How are your Christmas preparations going?

Dear community,
how are your Christmas preparations going?

Since our family has gotten a lot smaller, there’s less and less to do. I’m right on schedule. The decorations are up, there aren’t many gifts—and those are already taken care of—and most of the non-perishable food and drinks are already in the house, so it’s going to be really relaxed. On the 23rd, we’ll pick up the last few fresh items; on the 24th, we’ll just make ourselves comfortable; on the 25th, the family will come over; and on the 26th, it’ll be back to relaxing. Absolutely stress-free.

It’s a breeze, Josefa—the gifts 🎁 are all here and wrapped up...
We’ll be alone on Christmas Eve, and on the first day of Christmas, our daughter and grandchildren will stop by—they just have to cross the street. :-)

Love, Inge

We don’t have much to prepare.
It’s just the two of us anyway.
I baked cookies yesterday and today.
I’ll make the last few kinds next week or the week after.

In between, we’re planning to visit a small museum, try out a new Vietnamese restaurant on Lisa’s birthday, and go to a Christmas market, among other things.

For me, it’s been rather slow this year compared to previous years. 

But that’s okay with me. I want to spend the entire Advent season baking this year, so I’ll keep putting a fresh tray of cookies in the oven now and then; after all, they’ll still be eaten after Christmas. 

And I’m taking the same approach with the decorations. Less is more this year...... I’m just still desperately searching the basement for my Disney figurines; I’ve already opened so many boxes and haven’t found them. 

Today we’re going to enjoy St. Nicholas Day first.

Everything’s going really smoothly. Yesterday we picked out our tree, put it up, and decorated it. I always take an extra week of vacation in December for this, before things get really hectic at work. I’ve also baked some cookies—just marzipan cookies, which are a big hit. On Wednesday, my mom also received an Advent arrangement, cookies, and a beautiful poinsettia from the flower shop. She’s not as mobile as she used to be, so she was absolutely thrilled.
We’re planning to have a Christmas dinner, though we’ll have to see first what my daughter’s work schedule is like—she’s training to be a nurse and is switching assignments right before Christmas, and the work schedule hasn’t been released yet. 
Today I have a Christmas party with my coworkers—we’re all currently separated because our branch is being rebuilt—and I’m so happy that headquarters approved it and we’ll be able to bill the Christmas party through the new branch later. I really miss my coworkers and am looking forward to seeing them today. Wishing you all a wonderful second Advent weekend.

WollwunderPetra, I’d love to stop by and take a look around your place. I always seem to find whatever it is when someone’s desperately looking for something. ;) I hope you find your figurines soon. Hugs

That’s so sweet of you to offer.

I’m actually more of a messy person (even though as a payroll accountant I have to be 100% accurate) in my personal life. When I tidy up, it’s really just so I can find things faster when I’m looking for something. The result of my tidying efforts is that I end up not being able to find it at all.

I’ll keep looking and send you a picture when I’ve found it. 

Wollwunderpetra, I know exactly what you mean. I’m always tidying up so I can find things faster.
So on Saturday, I made the dough for cinnamon stars and wanted to get the cinnamon star cookie cutter out of the cabinet.
It had always been in the same spot for the past few years. But over the summer, I gave the whole cabinet a thorough cleaning and had the brilliant idea to put the cookie cutter away. Then I looked for it and couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until that evening that it occurred to me it might have been packed away with the other Christmas stuff. That’s where I found it, and I baked the cinnamon stars that very evening. One thing’s for sure: nothing ever gets lost in this house. Good luck with your search.

Petra, I know that feeling all too well—I put something down so I can find it again, and then it just vanishes into thin air. Three Christmases ago, I was looking for my little angels—they’d vanished into thin air—even though all I had to do was bend down to see them, because, as always, they were on the very bottom shelf where they belong. But since we’d moved the year before, they were gone :-))))
My daughter always says when I’m looking for something: “Mom, bottom left, then diagonally up to the right—it should be there.” :-))))
Today I’m heading out to get a Christmas present for my hubby; I can only do that when my daughter has the day off and has time to drive me. Otherwise, we’re just taking it all in stride, as I mentioned above.

Kind regards, Inge



I cleared out another box. Found some St. Nicholas figures, but my Disney figures are still missing.

I’m glad that this “can’t find it, even though I specifically put it away” thing happens in other homes, too.

The worst part is the stuff where I know I put it somewhere and I’m sure I’ll find it again.
But where???

I know the feeling—cleaning up and rearranging things, and then you end up looking for them. Though I’m constantly looking for something, since my craft supplies are scattered all over the apartment. I’d love to have everything in one place, but oh well, that’s just how it is.

Anyway, we don’t exchange gifts. I just need to prepare for Christmas dinner, and maybe bake some more cookies.
Yesterday I baked another batch of cookies, and today I’m making my honey cake (Norwegian: Krydderkake);
I already have a store-bought stollen. That’s enough. A small, colorful plate for the two of us.

My kids can’t come until after Christmas (because of work), so it’s going to be a quiet affair.