Day 12 of #ShareAdvent

Day 12? Already?! I did suspect I was going to end up skipping a few, but I also had some ideas for some of the days I've ended up missing, so I may go back to them later. Or, you know, turn them into 'Happy January' posts or something.
 
Today's theme is "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store". I love this.
 
This year in particular, I feel quite disconnected with the whole idea of Yuletide shopping frenzy, the adverts blaring "Find the Perfect Christmas Gift", the "Buy Now and Get Delivered Before December 25th". I never grew up with piles of expensive presents, and I find nowadays that I don't want or expect such piles to emerge now.
 
Christmas, for me, is and for many years has been a lot based on the feelings; the sensations, the remembering. That day when I used to come from school and the house would smell of freshly baking mince pies (not that I actually like eating them - next year, I'm starting my mission to create a recipe that doesn't have mixed peel in it, bleurgh); the day we would go to collect the Christmas tree and then hang ALL the ornaments on it, picking out our favourites and reminiscing about that one my older brother made in playgroup in the 1980s which still goes on the tree to this day. I love listening to Carols from Kings on Christmas Eve and the simple spinetingling beauty of carols sung by people with  genuine musical talent.
 
Some of the things I am most looking forward to this Christmas:

1. Some festive crafting and baking, just because I can and I want to.
2. A few days away from the office.
3. The drive up to Derbyshire on Christmas Eve - carols on the radio and snacks in the car. Traffic shmaffic, it'll be the two of us singing along and heading up the M1.
4. Catching up with family, eating homecooked Christmassy food and generally not doing an awful lot but making sure to watch the Snowman and Mary Poppins if it's on.
5. Having time to see friends I don't often get to see, some of whom are new parents this Christmas - hoping for baby cuddles!
6. Christmas morning at church - a beautiful building, Christmas choral music and a moment to be still.
7. Picking up the keys to our new house - pre-Christmas, but I can't deny that this will certainly make the festive period particularly special this year. But that's for another post...