A Merry Little Christmas... "Jul" 2015

Onkel Hans with all the cousins!

Christmas has been full on, fun-filled and just generally great. It was a chaotic run-up, but the special days themselves were just perfect.

Days spent with family, remembering the reason for the season, teaching our children the good news of the Gospel and watching wonder-filled faces overcome with awe.

A few little pictures of our Christmas season...

This time last year we had no little boys in our family... now we have two!

A "Gift for Jesus" - read more about that here!

Playing with new toys

 Two little ladies who loved everything about this Christmas

Christmas Dinner with the family!

The yearly candlelit retelling of the Nativity on the evening of Christmas Day

Carol Services, Choirs and Prayer and Praise Nights galore... and plenty of hours spent in rehearsals too!

Baby's first Christmas!

And that was Christmas 2015 in a nutshell!

Wishing you and yours all the very best for the new year!

Holidays...

And just like that, the holidays began...

It was a whirlwind weekend; tutoring, birthday parties, event organising, and three Carol services were no small feat. On Friday night, I sat on the sofa, cup of tea on one side, my diary on the other, looking out at a pile of clean washing that needed to be put away, at clothes hung over radiators and dryers, noticing piles of paper here and there, and toyboxes overflowing with toys, belonging to children who really don't need any more.

And I sat there, staring at my diary, I realised I was juggling a mental to-do list as long as my arm... Christmas cards to write, presents still to be bought, cookies to be baked, events to organise and children who need fed, clothed and cared for, regardless of how busy the season is.

Oh, and a baby who's weaning... Did I mention that?!

And as all these thoughts were buzzing round my head, a still small voice is reminding me that this is not what Christmas is all about... It's not meant to be about stress, and clutter and stuff.

It's meant to be uncluttered, simple... and peaceful. A simple rememberance of the stripped back arrival of our Saviour, born in a cowshed.

The arrival of Peace on Earth.

And so I decided that I wasn't going to let the stress get on top of me. It was time to destress, unclutter, relax.... Not take on any more. And enjoy the real reason for the season...

So stripped back, simple living began yesterday....

A mountain of bible puzzle books to be made up...

And lots of lovely little Christmas "Pixi books" to be read...

And of course, plenty of sleeping "in heavenly peace"...

With three days to go, we still have plenty to do... But as I've sought to tick things of my list, it's helpful to always hold the perspective of the real meaning of Christmas in my mind.

The best gift you'll ever receive

Is a baby born on Christmas Eve

Wrapped in a manger, parcelled in hay

Was the baby boy called Jesus.

- Clarina's Contemplations, 2009 -

Oh Christmas Tree...

Two years ago, I finally gave in to the decision to buy a fake tree. It hurt a little bit... its all about the scent, you see. I'd really rather have a tree that doesn't shed needles, and the fake trees these days look so realistic that you could almost believe they were real (apart from that they're slightly too perfectly symmetrical) but its that fir smell that lacks when you have a fake one... and saying goodbye to that scent did break my heart a little bit!

But with three small children, it really does make sense to have a fake one... and I discovered a candle which totally smells of christmas tree, and has totally won me over to the whole fake tree thing! So last Saturday afternoon, we braved the attic, got down the tree and its billion-and-one decorations, put the christmas music on, lit the Christmas tree scented candle and off we went.

Operation Deck the Halls began!

We let the girls do the decorating... they were so excited! I had it in my head that I would let them decorate it, and then repair the damage once they had gone to bed. But I totally didn't need to! They did an amazing job, and aside from moving a few decorations higher up the tree (it was a little bottom heavy) I have left it just as they did it!

Of course, the girls had an audience the whole way through... the boys sat on the sofa and watched, and even Bestamor and Bestafar from Norway got in on the spectator action!

We are so excited about our first Christmas with this little man... he is at such a lovely age - mesmerised by the lights and decorations, and always entertained by his big sisters!

After all was decorated, everyone hit the sofa for a christmas movie... and I totally skived on dinner and we got fish and chips.

It was just one of those days, you know?!

Let's just say there were no complaints!

Any of you been won over to the fake tree side? Or are you all hard-core genuine tree-lovers?!

