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You are here: Home / Seasonal / Christmas / Social Media Does Not Set The Christmas Bar

December 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Social Media Does Not Set The Christmas Bar

Social Media Does Not Set The Christmas Bar

Welcome to December on social media.

Seem like it’s not just the shops that have become overwhelming and exploded into a commercial Christmas. Oodles and oodles of Christmas-ness whichever way you look.
It’s easy to avoid the shops but it’s not so easy to avoid the ‘in your face’ness of social media.

If you let it then it can make you feel pretty inadequate. Activities being done every day, trips to see Santa, the serene illusion of family togetherness, decorating the tree, baking days, not an argument in sight. The magic of Christmas being thrown at you from all angles Smothering you in a guilt that you can’t keep up with. It’s so easy to make comparisons and feel like you’re not doing enough. It’s easy to get disheartened. Feeling like you’re treading water without even a festive wreath to hold you up.

But stop! You don’t have to feel like that. Stop and take stock. Raid the feeble amount of Christmas stock you’ve attempted to hide. Sit down and take real stock on what’s important.

You can do elf on the shelf if you fancy, but it most certainly doesn’t have to be every night or elaborate in any way. It doesn’t even have to be an elf. A random toy is good enough to install a belief that you’ve had a visit from a toy from Santa’s workshop. You don’t need to wrap the sofa up or magically have the elf change the bedding into festive attire whilst the kids sleep. Why put yourself through anything that you won’t enjoy maintaining? Do it if you want to but don’t ever do anything out of obligation. You don’t even have to visit Santa. You can write to him. I always did that as a child. ☺️

The joy that my kids get out of a bowl of walnuts and getting to grips with a nutcracker is one of their most favourite memories of Christmas.

The things I remember about Christmas are films, satsumas, colouring books, digging into a tin of shared sweets, making paper snowflakes, paper chains, chestnuts, peeling veg, staying in our PJs all day (that weren’t Christmas ones), stepping outside and looking into the skies for a glimpse of Santa. Just the pure excitement of opening up the most simplistic of advent calendars every day. Arguing over board games and TV, and my parents losing their shit during the day. 😂

And whilst I scroll through social media I try to remember that.

A Christmas tree can be dressed to the most exquisite of looks, but strip it down and just laden it with a string of lights and a bauble and it’s still a Christmas tree.

You can make Christmas as elaborate or sedate as you like. Have traditions, there are no rules. Doing it your way is the most perfect way. Don’t compare yourself. If you want to go balls out and put your tree up in November then do it. If you want to wait until Christmas Eve than that’s equally as exciting. Whatever your way, it’s good enough.👌

What we need to remember and focus on is that the true spirit of Christmas is not something you can buy. It’s not the lavish or magical activities. It’s a gift that can be given that is free in a million teeny ways without an expense. Your time is a gift.

Ultimately remember that Christmas is a few days. It’s not a month.

Presence, not presents.

❤️

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Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: christmas

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Family Days Tried and Tested provides inspiration to make everyday family life fun. It includes simple craft activities to do at home plus lots of reasons to play outside. Family Days Tried and Tested is all about frugal fun, honesty and lots of laughs.

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Family Days Tried and Tested
🦇 The man did good!👏 Yesterday Andy finished 🦇 The man did good!👏
Yesterday Andy finished everything needed to make the bats comfortable. 
We have oodles of bats flying around the churchyard but after a few seasons of bat surveys it was established we don’t actually have bats with if the church 👌 this is pleasing for us as it means that we get the enjoyment of watch them on a summers evening with the knowledge that there are none in residence. 
Although it was established we don’t have resident bats, roosts or nurseries we still had to do what we could to accomplish them should they wish to take up residence in the church. 
As part of this process we have...
🦇Turned a dilapidated underground furnace room into a bat cave with entrance points, wall hangers and crevices.
🦇 Built a substantial ‘Battic’ in the ceiling in the vestry...a false ceiling was installed for this.
🦇 The children moulded and helped install bat tiles for the roof using a mallet and sheet lead method. 
🦇 Raised the ridge tiles on the vestry roof as entrance points to the ‘Battic’. 

For a building that doesn’t have any resident bats they sure will be comfy should they move in. 

🦇 Bats are a protected species and obtaining bat licenses to permit you to build without endangering them, destroying or disturbing existing or potential habitat in the U.K. is an extremely important (and lengthily) process.

 #Historicbuilding #bat  #Familyhome #Instahome #buildingthedream #renovationproject #Selfbuild #Homerenovation #churchconversion #granddesigns #kitchen #amazingspaces #renovation #instadesign #beautifulhomes #designerhomes #homedesign #architecture #churchrennovation #beforeandafter #architectureporn #church #churchyard #restoration
⛺️ Never underestimate the simple fun of a bla ⛺️ Never underestimate the simple fun of a blanket fort..two chairs, a blanket, some cushions and a couple of books...
To a child it’s a castle, a grandeur stately home, a cave deep in the jungle...
To a child it’s an adventure.... 💖
We have a kitchen door! 🥳🚪...as demonstrated We have a kitchen door! 🥳🚪...as demonstrated by Noah.
Today is 3 years since my father passed. Dementia Today is 3 years since my father passed. Dementia truly is a horrid, vile and unforgiving disease.

Three years ago I wrote this for him and today I was sad, & angry, & moody, & reflective, and all sorts of other emotions. 
Grief sure is strange and ever changing emotion even though it remains an emotion only defined as grief...it’s an emotion in itself with a rollercoaster entwined.  It’s ups and downs, stops and starts, and directions that change as easy as the wind. 

I’m not sure I can describe my day filled with a pandemic, schools runs and homeschooling in one, home life dynamics that we all face..
life in general which is crazy at the moment (for us all) 
...and the underlying reminder that grief threw throughout the day reminding me that I’m still sad to say goodbye. 

Anyway, I wrote this three years ago. 

We won’t be sad dear papa,
We won’t be sad for you,
We’ll smile for all the love you gave 
And take joy in all we do..
We won’t be sad dear papa
We’ll replace the tears for happy thoughts
And take heed to all the laughs you gave
And the values that you taught.
We won’t be sad dear papa
Even whilst our hearts are blue 
We’ll be thankful that we shared a love 
And were graced with love from you. 

And we won’t be sad dear papa
Your spirit will not go 
It will stay with us in all we do
And we’ll never be alone. 

We won’t be sad dear papa, 
Even though we cry,
We’re thankful for the time we had,
We’re just sad to say goodbye. 

4.3.2017 💙

Miss you dad. 

**apologies for my ‘let’s take a selfie dad’ faces 🤦‍♀️😂🥰
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