Of kneeling santas and sewing

We put up our tree this weekend and the front-of-house lights as well. It all looks splendidly festive but I haven't taken any photos yet. However, I DO have piccies of some of my favourite Christmas tree ornaments and as NoCoolStory has put a message throughout all Christmas-Land to post these, then I shall be an obedient blogger and do just that. (Why don't you?! :D )

Here's my kneeling Santa. I bought this in Provo, Utah when I was living there and I just love it. It sort of sums up everything to me that is lovely about Christmas ...the reason for the festivities in the first place, all mixed in with the magic.




And here's my pasta angel...everything is made from a different pasta shape (except her round head). Fab isn't she!? I had grand ideas of re-creating loads of her one year and giving them to people but, hey...guess what?...that never happened. Anyway, she was given to me by two friends of mine from church, again when I was attending BYU in Provo.

This beautiful rustic angel was given to me by my very lovely friend Clare in Reading (who was one of my bridesmaids). Love my angel and I love Clare :D

Featuring pasta once again (where would we be without it?!), this is the very first of many (I'm sure) Christmas tree ornaments that Celyn ever made...last year in nursery, age 3. When we pulled it out of the box this year she remarked on it "Oooo, this one's nice isn't it Mummy" and I said, "You made that, Lovely" and she didn't remember it at all! But she did (with help to be sure!) and I love it.

So there you have it. Some of my favourite ornaments. Ho ho ho.

I have to drive to Pembroke and back tomorrow as my Auntie Mary is coming to my rescue and helping me put together a costume for Celyn's nativity play this Friday. She's the Star of Bethlehem and despite the fact that the little slip of paper that came home from school said "a white dress with a star pinned to it" (and you note that I AM QUOTING!!), when I explained to one of the TAs in the school what I was going to use, she looked a bit perturbed and said that the costumes are usually way more fancy. Oh the PRESSURE! I can't SEW! I have to put together an outfit so the fruit of my loins, the precious being that is my darling child, doesn't look like a total dipstick...by Wednesday for the dress rehearsal...and I can't SEW! So I called the best seamstress this side of the Severn Bridge who I happen to be closely related to (thank goodness) and fluttered my wanton lashes at her.

It is most unjust you know. Generation upon generation of Gwythers (my maiden name) were tailors in Pembroke...in the 1700s and 1800s (we have researched it). My great-aunts were amazing seamstresses (had their own 'house' in Edwardian London...like House of Eliot, you know). My auntie followed after them and has sewed professionally in various capacities for much of her life (she could make a dress when she was eight....EIGHT I tell thee), her daughters are much the same (well...damn near exactly the same actually...my cousin Kate made my wedding dress)...and me. Nope. I did not inherit one speck of that gene. Not a slither. Not a morsel. Not a jot or a tittle. It bypassed me like a dual-carriageway around a pretty village. I sewed on the elastics for Celyn's ballet shoes a few weeks ago and they've already fallen off. And I sewed a little hook for her ballet dress (because the original one had come undone) and that's already died. And THEY want ME to make a spectacular star outfit. TSK!!!

So...as I say...I'm off to Pembroke tomorrow, sheet and sparkly stuff in hand! I'll tell you what, I had better get some blummin' good photos of this nativity malarky after going to all this trouble!