…counting down…

There’s always something so wonderful about the lead up to Christmas. The air is sizzling (often literally!), the “night noises” have turned on summer mode – this year with the added symphony of the pobblebonks in the frog pond going off their chops in excitement with all this rain. I’m not the kind of Christmas lover who is counting down from July, but once Advent Sunday rolls around, I am all in. Christmas songs on repeat. Tree up. The annual Barefoot Festive Craft Museum covering every available surface with Chrisrtmassy handmade love. Diffuser pumping out festive scents. an Advent activity calendar for the kids.

All the challenges for me.

After the last two years, we are super-sizing this year’s challenge list, because who couldn’t do with more joy and festive cheer at the minute? Especially as we all watch and wait to se if the newest variant is a way out of this mess, or yet another blow to getting back to normal. The list this year is, I’m hoping, a nice balance between optimistic and achievable.

12 Gnomes of Christmas – we are aiming to cross stitch 12 festive little gnomeos between now and Christmas. That’s three a week, and each is about 3″ wide. That should be doable, right? I started the first one yesterday.

Christmas Readalong – read five Christmas themed books between now and Christmas. I’m currently one down and one in progress.

December Daily – because of course. My annual Christmas record keeping project is one of my favourite of the year.

Art Journal Advent – this is a challenge Car found for us on Insta in the middle of the night, so of course, I had to join in. I’m actually planning on using my art journal as the basis of my December Daily. I made the book yesterday, and have filled the first two pages already.

12 Days of Instax – this is an older challenge from 2017, that we are resurrecting for this year. I’m actually thinking of doing all of my December Daily photos via instax. Far from the quality of my good camera, obviously, but it’s fun, and the photo is done and printed and ready to stick straight in my album.

Advent blogalong – an old one of Car’s that she no longer runs, but I can’t let go of, I plan to blog daily on the down hill run to the end of the year.

In between all that, of course, there’s all the kid crafting, two drama recitals, including a dress I need to make for myself to fit the theme, Christmas outfits, teaching a class, photographing a wedding, finishing a un secret squirrel project or two, and all the other fun stuff that comes with this time of year. Come at me, December, I am ready to DIVE straight in the deep end!