Advent Calendar Day 19: Stocking or Christmas Sack

I had to smile at this;

Image: Etsy

The seller obviously has a sense of humour describing the sack thus;  A funny Christmas sack for everyone who has ever tried to recreate the elaborate gift-wrapping you see on Pinterest. Even if your efforts are a bit shoddy in comparison, this modern rustic sack should make up for it.  A really nice touch on Christmas morning, to spread some laughter as you unwrap your presents.

I'm more a sheet of wrapping paper and some sticky tape kind of person...how about you?  Have you ever tried any of these ideas from Pinterest?

Gift wrapped in an old sweater.

Brown paper and Gingerbread. 

Handmade rose garland.

Gold and white details.

Personalised Box. 

My Personal Favourite.

Remember there are only six more sleeps until Christmas. Time to get on with wrapping those presents. 😉

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook. More from my Advent Calendar tomorrow.

Advent Calendar Day 18; Mistletoe

Did you know it’s possible to 'grow your own' mistletoe? You need a suitable host tree such as an apple, hawthorn or poplar and some fresh mistletoe berries and a little luck. My dad grew some in an old apple tree, and I’ve done the same.  

Mistle Thrush in an Apple Tree - photo Pexels  (Image licensed under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license).

Gardeners will tell you to cut a little nick in the bark leaving a flap and then squidge a berry with its seed between the bark and wood. I simply rubbed some squashed berries along the branches just as a bird would do when it cleans its beak.

Mistletoe in our apple tree

Months went by, and I forgot all about it, and then tiny green shoots began to appear. It took a good four to five years for little leaves to form, but then it grew rapidly, and today I found a single shining berry! It’s taken nine years, but I couldn’t be more delighted.   

 I’m rather hoping there will be a few more berries by Christmas Eve when I will bring a bunch into the house – unless the birds get there before me!  

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook.  More from my Advent Calendar tomorrow. 

Advent Calendar Day 17: Wrapping Paper

I love this 2006 photo of little Rosie knee-deep in wrapping paper.

Rosie came to live with us when our son, daughter-in-law and grandsons moved to Denmark and subsequently Australia. It was either that or put her into quarantine for six months, and as she was already an old lady, it seemed kinder to leave her with us. I’m sure she missed her ‘real’ family, just as we did, but we smothered her with love and attention, and she gradually settled into her new life. This all happened more than ten years ago, since then our grandsons now in their twenties have moved back to England. Our son and his wife divorced, Steven remarried and remains in Australia with his second wife and their two little daughters. Rosie lived out the autumn of her life with us and repaid our love ten times over. She really was the sweetest girl, and we miss her still.

Present opening done, wrapping paper cleared away.  Rosie is asleep with her new Father Christmas toy beside her. Kip is watching TV and Tris (you might be able to see him on the right of the picture) is looking something up on Google. This was a rare moment of calm, between the presents and Christmas lunch.

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook.  More from my Advent Calendar tomorrow. 

Advent Calendar Day 16: Tree When Dressed

Today I’m turning back the clock to 2012. We were in Australia for Christmas, and it was such a privilege to decorate the tree with our two little granddaughters. Zoe took tree decorating very seriously as you will see in this series of photos.  Lilly enjoyed it too but more than anything she liked scooting around in her little car scattering tinsel and baubles as she went. It was such a lovely Christmas and one we will never forget. 

Hang on a minute wouldn’t these look better on me?

OK perhaps not!

Nearly done but I do need to straighten these baubles.

Other photos from that wonderful holiday here.

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook.  

Advent Calendar Day 15: An Undressed Christmas Tree!

A little tree lived in a wood

As sad as he could be,

He wanted more than anything

To be a Christmas tree.

He dreamed of all the coloured lights,

the sparkling tinsel, too.

And all the joy that he could bring

to little folks like you .

One day some children came for him.

To take him home, and there

They dressed him in some pretty lights,

and shining Angel hair. 

He made the children happy,

for they loved the way he shone --

This was the NICEST Christmas time

that they had ever known!

Now hope YOU have a lot of fun when you dress up your tree,

Sure hope it makes your CHRISTMAS TIME as happy as can be!

Vintage Christmas card from my collection published by Hallmark Cards in Great Britain.   

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook.  

Advent Calendar Day 14: Christmas Crackers

Love them or hate them corny cracker jokes have become something of a tradition. In 2016, UKTV's Gold compiled a list of the best Christmas cracker jokes of the year, and today I'm going to share the top ten. Please feel free to groan your way through them, and if you know any better ones do share!

Image: Pixabay: public domain photo

Here are the top 10:  

1. How will Christmas dinner be different after Brexit? No Brussels.

2. What do workers at Sports Direct get for Christmas dinner? About 5 minutes.

3. How do you recognise a Christmas tree from BHS? All the branches have gone.

4. I bought my mum Mary Berry's cookbook for Christmas. I tried to get Paul Hollywood's but he'd sold out.

5. What's David Cameron's favourite Christmas song? All I Want For Christmas is EU.

6. Why has Hillary Clinton asked Santa for a 23-letter alphabet? Because she is sick of F.B and I.

7. Why didn't Roy Hodgson go to visit Santa at The North Pole? He couldn't get past Iceland.

8. Why are Jeremy Corbyn's Christmas cards on the floor? His cabinet collapsed.

9. Philip looks out of the window on Christmas Eve: 'That's some reindeer' he says. The Queen replies: "63 years. Yes, that is a lot." 

10. What's the difference between the Clementine in your Christmas stocking and Donald Trump? Nothing, they're both a little orange.

I'm linking with Julie over at Julie's Scrapbook