Novels by CC: It's an advent PARTY! Days 13 through 18

We're closing in on the last few days of my advent calendar of giving and receiving. What have I been up to?

Advent Day 13

Send Christmas Cards

I usually send Christmas cards at the start of December, but I put it off to enjoy receiving cards from others. I LOVE sending Christmas cards because it gives me a moment to reflect on how many wonderful relationships I am blessed with.

Advent day 14

Attend an ugly sweater party & Christmas at the Fort

I doubled up on advent activities today because the more the merrier, right? I took my niece to enjoy Christmas at Fort Vancouver. We were greeted by jolly people in period costumes and then we toured the different buildings within the walls. At our first stop we filled a satchel with wonderful smelling herbs, all from the fort's garden, and tied it with a ribbon. At the next building we made evergreen wreaths. You can tell I'm not a professional, but it was fun trying to wrap the branches around the wire hanger and make them stay. After we completed our wreath we were treated to a cup of wassil. It tasted like sweet, spicy cider. We passed through the trading post and tried to identify the pelts they had on display. My niece didn't like the sight of the skins so we moved on to the next building where we learned how to make tassels. I liked mine so much, I attached it to the hat I wore. (I received plenty of kind compliments on my snowman hat from children and adults alike.) We passed by the field where hatchets were being thrown at log rounds, and hoops were being pushed by a stick. It was all very entertaining. The last building housed several period games, it was very fascinating. On our way out we listened to a group of carolers who sang Silent Night, which was very lovely, and then they surprised the audience by singing one verse in German!

In the afternoon my sister hosted an ugly sweater party. It was hilarious! Everyone was festive and the sweaters were either hideous or incredible works of recycled art. We snacked on food, hot chocolate, and then took several pictures in front of the Christmas wall. After everyone had eaten their fill we sat down to exchange white elephant gifts. It was so funny because my five-year-old nephew didn't know the gifts were silly and not really things he would want to keep.

Advent day 15

Enjoy an evening by candlelight

Luckily I didn't write how long I needed to enjoy the evening by candlelight. It was really hard to see and I bumped into a few things. Luckily I enjoyed the evening by candlelight for about an hour then I turned on the lights. It made me incredibly grateful for the modern lights which I enjoy on a daily basis.

Advent day 16
Watch White Christmas

Watching White Christmas has been a personal holiday tradition every year since I moved away from home. It's a sweet story about misperceptions, love, and snow! There is also a dazzling array of dances, musical numbers, and scene changes that will keep you wanting more. I prepared Christmas presents while it played gently in the background. My favorite line from the movie this year was, "You should eat something before you go to bed. They say it draws all the blood from your head so whatever you're thinking about disappears."

Advent day 17
Make a Santa Hat

I wanted to make a human-sized hat until I looked online and saw a cat-sized Santa hat. My cats were less than pleased, but they look so cute! The hats are crocheted and the pattern I made up as I went along.

Advent day 18

Write a letter to Santa

Admittedly it's been a loooooong time since I've written to Santa, but it's about time I settled the score. This is the letter I wrote to Santa Claus:

Dear Santa,

I know it's been a few years since I've written to you. My letters in the past were all about asking for something. This year I want to say thank you! Thank you for giving me sweet memories. Thank you for not always giving me everything I asked for. Thank you for being a symbol of magic, faith, and selfless giving. Thank you for spreading joy. Thank you for making a few extra pounds more to love. Thank you for listening to the dreams I dare not share with anyone else. Thank you for being an example and showing the world how to be happy every day of the year!

Sincerely,

Christine

P.S. Please give my thanks to Mrs. Claus, the reindeer, and the elves!