Reasons to be Cheerful - Panto, Christmas Trees & Sunrise

Good evening friends. How are you? I hope your week is going well, mine has been a odd one with some horrid downs. Nothing too major, before anyone worries unduly, but you know what it's like when you can't control what is going on around you and it all feels unfair and out of control? Yes, that!

I knew I had to dig deep and do a Reasons to be Cheerful post to remind me of all the wonderful things I have in my life and to let go of the stuff I can't control. I've decided I'll have a proper time away from anything online this weekend, to help me refocus and be in the moment with my family. We have some fab things planned - cinema, a Christmas tree festival and catching up with family and the kids God parents. 

Since I last posted for #R2BC, there is loads I am thankful for -

Being in the village panto - I really adored this and I am missing it already. I'll definitely get involved again next year and I am looking forward to our meal together in January. They are a great group of people and it has been wonderful getting to know them all more. 

Fun Family Christmas Traditions: Decorating the Christmas Tree

2018 Pannell family Christmas tree

{Collaborative post}

For me, Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless our home is decorated in the right way. Tinsel, mistletoe, baubles and fairy lights: all add to the ambience that makes the season. The centrepiece for all of these decorations, naturally, is formed by the tree. But decorating a tree isn’t just a destination; it’s a journey, too. If you want to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit, then drafting them all in to lend a hand is a great way to get started!

For many years when the kids were small, we used to have two trees, as I loved to have a 'perfect' colour coordinated one in the lounge that I had decorated and then we would have a second one in the dining or playroom. This one was super colourful, sling everything on, including homemade decorations tree. As the kids have aged though, I have realised that for me, it is far more important to have everyone involved with the ritual of decorating the tree than it is, for it to look perfect.

Let’s look at a few ways in which we can make the tree-decorating experience special for everyone -

Wearing Christmas Clothes

Any activity will feel that little bit more Christmassy if you’re wearing the right clothes. If you’re gifting Christmas jumpers, then you can save opening them until the big day itself. But there’s nothing stopping you from wearing last year’s jumpers. On the other hand, you might make the experience a little bit cosier by wearing your winter sleepwear. Matching pyjamas or onesies will make the whole family feel like the same cohesive unit!

Grace in small things - Christmas time

I know many people are feeling stressed and unhappy right now and I pray they work through that quickly and realise that most of the stuff they are worrying about really does not matter too much. If they have their health, some friends or family about, enough food to eat well and a warm home then they are in a great place.

Despite an infection of some sort (chest or throat I'm not sure, I just know I've been poorly) I'm still feeling incredibly grateful and happy that Christmas is just around the corner. I'll share my thankfulness in photos this week -

Both our Christmas trees are up and we have sparkle and bling galore, I love it!

I adore these matryoshka dolls that I bought when I was visiting Belarus last year, they make me smile each day as I see them on the fireplace.

I am a sucker for stained glass and the church this morning that we visited for the kids carol concert was full of beauties

Monday night after a day in bed and still feeling very low the last thing I wanted was a group of people coming to our house but I knew I would enjoy seeing our pastoral group. I was so blessed by the lovely volunteers who came and joined dh and I for a meal and some fun. We got treated to chicken curry, a Brazilian dessert and these fabulous Czech biscuits.

I'm getting much better at learning how to use my new camera (my early Christmas present). It is a Lumix G5 and instead of going for the obvious choice of a DSLR, I went a different route and it is a CSC which means it is much smaller than a DSLR as it does not have the classic mirror prism but I can still swap lenses and manually adjust all my settings.I think I'm doing OK for a totally new user, just look at those water drops on the wildflower.

Lastly a big thank-you to Bon Marche who sent me through a pretty box of their accessories to use in the cold and wet months. How did they know red was my favourite colour?

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Take a nosey at our Christmas trees

I'm very late to the show but who is keeping watch of time hey? Cass at Diary of a Frugal Family set up a linky for us all to share our Christmas trees and I do love a good nosey, so time for me to link up and go and visit the others. I'm hardly expecting anyone to turn out here as it is Christmas eve after all.

This year we have two Christmas trees, I decided that I wanted an adult one in the front room, one where everything matches and then the kids had fun literally throwing decorations at the other. It appears that the bag with all their decorations has not made it down from the loft but they had fun with the coloured sparkly decorations I had bought ready for a Christmas tree festival this year.  I have to be honest and say I like their tree much more than mine.

I think next year we will go back to one tree and we will just put all our favourite decorations on it, I miss the mismatched, hotch potch approach that I remember from my childhood Christmases. I hope my parents still have some of my favourite decorations in their loft, I must ask them to have a look.

I find that decorations hold so many memories and that is far more important that the overall glamour (or not as the case may be) of a tree. Between our two trees we have decorations made by the kids, one that were bought when they all were born, decorations bought on honeymoon in Barbados and more recently some from my trip to Belarus. Ones chosen by the kids and ones bought for them, it really does represent my family and all the Christmases we have spent together and I love that.

Until this year we have alwasy had a tree entered in our local Christmas tree festival and thus have literally hundreds of decorations to choose from. My trip to Belarus with Operation Christmas Child this year stopped us taking part but hopefully we will be back with a vengence next year.

 

My tree in the lounge, which sadly you can't really see much of due to the lights! lol

And the kids tree - aren't the lights fab on the kids tree?

My Christmas Wishes, those that money can't buy!

So what are you wishing for this Christmas?  Are you expecting a nice treat under the tree on December 25th?  Something sparkly and diamond, a little trip away, a beautiful new coat?  Nope none of those, not me anyway.  There is nothing I need really and sadly we do not have any spare cash so those things that money can buy won't really be coming my way, I'll wait a few more years yet for the next Caribbean holiday or my eternity ring.

Donna at Mummy Central came up with the lovely idea of listing our Christmas wishes, the kind of things that money cannot buy.  She quite rightly says that Christmas has become so commercialised and many of the gifts we give are not what we would truly love to give, or receive for that matter. Then Ruth at Dorky Mum tagged me to join in with this and how could I refuse?

So here are my hearts desires, those things I wish for that money cannot buy or guarantee... but I'll keep praying for them...

1. That all my babies grow up to be well rounded adults who are content and happy in their own skins.  I do not mind at all what they wish to do or to be when they are older as long as they live their lives to the full and continue to be good people.  I will be so proud.
2. To be able to do something that really feels as if it is for the good of many others. 'To work for God' is the way I have always verbalised this internal desire.  How I would love to win a few million pounds and then be able to do something wonderful, I am not sure what but it would be something along the lines of building an orphanage, homeless shelter or such.
3. I would not be being true to myself if I did not add in this totally selfish one!  I want to be slim and healthy and I want to be able to maintain it.  To wake every day and to just eat because it is what we have to do, rather than to plan my day around food would be the most amazing and freeing thing for me personally.
4. To live by the seaside and to have my parents living close by. Wow, I have this little dream life in my head, where dh has his own business and we work together. Our life allows us to spend tons of family time together and the kids grow up with loads of fresh air and running after my Mum's dog on the beach - sounds divine.
5. To be able to change myself and grow so that I have more patience and less anger.  I hate that I have a temper and I long to stay calm with my kids, even when all three of them are shouting at me at once.  One day..... 
6. To have a wonderful chilled Christmas this year, loads of TV watching, cuddling up, playing games and chatting with those I love.  No pressure and no chores!  We decorated our trees yesterday and had a lovley time doign it, I now just need to chill out about the fact that the kids covered theri one in lametta and now my house is covered in it, however much I clear up...    agghhhh....   and breath Mich !

My Tree!

The Kids Tree!