How To Make A Christmas Rag Wreath

Ever since my year spent living in Austria, wreath-making has been an annual part of my Advent... whether it be a candle-wreath, or a door wreath, there is something lovely and festive about those colourful rings...

This year I went for a slightly different angle.

I am so thrilled with my rag-wreath, dirt cheap to make, quick and easy... you genuinely need no craft skill at all to make it... and even the kids can get involved! As long as you can knot, you can do this!

I led a workshop making these last week at our Church Christmas Craft Evening, and showed 42 women from our local community how to rustle up themselves a wreath... and without exception they were thrilled with their creations, and all commented how quick and easy it had been!

So I thought I'd share a little "How To" on how to make them... if you have a free 45 minutes somewhere, why not give it a go?

YOU NEED:
1m garden wire
Material/ribbon in your colour scheme of choice

Step 1: 
Cut your material into approximately 75 strips measuring 3/4" x 5"

Step 2:
Bend your garden wire into a circle with a diameter of approximately 20cm. Double it up and twist to strengthen.

Step 3:
Tie each strip onto your wire with a simple knot and bunch them together...

Step 4:
Once you have knotted all the way around your wreath, use a little decoration to create the top (I used little mushrooms on wire, but you could use a bell, bauble or some holly!)

Step 5:
Stand back and admire. I loved this craft... a little project that is so effective.

Watch out... I think there may be some seasonal wreaths planned for next year!!

Why not have a go?!

Nikolaus Abend

The landing was dark... By the door to their bedroom lay three little boots, empty and standing tall. Inside the bedroom, two little girls lay, covers to chins, eyes squeezed tight shut, and willing sleep to come.

It was Nikolaus Abend on Saturday Night!

As they slept sweetly, Nikolaus would come and fill those little boots with fruit, nuts and sweet treats, a tradition upheld in many European countries, and one which we have always delighted in with our little ones. It's the original St Nicholas story, and one which I've always loved for its simplicity... No extravagant gifts, no raucous celebration... Just a few raisins, a mandarin, a couple of chocolate coins and a few stickers, and a reminder that children really are grateful for the small things too!

And when they came down the stairs in the morning, those little boots were full of goodies...

The children opened their little goody bags in delight, before the usual cry of "Let's find Nico and Nati!", and they entered the lounge to find their little Kindness Elves had prepared a little extra special something...

An invitation for the children to make their own little Nikolaus bags for a friend each... and stickers, chocolates and fruits to fill them up with.

Thrilled is an understatement. I actually think they took more delight in making those little bags up, than they did in opening their own...

And one happy little chappy looked on while we read the story of the very first St Nikolaus!

And then we settled down to breakfast, and a celebration of the second Advent Sunday... the next instalment of the Christmas story was read, the Advent Candle lit, and a few carols and Christmas songs sung around the piano, and a lovely, long, lazy start to Sunday morning, before we bundled into the car for Church (rising early with small children does have its perks sometimes... you can get a lot down before 10.30am!)

A lovely little Sunday... and we are all very, very glad to have our Papa back home (perhaps me especially!)

Do you have any special Advent traditions to share?

Advent for Children // Preparing Little Hearts for Christmas

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEKS #SAVOURINGTHESEASON

Ava was four months old when we celebrated our first Christmas. I suppose I had never really thought much about how to "teach the meaning of Christmas" before that... I had assumed it would be a process of osmosis. But the more I have observed the media hype and materialism that surround this wonderful season, the more I realised we may need to be a little more purposeful in our parenting when it comes to Christmas.

And so I began to think about how to prepare the little hearts we have been entrusted with, for Christmas. How to establish some family traditions which will help us remember what Christmas is really all about. Don't get me wrong, I love the reindeer, the snowflakes, the excitement about the arrival of Father Christmas and the caroling. But they are not the things I long for our little ones to savour during this season.

As the children grow, I want their memories of Christmas to be more than magical. I want them to be based in reality... in understanding what happened just over 2000 years ago, and in understanding why that is something truly worth celebrating. These 24 days in the run up to Christmas are an opportunity for us to fester an excitement in our little people - not about sleigh bells or Santa or snow (although those things are extremely exciting - even at 30!) but about remembering the arrival of a baby King who would shake the world forever.

