December 3rd

It's been a bit gloomy in Suffolk this week, lots of cloud and damp in the air, which often turned into rain.

It was the last of the organised exercise/wellbeing 6 week course but the exercise and social bit is going to carry on for another 12 weeks with another Community Interest Company running it. I'm not bothered about the mindfulness or the coffee but the organised exercise is really useful as I'm more likely to keep doing the half hour if someone is telling me what to do!

Up until a few weeks ago I was using my camera with no problems. It's a good camera that the family got for me for my 60th and has been taken everywhere and used a lot in the last 7 years. Then it started being a bit temperamental and gave up last week. I've got a camera on the phone but as it was a cheap phone it's not as good as some. Better start saving up.

Many people don't send real Christmas cards anymore but I like sending and receiving so will carry on as long as I'm able.

These were made up from some 3D decoupage sheets that I'd discovered among my Christmas stuff at the end of 2021, they must have come from a car-boot or charity shop but I couldn't remember getting them. I put them together last January

My camera was working fine last January!

 then on a rainy day last month I stuck  on  "Happy Christmas" labels and got  all the other cards out of the Christmas drawer. 

All are now written and envelopes addressed. Just need to do notes or letters to go with some of them........usually I start out with good intentions and end up rushing to finish..... I'm now really bad at letter writing and  blame the blog as it's so much easier to tap a blog post than it is to write a proper note!

Really must make an effort this weekend, with postmen threatening to strike again this month they need posting earlier than usual.

Back Tomorrow

Sue

December 2nd

This illustration below is from the internet and shows a German Advent Calendar from the early 1900's

The tradition of opening the doors on an Advent Calendar is thought to have begun in Germany in the late C19............so many of our popular Christmas traditions started there...........and one story tells of a boy called Gerhard Lang who, as an adult, remembered his mother making 24 biscuits for him to have one each day through December and that gave him the idea. He started the mass manufacturing of calendars in 1908.

I seem to remember Advent Calendars becoming popular here in the 1960s but just for children and definitely NO chocolate. It's thought that Cadburys produced the first chocolate one in the early 1970s but they took a while to catch on. In the 80's I was the mean Mum who still didn't allow chocolate or Disney type ones into the house. I didn't want the children eating chocolate before breakfast!

We only ever had traditional ones.......... but I've not bothered at all since 2019, because when I did have one I often forgot to open it, so now  prefer to spend my money elsewhere. It's one of my small money choices.

Now of course there are Advent calendars with everything you can think of behind the doors and many people enjoy them whatever age they are. 

You can have tealight candles, nail varnish, cheese, Lego, make up and many others - in fact you name it and it's there behind a door from 1 to 24. (Even Gin at £73) or for those who have everything what about a Porsche calendar with gifts like gold watches and cufflinks for 1 million dollars!

Back Tomorrow

Sue