Each year, as we get to the end of October, I start thinking ahead. I have family and friends around the world, and so I want to make sure that I am well organised with Christmas cards and gifts for them. It always feels too early, but the times that I haven’t got myself into gear with overseas stuff in October, I have found myself stressing out and not enjoying the whole season of preparing in a peaceful, gentle way for Christmas. So I have decided that it’s worth it to me to plan ahead and go at a gentle, mother-sized pace.
Here in New Zealand, Christmas is in early summer, and it means long summer holidays, rather than a mid winter break. I love the long days, summer fruit, barbecues, outdoor time and relaxing times. But then, in April and May, when the evenings start to draw in and the temperatures are falling I start to think about preparing for Christmas, I miss the lights and the bustle of preparing for a winter Christmas.
I must not be the only one, because a lot of people have a special dinner in midwinter; they usually go for a lovely roast dinner with all the ‘trimmings’ which are suitable for a cosy cold-weather meal. We had a midwinter ‘Christmas dinner’ for the first time last June, and it was a great success. I got out all our Christmas lights and candles (not the Christmas tree or crib). I enjoyed making mince pies in winter time, and cooking a Christmas pudding and roast dinner, and the family and friends loved it.
Whether you will be preparing for a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas, I know that involving the children and enlisting their ‘help’ can make things very entertaining. Craft activities are fun, but Christmas shopping is not really a child-friendly activity and it can be miserable for everyone When you are trying to shop with tired babies and acquisitive children. So to help you, I’ve made a Christmas page at The Broad Room. You can look there for ideas and inspiration, and best of all, you can do your shopping online. Who would prefer to drag tired, grumpy youngsters from shop to shop searching for the ‘perfect gift’ rather than a quiet evening when the children are tucked up safely asleep, while you browse and choose peacefully, from the comfort of home, enjoying a cup of your favourite beverage?
When Advent starts in December, I will add articles about preparing for Christmas from a Christian point of view, so watch out for that.
Stephanie
