Michelle's weekly blog challenge

1.Do you decorate your house this time of year? if so… how?
Absolutely. Come 1 December everything is up! Our 'blue room' which is our adults only library/sitting room becomes 'the Christmas room' complete with tree, nativity set, Christmas stockings and lights in the window (the bay window faces the street). I read a great tip that says if you have a mish mash of decorations (we do - I dream of a themed tree one day - pink, maybe?) thenyou could buy 20-40 metres of ribbon and re-tie all the hangers. I bought some bright blue cord for 50 cents a metre and we've done that and it does look good. It'll never be a designer tree but who cares?


2. Have you ever been in a decoration competition? No - way too much competition in the Hutt Valley!

3. How much is too much?
Just go for it!

4. How do you celebrate this time of year?
It's a real extended family time for us. This year both my sisters and their husbands (including one brother-in-law arriving back next week from 6 months with the NZ Army in Afghanistan) and their kids and my parents and perhaps a few strays will celebrate at our home for the day. We are a family of foodies and always have wonderful food and too much of it. We eat in the middle of the day (OK all day!) and have leftovers in the evening. We will go to a Children's Mass on Christmas Eve (at 6pm - midnight Mass is just too hard these days). We make Christmas baking for the neighbours and the kids will deliver that on Christmas Eve (and the lovely neighbours will send them home with chocolate!). Last weekend we made our annual pilgramage to Kirkcaldie and Stains Christmas Shop to choose a new Christmas decoration each - an annual tradition. Elliot chose a little gold heart and a blue fish and because Caitlin was sick at home he chose a blue cobweb for her(strange but gorgeous decoration)


5.Whose job is it to wrap all the Christmas gifts? Will you (or whoever) use gift bags, or wrapping paper?
I do it. By the time all the presents are bought I find gift wrapping a chore though some years I do themed wrapping. One year I got the kids to paint the words of Christmas crols on brown paer - that was cool. This year I haven't. But I have finished and wrapped all the presents - a world record as I usually complete this on Christmas Eve. Last weekend we had to also buy and wrap 36 gift for the kids Christmas party at Darryn's work. We have done it - I can't believe that I am so organised. This year I have bought sparkly holographic gift bags (on sale for $1 each at Woolworths!) for all the nieces and they look lovely. The kids and I made blue gift tags for everyone (like mini licence plates).

6. What do you dislike most about the holiday season?
The financial stress on some families worries me. Luckily we are blessed with a reasonably good financial state these days. I don't really dislike anything much about Christmas - I find it a lovely time. I like the hustle and bustle in the shops.

7. What are your top 3 Xmas songs.
O Holy Night (years of singing in the church choir!), Hayley Westenra - Mary, Did You Know, Away In a Manger(which I sang to Elliot every night to get him to sleep for about 4 years - now he only requests it about once a week!)

8. Real tree or fake?
Changes each year. This year we've gone with fake as my brother-in-law who will be staying with us gets really bad hayfever and it's not fair to subject him to a real tree.