I have got to say: I am really enjoying myself at home at the moment. We don’t have a great budget for presents (like, not at all..), but I have lots of ideas for Christmas craft. So many! I have a DIY advent calendar going for Nemo with little gifts and treats – and he makes a little collage for me everyday. I am gradually getting all my usual christmas deco up – and I made a few new things. Fun. We are not a religious family, and my little fact fiend has basically stopped believing in Santa the year after he first understood the concept.. But it’s all good. I believe that Christmas is what you make it. I have grown up with European Christmas Traditions and although it’s a bit odd to have Christmas in Summer now, I enjoying passing that on, in my own way. And I think Nemo likes it, too. =)
So how are you and your family going ? – Are you doing “All the Christmas” ..?
(autism) comics by suburp 
Sweet comic. 🙂 The DIY advent calendar sounds really cool. Once my father bought my brother and I advent calendars with little wood animals. He let us open all the doors on the first day- my mom was not happy about that! 🙂
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😀 we used to have only chocolate ones and open the doors in advance then close them and pretend we didn’t ! If you are on instagram, I post all my crafty stuff (and more, but no selfies lol) on ‘nikkichrome’ 😉
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LOL. I thought I had a migraine coming on until I realised it was snow on the monitor, not eye sparkles.
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Oh oops.. Sorry!!
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I wish my boy would cotton on that Santa is not real. He’s heading to high school next year! I almost told him a couple of days ago, but as he’s our youngest I thought I’d hold on to the ‘magic’ of Christmas for another few months. He’s going to a Catholic school next year so we’re talking about it now in terms of Christ’s birth. I’m not particularly religious but if my son decides to embrace his Catholic faith I see it as another way of belonging and therefore a good thing.
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yeah, i think we had one year of understanding the concept and believing in Santa, at about 4..? this came with being kinda angry with Santa and the competitive pressure that comes with having to be GOOD (with people telling him “if you are naughty, Santa won’t bring presents!”), so when he declared to me the year after that he is pretty sure Santa was just a ‘legend’, i didn’t discuss it too much. we had entered the reign of FACTS already..
Religion has been tricky, because to my surprise it’s actually taught in school here (Qld, plus they have these “chappies”.. in state schools..). I didn’t want to exclude him either but..well, let’s just say, it didn’t really work out and I don’t mind. we are talking about the origins of Christmas and local traditions and also about other religions and their rituals.. but I feel that Christmas, Santa, tree and all.the.decoration!! really have become quite secular pleasures.
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Boo still believes in Santa. But he doesn’t believe in Jesus. But he does believe in God.
I am completely confused about the lot of it and just happy to continue doing the Santa thing, even if it probably is a bit selfish to let it go on when he IS 15. But it makes him happy.
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Gurrrl! i know you and Santa are ‘like this’ and good on you!! that Boo still believes… i may be paying the price for my own ‘yeah, i’m not gonna LIE to my kid about stuff that doesn’t exist and speak silly babytalk and stuff’ (which i didn’t) but I am glad the REJECTION of Santa didn’t last and he is not allowed to tell other kids that he doesn’t exist!! but yeah, focus on craft and diy deco, for lack of budget and all, too…
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Oh my goodness, it’s snowing on your blog! 😀 If it snows here in London (UK) on Xmas Day I shall simply fall over with glee! If not, I’ll come back here and get my fill 😉 Thanks for the flakes!
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they do this thing on wp.com for a few years now, I know it’s silly and animation on blogs is so…well, old fashioned maybe but SNOW!ON!THE!BLOG!? lol. i just love it. here is the link with instructions :http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/holiday-snow-transformation/
not a chance that it will snow in Queensland…!
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Hehe, I’m rather easily pleased 😀 Thanks for the link, it’s snowing there too! I see your point about Queensland, it’s not quite Greenland
A snowy blog is a decent compromise though 😉
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haha =) glad to spread the snow !!
i will follow your blog now (not because of the snow alone, tho, obviously..)
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Thanks for the follow, and be sure to bring your snowshoes! 😀
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😀 will do!
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We don’t go crazy but I do put up some lights, and a “fake” 4 foot tall tree. And sometimes they have these little rosemary trees (made up of the herb) that smell WONDERFUL, so you can have the smell without the hassle, and cook with it LOL!
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i think ours is also about 4 foot but it sits on a table.. i have grown up with real trees and real candles (and real wax stains on presents..) but it’s near impossible to do that here. have also 3 little trees standing around, but never heard of rosemary trees, that sounds like a great idea, just googled it, you can trim them right and everything!? very nice =)
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I bought a rosemary tree for my 3 yo because my 7 yo insisted on decorating the bigger tree by himself. She was not interested in being left out of the Christmas fun. She loves her little tree! And it does smell wonderful.
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I’m still on the fence. I always love having a real tree in my living room, the smell of the pine needles is wonderful, and all the coloured ornaments and lights always cheer me up. But it’s such an incredible hassle to get a tree to my house by myself, and putting it up by myself as well. So I haven’t decided yet.
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i agree, i do it all for the ‘cheer factor’. last night had all my lights on (i don’t like blinking ones and most are just white or off white) and walked through the house, looked at the reflections and the shadows of the ornaments – happy moment! =)
maybe have just a big wreath out of real pine?(with or without candles, because Danger!)
– do they sell them where you are (was it NL?)
i wish we had them here.. =( wanted to make one with fake twigs from a tree i discarded but omg, i could not pull the wire skeleton apart, so gave up and created a pink monstrosity instead. meh..
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Oh, putting up some pine boughs is an excellent idea! 😀
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Norfolk Island Pines are a nice alternative because they’re small and are a house plant that can be enjoyed year round. I always end up eventually killing mine by accident, though….
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oh yeah, i have seen them around here.. they seem up-side-down compared to pines though, right? (well, i AM in Australia… lol)
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