Picture a Christmas...

For today's post, I thought I'd pull together some pictures of my favourite Christmas things, or of things that remind me of Christmas, or things that put me in the Christmas mood.  Because let's face it, it's almost Christmas, and I'm in a particularly Christmassy mood, and I thought I'd spread that joy around just a little so we can get excited together :)

Very first thing on the list:

 

 

Fairy Lights!!  Is there anything more Christmassy than fairy lights?! No! The answer is no! There's nothing more Christmassy than fairy lights :)

 

Two:

Christmas Carols! I love them. Whether it's singing them in church, actually going carolling, singing Handel's messiah with community choirs or just jamming out to carol CDs in the car.... I love this Christmas music.  In fact, I love it almost as much as my brother Michael, which is saying something, because he started playing carols in July...

Third:

This is not a hard one... Christmas Desserts.   (The miracle here is that I limited myself to only two pictures).

The next one's a little funny, because I think of it equally on two completely different ends of the spectrum:

That's right - winter AND summer. For the five years I lived at the foot of the rocky mountains, nothing said Christmas quite like an invigorating nip in the air and those beautiful, magical, falling flakes. On the other hand, the last several years back home in Australia, nothing has said Christmas (and Christmas holidays) like the heating up of the air and that slightly slower, completely wonderful, laid back pace everyone adopts in December. I love that by December 10th, it becomes almost impossible to get any work done with clients because the entire city of Brisbane has decided to shut down. "Oh, we'll just do that in the New Year" becomes the most opt repeated phrase in the Brisbane workforce!

Fifth (and closely related to the third), are some typically Aussie foods that always make me feel like it's Christmas:

That's right - Prawns and stone fruit.  Yum, yum, and yum!

Sixth:

Chilling with the family. One of my very favourite things.  (Obviously I didn't have a picture of my actual family on hand.  But since I always think of Christmas against a Bing Crosby soundtrack in my head, this picture actually captures it all pretty well, lol!)

Seventh: 

Presents! I love spending what feels like half of my time leading up to Christmas getting my presents organised.  Making lists, ordering things, darting through crowds at the department stores, creating things, realising you've finally stumbled on the perfect Christmas present idea for so-and-so.  And then watching everyone open your presents on Christmas morning. So. Much. Fun :)

And finally, or perhaps I should say ultimately, my very very favourite thing about Christmas: Is the actual meaning of Christmas. I love that my thoughts turn to the Saviour and his wonderful gift to all of us. I don't think that it's a coincidence that there's such a special spirit in the world at Christmas time. That inclination to be kinder, more generous, a little more cheerful.  Just a little more like Him.

 

 

So, happy 5th of December!

20 days to go, and counting.... :)

 

xo Tammy