Christmas blessings - from my home to yours

Thank you to each & everyone who supports my blog by stopping by, reading & at times leaving a comment.

I send you Christmas blessings - from my home to yours; may your day be peaceful, reflective & blessed. Keep it real, keep it kind,  but most of all, keep it authentic to you & yours.

May you find beauty & light in your day ...

May your Christmas be a reflection of what you hold dear ...

Remember the Christmas message  to share love & your hospitality

May your table have abundance for you & your guests, set an extra place for those who need it  ...

May your home be welcoming & warm ...

Above all, may you pause to remember those who need your prayers & blessings

Be blessed this Christmas, stay real, keep it special & above all, be kind to one another ... 

Dee ~💕~

Tell your stories this Christmas & be blessed ...

Christmas Eve is upon us once again & it is always a time to think of those not with us, it is a time to tell their stories so those stories stay part of our immediate family.  Those we love live on while someone still tells their story. It is hard to pass your own story on to the next generation because sometimes it is complicated & because times have moved on & the things that troubled you will have no meaning for them; your dreams & angsts can seem trivial to others as your parents story was not understood by you until much later. Sometimes  the young just don’t attach importance to stories   ...

Sue Shellenbarger address this issue too in her contribution the-secret-benefits-of-retelling-family-stories

We al have this idealised version of family life; the one promoted by Instagram & Hollywood & it is far from reality.  Everyone’s family is different, everyone has the outspoken relative, the crazy uncle who is much derided, the one who drinks too much & the one who drinks too little; the one who embellishes each story, the one whose stories don’t need any help; some who remain humble by enriching the lives of others & others who fly because they are destined for greater things - they are all there, they all have their place, they are all part of our greater story; the story is big enough to encompass them all ...

The stories of growing up in a simpler time on another continent are told for understanding, not sympathy. These experiences enrich life, experiences make us grow & adapt, we cannot separate & curate only the good times but we don’t have to dwell on the less than perfect moments, all stories have them.

We tell our stories because it helps us to make sense of who we are too, it helps us to cope with change, emotions & obstacles.  Our stories most importantly keeps our past alive for us too;
They Softly Walk ...

They are not gone who pass

Beyond the clasp of hands ... 

They are not dead who live 

In hearts they leave behind. 

In those whom they have blessed 

They live a life again, 

And shall live through the years 

Eternal life, and grow

Each day more beautiful

As time declares their good, 

Forgets the rest, and proves

Their immortality. 

This Christmas, tell your family stories around the table & the tree - that is what it is all about, it is about sharing & about honouring & respecting each generation; young & old.

Thank you for stopping by & being part of my online community, be blessed

Dee ~💕~

Be there completely at Christmas ...

Hi everyone,

Are you all as excited about Christmas as I am? I love having the girls home & so I have decorated our home to be warm, homely & lovely to look at.

Our tree went up early, abundantly deer again (they were in the boxes which came down from the loft)

Lights & a long garland always make our inglenook fireplace look warm & inviting, the advent calendars & fabric stockings hung up too ... 

Little trees creep in to the dining room ... 

The sideboard in the conservatory is always changed to festive items - I know you love it as much as I do as it always has so many blog hits ... 

A little IKEA tree with wine glasses & little cocktails glasses & shakers - such fun!

 A pair of new sledge decorations with little trees

A pottery house with some LED battery lights I put in to brighten it up ...

The drinks console is stocked up & lit with some more lights - you can never have too many twinkly lights ... 

My gifted door wreath makes a welcoming entrance - with more lights naturally 

A second gifted wreath is a welcome addition to the patio that our kitchen, dining room & conservatory look on to.  The vintage sleigh & some fir branches make an appearance too ... 

A little Gisela Graham village from houses & churches reminds us of the religious side to Christmas 

Some of my many little bottlebrush trees are moved to the village; who else loves bottlebrush trees?

