The Time Has Come!

Well, December is here at last and the lead up to the big day got underway over the last couple of weeks for me.

It’s always a busy time, catching up with friends, eating out and visiting garden centres and other attractions.

Last weekend I stayed up in Norfolk with friends and visited Thursford ‘Fantasy Land & Treasures of the Past’.

  It’s a collection of Stream Traction Engines and Carousels but at this time of year the collection closes and they put on an enormous Christmas Spectacular. 

The three hour show has a choir, singers and dancers  and there’s also a ‘Light Walk’ in the grounds with  shops selling gifts, mulled wine and mince pies.

What better way to start celebrating the season.

December 1^st also means it’s time to start opening my Advent Calendars.

They always bring back memories of my childhood and the excitement of what is behind each of the doors, but boy have things changed in those 60 years.

Back in the day, there was not a gift or piece of chocolate in sight, just a little picture, but the anticipation to open door 24 (yes, there were only doors up until Christmas Eve) was just as exciting.

By 1971 Cadbury had started to make calendars with chocolate in them, with the biggest piece being hidden behind door 24!

Now to the present day and the cost of Advent Calendars has soared from a couple of pounds to hundreds, with anything in them from make-up and beauty products and candles, to sparkly Swarovski Crystal and everything in between, including cross stitch.

I have two this year.

The first is one filled with Lindt Chocolate Balls and was a gift from Susan, my special friend of 49 years.

And the second one I purchased for myself and is the Christmas Countdown from Evertote,  Modern Folk Embroidery and Roxy Floss Co .

This is the third year of treating myself to one of these and judging by the colour of the fabric and floss in day one, it’s going to be every bit as beautiful as past ones.

There were also some lovely little extras in today envelope including a tree decoration, needle minder, flexible floss ring and needles.

Drop by tomorrow to my stitching from day 1.

I also like to put my Christmas Tree up on the 1^st of December, so here’s a couple of photos.

My crystal decorations that I purchased while visiting Tiffany New York in 2021

Happy Stitching!

Sue

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