So here are some little traditions we've established which help us truly savour this season for all its worth...

Feel free to steal/adapt/pick and choose at will. Perhaps you have a tradition you do which you could share in the comments... I'm always after new ideas!

The Christmas Journey: Kicking it all off...
We are really blessed to be part of a church with some amazingly creative people in it. At the end of November every year, our church is transformed into this amazing, hands on, beautiful experience better known as The Christmas Journey. You can read about our visit last year here. The children travel round different tents - Mary's kitchen, the hillside, the stable, the wise men's tent... and meet the characters. Actors and puppets bring the story to life and our children are mesmerised every year. For us, its the start of the Christmas season, and it's a very special one. Why not Google "The Christmas Journey" and see if anyone's running it near you?!


The Advent Candles...
Advent candles go way back... like hundreds of years back. Four candles signifying the four weeks of Advent in the run-up to Christmas. Each Sunday, another candle is lit... it signifies the hope, the expectation - the countdown that we're looking forward to a major historical event. This sense of expectation and joy is at the heart of what Advent is all about. My four candles are ready to go out on display, waiting to be lit (the first one will be lit today and we'll read the first part of the Christmas story as we light it). The Christmas story is all about light - the light of the star that led the Wise Men to Bethlehem to meet the Light of the world...

 The Advent Book Box...
We started this tradition for Ava's first Christmas. Every year, on the first of December, the children get a Christmas book to enjoy in the run-up to Christmas. As children, the 1st of December was always VERY exciting for us... it wasn't just the day we got to open our advent calendar, it was also the day we were allowed to pull out our Christmas books, listen to Christmas songs and watch Christmas videos (Raymond Briggs' "Father Christmas" and "Muppet Christmas Carol" being the favourites!) An advent book can be a fun christmassy story, or something more thought-provoking that points back to the birth of Jesus. What a wonderful way to prepare children's hearts to remember the Saviour... more on recommended children's Christmas books to follow!

The Kindness Elves...
Our little friends, Nico and Nati, have rocked up the past two years on the first of the month and stayed around til Christmas. Every morning, they would be discovered by the girls up to some sort of mischief, with an idea of how to be kind to somebody that day - baking for our neighbours, sharing our toys, gathering some items for food bank... you name it! I'm sure they will be making an appearance again this year. Watch this space!

The Advent Calendar/Manger Scene...
After weeks of hunting for a very particular advent calendar I had in my head a couple of Christmasses back, I realised it didn't exist, and resorted to making it myself. It has been a labour of love over these past three years, but I'm thrilled with it now that it's finished, and the girls love it every year. Hidden in the advent calendar each day is a little artefact/figure to add to the manger scene. We build up the scene as advent goes on, with Jesus being placed in it on Christmas eve. As the scene builds, the story unfolds with an accompanying verse bringing the next part of the Christmas story. After hunting everywhere for a nativity set that had 24 parts, I gave up and decided to go with the 8 piece one I had, and make my own extras. Good old Fimo did the trick and its lasting us well. 

 
The Storytelling...
On the evening of Christmas day, after spending the afternoon at my parents, we head back to our house for the retelling of the Christmas story. Using the verses from the advent calendar that are put together to tell the full story, Dave and I use the figurines to re-enact the Christmas story. The girls sit and watched mesmerised, and I'm looking forward to the day where they will be able to do it themselves! Throw in some carols as you tell the story and you have your own little nativity every year. The children love it!

The Gift to Jesus...
This was an idea I picked up from Noel Piper's book "Treasuring Christ in our Traditions" (highly recommend!) What are we actually celebrating at Christmas? Jesus birthday! And yet so often, we forget the birthday person! Jesus said "I tell you the truth, whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me"(Matt 25:40), so we can use our "gift to Jesus" to bless an individual, a family, a missionary or a charity. Doing this, again, helps the family remember that it is Jesus' birthday we're celebrating, and stops it from becoming purely a present-opening. We will do this with the girls for the first time this year. A small financial gift to them, which they can choose how to pass on. The money is purely for them to think about how they can bless somebody else this Christmas. We are keen for them to understand that the giving is more important that the receiving.

