Heartfelt Wishes

There are personal wishes

and universal wishes.

I sat down the other day to see if what I really desired at this time of the year

was anything to do with the usual stressful ambiance of the Christmas season

which seems to be happening  around me, but not within me.

Oh yes,

I love creating decorations with crochet and hook

a few bells 

a candle or two

and beautiful music,

but more than any material gift

I desire the presence of peace and harmony.

On a universal level, like most people, I would like world peace

that no one should suffer from hunger 

and that we would all take responsibility for climate change.

One of the things that we can all do

is to focus on abundance instead of lack

for it leads us to the path of contentment.

What are the most important things for you during this month of December?

Have you tried making a list of your most heartfelt wishes?

Ding Dong Merrily on High

This is the week before Christmas

when the frenzy in the air is very tangible.

Sometimes, it's just good to find a quiet place to sit

and take the time to breathe...

maybe light a candle

a red one is so festive.

The presents are wrapped and the bows tied

I'm so glad I did everything early.

What about my new hand and arm cast?

Red for Christmas. What else?

Just to be a little silly, I'm going to wear a tinsel bracelet

on Christmas Day!

Since there won't be a Christmas tree this year,

I've bought some cheerful fairy lights to create

several luminous and festive corners around my home.

A sparkling butterfly in memory of a sweet loved-one

departed much too early.

A bowl of Christmas baubles on a small table

This glass container, containing tinsel and shiny baubles

will have added fairy lights in red and white 

to be the centre-piece on my Christmas table

I love my living room at night

all lit up

as pretty as any Christmas tree!

The Christmas elves are already in place in the entrance.

They have been a tradition for more than twenty years.

The homemade truffles will have to wait for the New Year

before I make them again.

I was just able to finish crocheting the front door wreath

on the last day of November.

That was lucky!

I am unable to make my usual Christmas crochet gifts and decorations this year,

but fortunately I have some snowflakes left over from previous years.

As soon as the afternoon light starts to fade

those little lights come on.

Scintillating evenings just for me and a good book!

Those little bells again, just because they're so joyful!

and the sweet sound of children's voices.

Please click below on the name of the Christmas Carol:

Ding Dong Merrily on High

It just goes to show that we can still create a festive feeling with very little

and with just a bit of imagination!

I wish you all a very heartwarming and beautiful time with your families.

Sometimes, not all members of a family can get together, but we can phone and

exchange emails and have special thoughts for all those who have

other obligations or cannot be with us.

In the meantime, whatever you do, and whoever you're with, 

may you have a joyful heart to share!

I'll be taking a blog break over the holiday period until sometime in January.

Be well

Be happy

Remember to smile

to someone who may need it!

Slipping Simply into December

The luminous presence of a Hellebore

Another year is drawing to its end.

As I look back, I have been wondering how I could make my life simpler.

I have been musing on this for some time now.

How to simplify my everyday life.

In photography,

I often seek out visual simplicity.

Could I not do this in each moment - even when there seem to be so many things

demanding my attention?

When I look through the viewfinder of my camera,

I seek to strip away the superfluous and capture the essential.

I know what I want to include and what I wish to exclude.

I ask myself:

what draws me in?

What touches my heart?

Do I get an emotional response?

What goes deeper than just a pretty picture?

A tiny rosebud on my rose-bush, unable to open because of the cold

but which unfurled its tiny petals in the warmth of my apartment.

A rose,

is not just a rose

it's sometimes a little messenger

leading us to contemplation.

You may well ask,

why show a part of a crane?

Does it fit in with flowers and bells

and all things pretty?

Of course!

This image speaks to me, it draws me in

and lifts me up above the normal admiring attention I might give

to a classical and beautiful scene.

It carries me beyond the surface of beauty.

It makes me stop and observe for a long moment.

I see colours and shapes

I see balance 

I feel equilibrium.

There is something more to this than meets the eye.

It brings me into the moment

where all else just falls away!

As Christmas approaches,

there is a desire to create.

Simple shapes attract me

and using the colours that speak to me in the moment.

Seeking simplicity in all things

and remembering that

Less is often more!

The pretty star pattern was generously given by

Cherry heart

Another link you may wish to check out, and which has been a source of inspiration to me,

is a photographic gathering for the whole month of December

organized by Kim Manley Ort

and which goes under the title of

Photographic Simplicity

Golden Bells and Snowflakes

Gold and silver for the season

Take a jar of golden bells

Tip them out and hear them tinkle

Find a bowl for your delight

Look how they all catch the light!

Take some snowflakes soft and fluffy

Add some bells and see the magic

Attach some thread to hang them up

against the light and watch them glow

or on the window like real snow!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL!