It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Everyone seems to be feeling very festive as decorations go up and outside lights are put on houses around us. I must admit I'm not feeling it yet, it still feels too early despite doing the rounds of Christmas Fairs to raise funds for primary school/high school/ ballet troupe! I've well and truly stocked up on rubbish.... well it's not really rubbish they are things I really liked but will be of absolutely no use to anyone - like the glass painted jam jar with a tea light inside; it is particularly beautiful as my 9 year old daughter made it, but what exactly do I do with it? And it cost £1!

 I alway dreamed of co-ordinated decorations (in fact I still dream of a co ordinated Christmas with matching wrapping paper etc), like everything in silver and blue; but then someone sneaks in some bright red and gold tinsel & puts it around the middle of the tree! I have always found it difficult to embrace the children's handmade decorations and now it has become a family joke (tradition?) that I decorate the tree myself and eveytime I leave the room someone (and it's not always the children) puts something very gaudy and clashy on the tree to see how long it takes me to spot it!

We decided to miss number 2 son's school Christmas Fair this year as I'm still trying to forget the embarrassment of last years! Number 2 son goes to a slightly "posher" school as he is on a sports scholarship so the fair looked to be a good one. It was described as a festive food fair, both of which are right up my street, particularly the food bit! And there was to be a mince pie competition. I consider myself not a bad cook, baking of cakes and pies a speciality (I thought) so I hastily mixed some pastry, used the homemade mincemeat - no one else will have done that I thought! They did look good I thought as I sprinkled them with icing sugar and arranged 3 or 4 on a plate. We arrived at the fair and I proudly handed them in for the competition. The smiling lady on that stall took them and whispered that I had a very good chance of winning the box of chocolates as mine was only the second entry.
I think smug would accurately sum up how I was feeling as we wandered around the fair - and then it was time to announce the winner. I edged towards the front ready to collect the prize.... and then she announced the winner - the other entrant!! I went very red and scuttled away, but I did hear a lot of sniggers coming from the direction of my family!! Never again!!
However the following day I came in from work to find a message on the answerphone, my hopes were raised when she said she was from the school and it was concerning the mince pie competition (obviously there had been a mistake and I had won). My hopes were dashed for a second time when she asked if I wanted my plate back!! Oh the shame!

But back to this year and we have not decorated the house yet - it's banned until the builder's birthday (December 1st), the shopping isn't done, we still have no idea what to buy the children! The cards aren't written because I'm sure there's still plenty of time......

I haven't baked a Christmas cake or made any chutney which I usually do (no one in this house likes either but I always feel I should make it). So really we are far from ready - I thought I'd Christmas shop today, but here I am catching up on blogs!

Anyway Little Miss has decorated the fireplace so if nothing else gets done we are still a little festive

 It's not entirely to my taste, painted jam jar on the right, cornet of fudge on the left, well I say cornet of fudge, more accurately cornet-which-used-to-contain-fudge! I ate it in the car on the way home from the fair- I LOVE fudge!

 

But at least someone has made a start!