly, Christmas Eve and the Day were gone. Also Boxing Day.

How could  it be that it went so fast ?

But yes, we are now in January but Christmas Time didn't finish yet.

We will only  take the Tree and the Decorations out AFTER Epiphany. And the Nativity will stay till the 2 of February: the Presentation of The Lord Day, Candlemas.

So, don't pretend Christmas ended because it's still Christmas Time.

On the first day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

Origin and meaning of the Twelve Days of Christmas Song

"Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith - a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in *writing* indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head - or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment I'm not aware was ever practiced anywhere else."

(More at the link above.)

These blessed days before Christmas

It has been raining and raining. Not that I mind or complain, after the draught this rain is a blessing, it's just that a homemaker really needs some days of sun, or at least, that it doesn't rain so she may dry some clothes in the wind.

I do like the nice smell of dried clothes, if they are mine they smell like lavendar, the others have other nice smells. My children relate lavender with all things mine and they like to have their own scents. And I must say I don't like lavender scent on the kitchen laundry, I prefer to have it on my own things or the bathroom laundry.

Anyway, it has been quite a real Autumn with all this rain, wind, fog and it has been rather cold, at least as cold as it can be in this corner of Europe.

The days go by and I give thanks to Our Lord every day for all those blessings He gives to us. Even in the more difficult days we feel, so clearly, His Hand on us, guiding us, protecting us and helping us in each step of the way. Thanks be to God in His Saints and in His Angels and, above all, in His Holy Mother.

The First Thankgiving - September 8, 1565 - https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/140 

I'm not American but I do like Thanksgiving, even if we don't celebrate it, but I like it because one upon a time my husband, still not even my fiancé, organized a lunch with several people just to invite me. Well, one year later we were already married and I don't regret it at all.

After Thanksgiving it comes black friday which, even if I don't like the name of it, I like the reduced things we can find on that day.

And about Christmas, I must say that I'm singing Rudolph since October so I am in Christmas mood for a long time.

 

I've been buying and wrapping presents for a whole month now.

One of this days I will post about it as I like to do it every year.

From last year

Bye for now, see you tomorrow, maybe.

It's Christmas time !

I have longing for writing a post about Christmas. Each year, as Summer ends, when I think of Christmas, I don't allow myself to develop much, only on the 27 or 28 of October I go in Christmas mode. 

So, this year, it was not even midday of the 27, I decided that the season was open and began singing Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, first in my mind, as I was at work, but then when I arrived at home, I began singing at the top of my lungs.

It was Christmas in my soul!

And since then I have been thinking about it and planning and dreaming. Things that I will buy for my children and others, things I will buy for me and for the home, which improvements I will do in the house, which wrapping papers I still have and which ones I will buy. And strings and bows. 

And what about the food, what will I make ?

Will it be very cold in  the Christmas day or warmer ? Will it rain ?

And my mind flies, happy, dreaming of all those nice things.

I must clarify that, in this corner of the world, we haven't Thanksgiving and Halloween is a foreigner idea which has nothing to do with our culture, even if the shops explore the idea to their own profit, with lots of people embarking in celebration of witches day.

Anyway, from the middle of the Autumn I begin living the pre-Christmas days. And what joy that is.

I will keep posting about that happiness till we arrive at the day.

Christmas Joy

Time for this. 😊

Wait ! It's still Christmas

No, it's not yet time to take the decorations down. Christmas will NOT end till the 6 of January when it will be the Epiphany. That's right, the day when we celebrate the adoration the wise men did to the Infant Jesus and gave to him gold, incense and myrrh.

Then we will take the decorations down, will put the Christmas tree and Nativity scene in the attic or whatever place you keep those things till next December.

We are having a wonderful Christmas, thanks God and we had a very good transition from the old year to the new. The First of January was wonderful too with all the family, parents and sister and brother included, together with in laws and nephew. Thanks be to God.

Such a pity that I was so busy that I completely forgot to take pictures of the wonderful meals. Oh, well, never mind, the important part was that we were happy and giving thanks to Our Lord from Whom all things come.

And now I will leave you with the song of the Twelve Days of Christmas and it's meaning.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany.
 “My true love” refers to God, “me” is the individual Catholic. 
The “twelve lords a leaping” are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. 
The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. 
The “ten ladies dancing” are the Ten Commandments. 
The “nine drummers drumming” are the nine choirs of angels which in those days of class distinction were thought important. 
The “eight maids a milking” are the Eight Beatitudes. 
The “seven swans a swimming” are the Seven Sacraments.
The “six geese a laying” are the Six Commandments of the Church or the six days of creation. 
The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Old Testament called the Torah which are generally considered the most sacred and important of all the Old Testament. 
The “four calling birds” are the Four Gospels. 
The “three French hens” are the Three Persons in God or the three gifts of the Wise Men. 
The “two turtle doves” represent the two natures in Jesus: human and divine or the two Testaments, Old and New. 
The “partridge” is the piece de resistance, Jesus himself, and the “pear tree” is the Cross.

http://www.catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=3465

Joining TFT at Katherines Corner

Christmassying all day

Saturday and a big opportunity to do all things Christmas.

Time to put some extra decorations, to tidy the house and to go shopping all the way singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

But if you  prefer just to listen and not to see the cartoon, here it is:

Such happy day ! Thanks God !
Now hurry up and begin the party: Christmassying all day !

Dreaming of a white Christmas

It has been quite cold here which makes me dream of some snow even if last time it happened was years ago.
Anyway, we can dream.

I leave you here with this wish.

Music for these Christmassy days

A good music to listen while wrapping presents. But if you are already tired after wrapping for one hour or two maybe it's better to listen to White Christmas.

But if you are in a funny mood maybe you would prefer to listen this version - very good to wrap and to prepare the house for Christmas. Or maybe while you bake.
But if you can watch it while you listen, still better.