Shhhh - not the dreaded planning ahead for C........ yet

Sorry to bring it up, but the festivities will start all too soon (and my local supermarket already has mince pies and Christmas puddings on the shelves!). BUT - there is some sense in starting a few quick and easy steps towards making it a manageable feast.

I've been meaning to lay out some of the ideas we've tried as a family to eat the Christmas elephant (you know - one bite at a time!) and make it as stress free and pocket light as possible - especially with the growth of minis in our clan. 

The first preparation is simple - find yourself a box. Yep, any old box. You could start with a shoebox or something bigger - no buying a box, just one that's around or that you can pick up from the empty boxes at a local shop. It may seem premature, but we start our box off after Boxing Day (that was unintended - honest)! In it goes anything that will help spread the fun and cost for the festival.

What are you going to put into your box? ... you may ask.. 

Well, start off with anything which you think might be helpful when you see one of those 'buy one, get one free' promotions that you know someone on your list would welcome.

There, that was a fairly easy one to start with....

Now you can add anything you might make or see on sale that might fit the bill. 

This is the haul that's been building in my box - I may have to transfer it soon into something bigger - a spare suitcase in the loft is what I've got my eye on! It includes items such as bunting from some scrap material I had last year, hand-knittted socks, scrunchies, coasters from left over yarn.. you get the idea? I can't list everything as I need to give the family some surprises - they can't be allowed to preview them all here before the main event can they?

Next double check for any left-overs from last Christmas - spare cards, wrapping paper, gifts you haven't used (label these with who gave them to you...) and add them to the box.  Here's mine so far - it includes some I got reduced when they were selling off the 2019 stock...

I also keep some odds and ends of cards and gift tags that might be useful for creating new cards - like this... ( I know it needs repositioning - that's for the full on making session later!)

Now collect any containers that might be useful when creating presents (more about this another time) - this is what I've got so far...

And finally... if you're like me you may well have some projects, kits from magazines, ideas that haven't developed yet .. all lurking around. Gather these together and put them somewhere handy - not hidden away so you can forget about them. This is my box...

Now the very last job for this time - make two lists...

The first is all those people you might send/give cards to. 

It doesn't matter where or how you make it - on paper, in a notebook, on your phone, in a spreadsheet. Just make and keep the list where you'll find it easily. Add any addresses to it that you need too. This is a list you can update during the year - starting with straight after this Christmas when you realise you missed someone off or they sent you a new address!

The second list is gifts you need to supply - you notice I say supply... not buy, although that might be necessary too. If you've got any ideas or something you usually get for these recipients add it next to their name.

Right - planning/auditing/sorting and storing done? 

Big pat on the back and then draw breath before the next session!

So where was I?

Now I know when I last wrote I talked about rethinking things, simplifying life and creating space, BUT a world wide pause on 'life as we know it' was not what I had in mind....

Every time I've sat myself down to write I've deleted my words as nothing felt serious or respectful enough to take up space.

I thought, like many others I guess, that the lockdown, stay at home, whatever this last six months gets to be called, would mean that I'd get my house in order (literally) and have time for being creative, productive and all those things. Yes, the household stuff I had in mind got done, as did the list my other half had down to do too. The garden has been tidied and sorted and plans for alterations to it made. 

Crops have been grown and harvested, jams made and all looks ship shape outside.

            

It's been great to eat straight from the garden (and not actually buy stuff!).

And with a glut of basil we've been on regular feasts of pasta and pesto 😋

Now though, I think I have to stop prevaricating and step forward ready for what comes next.

I have mentioned before ideas about the Wento project (which is about refocusing finances) and about producing some step by step instructions for creative projects. 

But each time I sit down to write about finances it doesn't seem like the right time and writing step by step instructions comes face to face with my inertia... 

I did think I ought to write about playing catchup with lost learning as I've had some fun during lockdown trying to think of active ways to make home learning interesting for my great-nephew. While I've got some ideas already sorted I'm not sure this is the forum for them so I'll have to think about that. 

Mind you at about the same time Mel, the writer of Ink Spots and Grass Stains, (who I first met many years ago when we were writing for the Scout Association) has just launched a new website about play and life,  (the link is on the right) so perhaps there's some mileage in my thoughts. The coincidence of her starting this up as I was thinking about the role of play isn't the only coincidence in our lives.... She moved to Scotland and I moved to Devon only to find that she used to live a few couple of roads away and babysat for one of our neighbours!

Oh gosh, out on a tangent again.. well the long and the short of it is... I'm not going to follow any of those threads just yet. Instead I'm thinking I'll start with (whisper it softly) Christmas... There's a method in this particular madness and it will link to playfulness, crafting, decluttering, money saving, instructions and so on... just you wait and see!