Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas!

wishing everyone a HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

The tree looks a bit dull - in real life its much brighter and hasn't as many gaps as it appears in this photo which is about the best of 4 or 5 I took!  I am rubbish at taking photographs! perhaps I ought make that a New Years Resolution to learn to take a good photo!?

no.2.son took a pile of small gift wrapped sweets in to share with his friends at College - most of our gifts are under the tree - all except for dh's!  he doesn't yet know he has anything!  but shhh! its a surprise!  We don't "do" gifts particularly between us, I tend to buy what I want and this year I have the lovely Killing III jumper kit and Kate Davies' new Colours of Shetland to enjoy!

Later on we will visit no.2.sil and her family including the "new" grandchildren who at rising-2yrs will be thoroughly enjoying the Christmas atmosphere - its lovely with small children isn't it?  I have a few friends who have small children to celebrate with this year - I wish everyone a Happy Christmas and most of all a peaceful and HEALTHY one!  The number of years we have had bad colds and sickness bugs - one year we spent Christmas Day at A&E with no.2.son badly dehydrated with severe sickness so I am grateful that ours have now grown up and out of such seasonal afflictions. 
I suppose in time it will quieter when the family are off our hands, but for now with a 17yr old and a rising-20yr old its a full and noisy household.

I am lucky that both of mine enjoy family moments, and no.2.son helped with the Christmas cake this year decorating the top - doesn't it look lovely?  Its a weigh-watchers fruit cake but completely soaked in sherry!!  We plan to continue with the "plan" once Christmas is over but for the next day or two we are resolved to enjoying ourselves and pay the consequences later on! well! it is Christmas afterall and it would be churlish to decline all treats!?

With treats in mind! I love finding things that have a knit or yarn theme to them, and earlier on I "found" a lovely candle with a cable pattern and last week while in Waitrose, I came across some gift food items with a "fairisle" theme and couldn't resist!
I love the shopping bag!  I bought four and have put my knitting WIP's inside for a festive feel and it doesn't look quite so bad as having lots of knitterly stuff strewn about the lounge.

I am looking forward already to The New Year! and this year I am planning to compile a list of resolutions one of which will be to take control of my growing stash and never ending queue of "must knit this!" patterns and projects.  there are techniques I want to explore and patterns I want to try, and yarn I need to knit!  but it appears I am rather better at starting than finishing!!
Next year I plan, too, to doing more sewing!
We'll see?
So on that note, wishing everyone a very happy and "merry" peaceful AND healthy Christmas! xx