by busy time of year
It has been a week of hard work cleaning house, putting up the door wreath and a few lights outdoors and doing some baking.
It’s a start on getting ready for Christmas but first we had weekend guests, our dearest friends who always bring flowers or a lovely plant, this time a stephanotis with heavenly scent! New to me, what a delight!
Now to the Christmas letters, cards and some gifts to go in the mail. I thought I was making an nice early start a couple of weeks ago when I was about to do a test print of my card design for this year. As I fired up the printer, a little plastic gear fell out in little pieces and the paper feeder would not work. Husband hopes to repair it if he finds the part and a repair manual but it won’t be in time for the mailing. So, we will be handwriting cards and letters, just like the good ol’ days, eh! My handwriting has become atrocious but at least I have lots of extra cards from past years, some my own, some commercial. These days more and more of us correspond by email which lessens the handwriting chore and those trips to the post office. But I do still love real cards and letters.
And how are your holiday preparations coming along?
December 8, 2014 in Culture, Current Events, Photography by Marja-Leena
As there are only two of us, except for brief forays to friends’ houses for a drink or two, Christmas tends to be quiet here in the French outback. But we love each other’s company and Christmas Day flies by. The long period of festivities so loved by the Anglo-Saxon world doesn’t happen in Frankish-land. Most of our cards are sent by snail-mail, but a very few by email, and that task has been started. Of course, Moll no longer being with us will have some effect. She liked Christmas and enjoyed receiving a new bean-bag, mattress or collar, or whatever. Each year that passes, I consider reducing our Christmas card list, but there has been no significant change for many a year.
I’m beginning to waffle, and that must never do. Good luck with the rest of your preparations.
Tom, your life sounds idyllic and calm without the commercial frenzy of Christmas – just how we like it and practise it. We are also just the two of us but with some of our family coming home for a few days. We will miss the granddaughters this Christmas but will go visit them around New Year’s. At least they are all just a few hours away, not over in the UK. So, I don’t bake and cook as much as I used to and we are content with our slower pace of life.
Beautiful flowers! They remind me of star jasmine a little, do they smell as sweet?
This is the first year in a while that I haven’t found time to make a hand-printed card to send around. It’s a bit of a shame, though my husband found some boxes of lovely cards with Phoebe Anne Traquair tapestries on them, so the hand-written cards will continue! Other than that, I think we are a little behind on the baking and cleaning, but I’m looking forward to it… well, to the baking anyway.
Wishing you many lovely holiday wishes!
Jodi! How delightful to have you visit! So, the issue with being unable to see my blog has cleared up?
Yes, it has a jasmine-like scent, strongest in the evening. In fact, the label has a second name ‘Madagascar Jasmine’ – isn’t that romantic? It also reminds me of the scent of paper-whites but not quite as strong. I did not get around to doing paperwhites this year as I have done for many years so this makes up for my lack.
Those cards sound like a gorgeous find, just your kind of images! Hope your artmaking continues with deep satisfaction and your holiday preparations go well. Thanks for the holiday wishes, same to you! I usually post an online card closer to the date….
I’m reminded I was given a jasmine as lovely as this one a few years ago in Portland. They really are beautiful plants.
My husband and I spend pretty quiet winter holidays too. Fortunately, we made it to the post office on Monday morning this week and sent off all our cards and presents in decent time. In my case it’s very much a tradition carried on from my mother. It’s also true my handwriting has suffered from the time spent typing on my keypad.
I love my hardy star jasmine in a big pot by the front door which blooms in the summer.
My, you have all your mail out already! Three small packages left today, that is all so far from here! I remember not so many years ago mailing some 80 to 90 cards with letters. Those numbers have gone down with elders and even some younger ones passing on, and of course many of us now use email. I think I printed about 40 or so cards two years ago at the studio (now gone).
Ah Marja-Leena, not only is my handwriting also deteriorating, but my mind seems to be rusting away: I have posted a card to you with insufficient postage! I put the wrong stamp on, so you will probably not receive my snail mail greetings until well into next year, I imagine!
We send fewer and fewer cards each year – usually my job – my husband is responsible for only one! I used to send hundreds out when I was working, but now it’s just to close relations and to friends.
The stephanotis looks beautiful, and the scent must be such a delight.
Olga, I know what you speak of! I’m presently struggling to write in Finnish and struggling with cards in PDFs. Thank you so much for thinking of me, I hope your card makes it, no worries about latenss for the pleasure of holiday mail just last longer.
Olga, your snail mail arrived this morning – hurrah and thank you! I think the postal services are working extra hard this month. I was stunned to receive a parcel on Saturday for normally we don’t have mail delivery on weekends.