I'm not sharing these ideas because I think we do it right, or our way is the only way, but just in case you find yourself in the position I did four years ago of asking; "How do I point my little ones to the real meaning of Christmas this year?"

Maybe we can share some ideas!

Have fun!

A Merry Little Christmas...

Our Christmas this year was just exactly what it should be. Lots of laughter, lots of smiles and lots of happy memories. Two little girls who were delighted at the whole day... Of course, it was not without its testing moments... Ava was more concerned when she awoke that the snow had arrived than that Father Christmas had come and was therefore somewhat disappointed. Not even a little frosting on the rooftops. And yes, although we were up bright and early, we still had the mad rush to church to get there in time.

Some things never change.

But excepting those two mad moments, we had a wonderful day. We took present opening nice and slow, and the girls were very blessed this year with some very lovely presents without it being excessive. They were utterly delighted with their much longed for dolls house, and also spent a significant amount of time pouring over the magazines that Papa had bought them the day before... proving the truth that less is more, that actually, children are very easily pleased and also that as long as a Disney Princess is stuck to the front of something, even bubble bath can be the most exciting present ever.

We had a wonderful morning at church, remembering the birth of our Saviour and savouring the delicious smiles of a lot of happy children.

And then it was back to my parents for Christmas dinner complete with turkey, pigs in blankets and crackers with awful jokes.

Yes... we even get a starter on Christmas day!

The afternoon was spent opening a few more presents, watching our girls race up and down the hallway on their new Trunkis (thanks Nanny and Grandpa) and the usual analysis of the Queen's speech.

And of course there was Frozen dancing in their new Elsa nighties...

In the evening, we headed back to ours for one of my favourite parts of the day. The nativity. The end of Christmas Day for our girls and the reason we celebrate at all. All the characters from the girls Advent Calendar act out the story, while the script is made up of the verses they have opened every day throughout December, all coming together to tell the story of that very first Christmas.

Heidi, ever the mimic, took great delight in repeating back the lines of the story, seconds after our narrator (Dave) had spoken.

Her favourite line: "My eyes have seen your salvation" made for quite a toddler comedy as for the rest of the evening our one year old would sporadically announce "MY EYES HAVE SEEN! MY EYES HAVE SEEN!"

Kids, eh?

We packed the littles off the bed, and spent the rest of the evening catching up on Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey Christmas Specials. Yup. It was a TV feast here...

I hope your Christmasses were wonderful, fun-filled, memory-making occasions, and that you too were able to spend time remembering the reason for the season.

Special thanks to my bro, Alex, for some of the photos - you are a legend!

Julaften 2014...

In our household, Christmas Eve is almost as big as Christmas Day itself... that's because one of the perks of being married to a Norwegian, is that you get to celebrate the traditions every way... meaning two days of celebrations, two days of great food, and two days of presents :)

We spent the morning finally getting round to baking and building our gingerbread house... this has become a yearly tradition and requires the girls full involvement. So while Papa got on with some sorting and organising, us girls got down to baking.

Aprons at the ready, hands washed, sleeves rolled up = two happy little people!

We spent the morning baking, and then two little ladies went for their nap time while Mama put the thing together... with the aid of a few cocktail sticks and a serious amount of icing. There were a few moments where I thought the whole thing may collapse on me, but we got there in the end!

As soon as the small ones had awoken, we headed off to join our fellow Scandinavians to celebrate Julaften together. Four familes, eight children, St Lucia, amazing food and Glogg warmed over the firepit made for a pretty special evening.

 And of course, our gingerbread house sat patiently, waiting to be decorated...

Until the time finally came... then it was all hands on deck...

children's faces have been purposefully blurred.

And here we have it... our Gingerbread house in all its decorated glory...

We dismantled the house so every family had a bit to take home, and then headed back ourselves, with cold hands and warm hearts to a Skype appointment with our Norwegian family, and the first presents of Christmas...

And of course, the girls had to leave out some of their gingerbread, and some milk, for a certain expected visitor before heading off to bed!