Dunnit does December.....

OK, so the countdown starts tomorrow...

I'm not attempting a 'December Daily' or a 'Journal Your Christmas' this year..previous attempts have been the triumph of hope over experience. I LOVE the idea of them, and will be watching those of you that do them with awe and envy. You see, committing my thoughts, aspirations and ideas to a journal makes me very self conscious and the writing becomes contrived. Andit's my opinion, probably because I can type as I think, that I can 'journal' better online.  So, I thought that occasionally throughout December you may like to read about the preparations for Christmas in this household. I'll call the posts something witty and familiar so you know to avoid them if you feel it's all becoming too self indulgent! These may reveal things about me that you didn't wish to know, that scare you witless or cause you to reach out in sympathy.  Thank you, it's OK, I know, and don't worry.  It's only for a month and I usually get through it!

So here's the list for this weekend, because it's December 1st on Sunday:

• Find Advent Calendars.  Bought one each for Miss Dunnit and her Musician Boy, but put them in a special place so as not to be discovered.  For a small house, I seem to have a lot of special places.
• Change bed linens.  Employ 19 year old Winnie the Pooh Christmas sheets for Miss Dunnit, and yep, Christmas style for our bed. Actually this involves leaving the bed linen in Miss Dunnit's room..how long it takes to actually change the linens is entirely in her hands.  A thing that makes my teeth itch from lack of control...
• Change loo paper.  Snowman printed loo roll for the first part of the month. But a plain loo roll always hidden somewhere in the bathroom - just in case.
• Change washing up liquid.  Really.  Festive Berries scented liquid for this month. It makes washing up a really festive experience.  According to the label.
• Likewise the liquid soap in the bathrooms. When are they going to produce a matching hand cream?
• Change flannels and hand towels..there are Christmas embroidered ones somewhere in the airing cupboard.  Thus causing the annual cupboard sort out.  Which is why it's on this list.  Or I would't bother.
• Change tea towels to festive ones.  Likewise oven gloves and apron. Again...they're in the airing cupboard.  See? Last January, I knew it would need a clear out by now and I knew it would take a very specific motivation!
• Change out mugs, side plates and cereal bowls.  Yes there are Christmas decorated versions for every day usage.  And I know where they are. China is one of my 'things'.
• Add the Christmas cutlery to the kitchen drawer. Every day eating is enhanced by using snowflake stamped stainless steel.  Well, it is for me, anyway.
• Match cards to envelopes and start gathering addresses. Yep, finally giving in and using the cards I've made as samples for Christmas workshops.  Too little time and frankly, too tired to think further about it.
• Go through gift shopping list and update.  Stop relying on  memory.  It never works.
• Check gift wrap situation.  Remember, whatever 'theme' you think you've got, you NEVER have enough to carry it through. This year, it was going to be turquoise and silver.  The paper is in the same special place as the advent calendars.
• Find the doormat with Happy Christmas on it.  If it's been in the shed since January, it may need rigourous 'assesment'.

So there, gentle reader, are my 'touches' of Christmas.  All subtle and tasteful.  Well, relatively subtle - when you spread them across this untidy and well lived in home anyway.  Good luck with your first day of Advent.  Check in - tell me what you're planning.  Don't make me do this alone!