And so this is Christmas . . .

Re-evaluating my life during the pandemic as thrown my blogging schedule off course, but I’m back to share what I’ve been up to over this festive season – my most favourite time of year!

I had the pleasure of hosting a couple of functions at my house during December. I wanted to have an Australian theme this time to celebrate how blessed the majority of us have been in this country throughout this difficult year. I’ve always wanted to tie foliage on the back of chairs and using eucalypts to do this was perfect for my theme. I mixed up some foraged Australian natives with some garden flowers in jam jars down the middle of the table. A white tablecloth and black ribbon and candles was a great contrast for the natives. I found some beautiful Australian botanical wrapping paper online, which I used to wrap the presents at each place setting. I wrote names on gum leaves with silver pen and attached them to each gift.

After these functions were over, we also hosted our annual hot chocolate party – the kids love this and enjoy inviting a few friends each. It’s a very easy and fun way to do some Christmas entertaining – a full description can be found in this previous blog post.

In other news, I made the three wise men from assorted furniture legs I found in Bunnings. I used permanent markers to mark out the features, but you could also use paint. A fun and satisfying project!

Lastly, I’ve enjoyed making some nasturtium flower vinegar for gifts. This is a beautiful colour and has a lovely peppery flavour, which is great on salads. The recipe can be found on the Milkwood site.

Well that’s it – a wrap up of my Christmas activities. I’m looking forward to celebrating that very special baby’s birthday with family and friends :

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas to one and all!