Wild Hope Homestead

This Christmas at Twiglet Homestead has been a meaningful one. I’m talking about it as if it’s already happened, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day haven’t even arrived yet. Christmas is about celebrating and giving due reverence to the birth of a baby, the most special baby that ever cried and pooped, just like all the other babies, but not, for he was and is also the Saviour of the world. Since the start of December, The Little Fulla and I have been opening a drawer from the advent calender house each morning. This is extremely exciting for a small child and he keeps asking when we can have the next one. It also reminds us, at the start of each day, what this somewhat crazy season is actually all about.

So, what is in those little drawers? Each drawer has something about or related to the story of Jesus’ birth. No chocolates in my advent calender! If you told me 10 years ago that I would end up refusing to put chocolates in my advent calender I would have laughed and grabbed a jar of nutella. It’s not that I don’t appreciate my dairy-free dark chocolate now, but I want the opening of the drawers to be meaningful, not fueled by sugar cravings. I may have been a little slow getting pieces to fill all the drawers, but 24 is a big number when you start trying to fill them. There are little santas and reindeer everywhere, but do you think I could find a tiny wiseman? No! I even had trouble finding a tiny baby Jesus. I had to look for Jesus on the internet. Some of the pieces were delayed in getting here, but The Little Fulla really doesn’t care that the wiseman came well after the camel, the star, the three gifts, King Herod’s crown and the camel again because the wiseman seemed to have been detained by King Herod. Next year I will add to it with little scriptures and keep my eye out for any potentially better pieces during the year.

This tiny donkey may have been intended for a fairy garden but now it’s a cute nativity calendar piece.

I finally found a tiny baby Jesus. I just haven’t swaddled him yet…

The Little Fulla has also been playing with this wooden nativity set that someone gave us. This has included trying to unlock baby Jesus with a key, extra visitors in the form of smurfs driving utility vehicles and drawing on the stable roof with forbidden felts.

We are all enjoying having a Christmas tree in the lounge, And it’s not the scrawny one from the deck! I was trying to convince myself that we’d make do with the scrawny, potted pine tree this year, which I was supposed to feed vigorously during the year. I vigorously fed it about twice. Oops! In the end, I couldn’t face its puniness and lack of branches for hanging decorations on. The Husband was working one Saturday, well, he’s been working most Saturdays and long hours since he started his new job, but it is an awesome job for him, it’s just one of the things that has made us more busy lately, so, anyway, I said if he was working, The Little Fulla and I were going to get a Christmas tree. And so, we went a’Christmas tree huntin’ and found us a beautiful tree. What’s even better is that The Little Fulla has not destroyed it in the least.

The Husband joined our two sets of tree lights, although there still aren’t enough of ’em, and strung them on the tree. I came inside and re-did them, because he did them wrong. At least he tried. I also strung icicle lights around the back porch because The Husband actually found the missing transformer when he sorted out some of his mess. Ha ha! Some of the bulbs aren’t working, but we’re working on that… I do think we need some more lights…

I’m gathering more and more stars.

My handmade pinecone decorations return.

Always with the birds! I know they don’t have anything to do with the Christmas story, but they make the tree whimsical and interesting.

Another bird.

The icicle lights have made an appearance. Never mind the fact that it doesn’t get dark for quite a while. The weirdness of Christmas in Summer.

Some baubles that I didn’t want to hang on the tree found somewhere else to hang.

When I got the knitted Christmas stockings out of the box I was confused. There only seemed to be two in there. Where was the other one? I was sure I’d made one for myself. As I looked around I became increasingly uncertain about the reality of this third stocking. I had to look up on the blog to check. There was no third stocking. I forgot to make one for myself! And this, despite specifically warning myself to remember to knit one during the year. Ah, well. I have to be content with one of the old bought stockings this time. As soon as I had finished knitting The Little Fulla’s green hat to go with his green jersey, I began my stocking. I briefly considered trying to finish it before Christmas Eve but I banished those thoughts from my mind. I will not have another last minute Christmas knitting frenzy! Nope. Must not try to fix the uncoordinating stockings situation. This Christmas is about trying to slow down and focus on the things that are important.

A green hat to go with The Little Fulla’s green jersey. I’m pleased to say this did not take 6 months to knit.

My stocking for this year is ashamedly hiding behind the chimney.

My knitted stocking is underway. For next Christmas.