A new wooden church with led lights comes from ALDI - a German addition to my home

Which brings me to an important thought -

Christmas is a time to connect with our nearest & dearest so enjoy the time, put other things aside & just catch up. Christmas is not a time to take on too much & to get stressed about it - ask for help or more importantly - offer help without being asked, it is a group effort & many hands make the day easier & more fun. 

We will all be getting the food in the oven then relaxing & eating mid afternoon or whenever it is ready because we start the day with fresh fruit & yoghurt which sustains us. 

It is a time to just unwind , relax & enjoy because everyone has had a busy year; it is also a reflective time for me because my late Mom was born on Christmas Day. I will be thinking of my family who are not with us. 

I am aware that we are making memories that will last far longer than the day or the meal - make them good folks  ...

Be blessed in the run up to Christmas 

Dee ~♥~

Christmas blessings from my home to yours …

My dear followers

I am sending you blessings from my home to yours on this Christmas.

Thank you for your support & lovely comments over the year - I love your comments & to know that you find something in my blog that speaks to you or that you can relate to.  I love that you take the time to let me know what you have enjoyed & share your lives too - connected across the continents, across cultures & across time zones.

Many of you have been with me since that first tentative blog post - I have grown to know you through your blogs too so I wish you & yours the very best for a peaceful & blessed Christmas.  Remember what is important & keep that utmost in your mind when things get hectic.

Sending blessings from my home to yours …..

Dee ~♥~

Make your Christmas special ...

This Christmas will mark a particularly difficult year for us following the death of our beloved Mother & Matriarch  - her spirit was willing to the end but her body could no longer keep the cancer at bay.

The special women in my family

We travelled to Africa again this year  to carry out Mom's explicit wishes - 'no large funeral; those who mattered made the time to visit, phone & lighten my load, the rest left it too late' - she did not want my  Father to be burdened with it all, so according to her wishes us children, grandchildren & a favourite cousin gathered to lay her ashes to rest with our brother who had been taken way too soon & then we paid our respects to her parents, brother & aunt who are at rest close by - a fitting but painful time.

My Mother was born on Christmas Day - a Summer born babe who loved life. She had to share her birthday with the festive times but she just got on with it & our childhood Christmases were special with her birthday running parallel to the festivities, without a fuss about it not being her own day & in this regard, I take after her as I enjoy my birthday but never feel the need for a pile of fussing ...

This Christmas, I know will be tinged with private sadness for our loss but it is also a time to look forward; a chapter has closed but those we love are never gone while the living remember them.  My Mother faced her illness with great courage & so we must do the same & celebrate the good memories.

I am acutely aware that all we leave behind is memories for our loved ones & unlike Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, we cannot eavesdrop on our own funeral to see how we will be remembered. We can just do our best during our lifetime so that hopefully the memories we leave will bear testament to our spirit & be the legacy we leave behind us.

I do not subscribe to popular  posthumous idolatry but I like efforts & influences to be recognised in a sincere & genuine way - things best said while they can be appreciated, flowers given to the living, thoughtful words & gestures which mean a lot when given freely & sincerely, thank-you's offered without prompting, friends & families goodwill never taken fore granted....

I have hung angel wings on my fireplace garland & my photo used on local church cards has been sent to close family members - an angel from my home to theirs to ease their day in a small way ...

And so this Christmas - I will light my candles in my special Ethiopian holders - the crosses will cast their light to reflect my faith & the stained glass tea-light holder will be to celebrate the life of my Mother - well lived & brave to her last breathe.

So my friends & followers,  however you celebrate it, be aware that you are making memories that will last a lifetime & beyond - few will remember the exact gifts exchanged or if lunch was on the table on time but they will remember how you make them feel when they are in your company!

So I wish you all a very blessed Christmas & hope you will all "Be kinder than you need to because everyone is fighting some kind of battle"

Thank you for stopping by,  make those memories & hold your special ones closer ...
Dee ~♥~