Christmas Day is just around the corner. I can’t believe how quickly it has come up this year. I probably say that every year, but this last twelve months has whizzed by, and so much has happened. It’s been such a strange, disturbing year, with a lot of loss and grief for so many people. I don’t know about you, but I am praying for a much kinder 2017.
My Mum is currently suffering with a nasty cough/virus and it makes me very anxious. I can’t bear for her to be ill. She is always so healthy and I sometimes forget she is a senior now, and small illnesses can be potentially dangerous. Also, being sick at Christmas sucks! I know she feels miserable and concerned and also annoyed that she can’t do a lot – she hates neglecting her garden and other chores. I just worry incessantly, especially as I am not just around the corner but 30 minutes drive away, and I can’t keep a close eye on her. Luckily, my best friend’s Mum is just around the corner – in fact, she is taking Mum to the doctor’s this morning (I would have done but had no one to cover me at work). Hopefully she will get some antibiotics (even though she hates taking them, she admits she probably needs some this time) and be on the mend soon. We’re meant to be spending Christmas Eve with my brother and his family, but I don’t know if she will be well enough at this stage 
It’s funny how, in the lead up to Christmas, you think about all the things you would like, and hope that Santa obliges. This year, I just want my Mum to be well, and for us all to have a nice, peaceful, stress-free time together, with no dramas.
This week, I managed to get all my Christmas shopping done in record time. I have less people to buy for this year, for one reason or another, and it made it much easier. I made a few gifts too, which meant less spending (always a good thing) and less stress (a very good thing). I also decided not to do the fancy wrapping I always do, which usually ends up with me stressed out of my brain and wrapping gifts every night until midnight, making sure they all fit a “theme” and all look decorative and pretty. Not this year. I used store-bought wrapping paper and did nothing fancier than tying them with string. I didn’t even use matching tags! *gasps* It just made everything so much easier and quicker and reduced my stress by about a million percent. I am wrapped and done, ahead of time.
Whilst looking for gifts for my Mum, I pretty much followed the list she had given me (an Ian Rankin book, some gardening stuff, a Michael Buble CD, pyjamas) but I always like to get her some other little extras too, so she has some surprises. I found this set of measuring cups in an op-shop and thought she might like them. They look vintage (although I suspect they are not) and I liked the little Wintery scene on them, which I thought would also make them ideal for Christmas decorating, if Mum didn’t want to use them as actual measuring cups. I just thought they were sweet. And at $5.00 for the three, I wasn’t exactly breaking the bank.
I hope she likes them, and is well enough to enjoy all of her presents.
That’s all I want for Christmas.
Best wishes to you all. Stay well and take care of each other x
Tagged: 2nd hand, ageing, baking, christmas, cups, decor, decorating, end of year, family, festive, gifts, health, home, illness, Mum, op shopping, parents, thrifting, vintage
