Christmas Eve

 

Little cyclamen on my balcony under the snow!

A walk in the higher part of my neighbourhood to enjoy the delicate colours

in the sky with a hint of pink in the mist.

You can just see the lake below.

Some pale green leaves still hanging on with a little drop of ice on their tips.

Orange and pink spindle berries brightening up the leafless trees.

Now we go downtown to see the barrel organist playing cheerful music

and singing along!

I met a friend here to do some shopping.

As I was waiting, I saw this lady set up her stall with wreaths

and candle arrangements and mistletoe hanging on her striped parasol.

I went to the craft market here full of beautiful handmade objects.

I really liked the coloured crocheted blankets on the chairs outside.

A florist was selling seasonal plants displayed in the street.

I went to the hairdresser's and he greeted me in this amusing

Christmas outfit! Look at his sweet little dog called Jack

who is looking at us with a surprised expression! I liked his Christmas kerchief!

The church, called St. Laurent, with part of some Christmas lights zigzagging across.

I crossed one of the big bridges in the town and took a photo of Lausanne Cathedral

through the spokes of a big wheel put up over the Christmas period.

You can see the words 'Bô Noël'

Bô being the phonetic form of 'beau' meaning beautiful

Noël is Christmas!

Back home again and my velvety red Amaryllis plant has eight blooms

flowering at the same time!

There is one more stalk still growing and that will certainly give me another four flowers.

I can already see the red buds bursting out of their layer of green.

Such beautiful plants.

Little Miss Mistletoe

hanging against one of my snowflakes.

My tiny Christmas tree with fairy lights and smiling angels.

I have been crocheting tiny red bells with a silver edging.

They're so gratifying to make!

I had all my Christmas cards sent off by December 16th - and it would seem

that they have all arrived safely. 

I love the pretty Christmas stamps.

I put a sparkling snowflake into certain envelopes for a little surprise!

I baked some traditional Viennese Crescent Christmas cookies.

They seem to be everyone's favourite.

Here is half a batch cooling and some of them will go into the little robin tin.

In this Christmas season where many people spend lots of money on buying gifts

and luxurious foodstuffs, there are many who cannot do this.

I had the idea of making little cellophane packets containing some pre-wrapped chocolate

and a crocheted snowflake or star.

I made eleven of them with a little message inside saying:

'Celui qui trouve ce paquet,

C'est pour toi!

Joyeux Noël!'

This simply says: 

The person who finds this packet.

It's for you!

Happy Christmas!

I went out into my neighbourhood discreetly placing the little packets in 

easy to find places!

I really had fun doing this.

Some I placed near potted plants in local shops, in the post office,

pharmacy, even one yellow star next to yellow packets of coffee!

I think I giggled a little as I went around until my bag was empty!

I really hope that people will pick up these little gifts and that they will give them a smile!

To finish this pre-Christmas blog post, I give you lots of happy baubles

which I photographed in the shops when I went downtown.

I hope you like my festive antlers and big green bow!

I wish you all a very Happy Christmas!

What Does December Mean to You?

When I think of December, I think of the colour red.

Do you?

This sweet tiny Christmas angel comes out every year to decorate my home,

so do my crochet pieces that remind of us of winter.

I also think of the trees, here in the park, which have lost almost all their leaves.

The fallen leaves gather in a fenced enclosure, catching the late afternoon sun

illuminating the autumn colours

and the first snowfall reminds us that winter is really here.

The pond has frozen over

Offering us a still-life of fallen leaves and lily pads under the ice.

Pine branches are lain across the flower beds to protect the spring bulbs.

The snow melted in the daytime and then became ice overnight

Look what I found in a store downtown!

Would you wear one of these jumpers? If so which one?

I wouldn't mind one of the scarves or some fancy socks!

I like to add sparkles in my home and like to see  discreet and beautiful

seasonal decorations.

I do not like blinking or flashing lights!

I made a nest for my rose from muslin with gold and silver dots.

A walk in my neighbourhood just before sunset

When a rosy glow illuminated the mountain tops.

I caught a glimpse of the sunset through the trees with the lake and mountains.

One of the things I like to do during the month of December

is creating small gifts for others, like these sparkling snowflakes.

I'll be slipping them into certain envelopes with a Christmas card!

Do you have special things you like to do in December that are meaningful to you?