Wow, it is just a few days to Christmas, where has this year gone? December comes in with such anticipation, and then I run out of time. Thankfully, the decorating is much simpler now, with carloads going to the thrift store and not having every horizontal surface in the house covered in Christmas. I finished all my shopping last week with a frantic day of figuring out a different gift for My Sweet Babboo when the one I ordered looked like it wasn’t ever going to come. The company won’t answer emails, or respond to contact forms, and their phone system just says the mailbox is full and hangs up. So, I gave up and went another route. Luckily I did find what I wanted, so that is done. Packages are tucked under the tree with Christmas lights glowing in the evenings. Santa already left a few things for me, too.
If you need some quick and fun wrapping ideas, see my post on Making Packages Bright.
I have my prime rib in the freezer and will get it out today to slowly defrost in the refrigerator. Then on Christmas day, I’ll slowly roast it at 300º for 20 minutes per pound. Yum, can’t wait!!
Christmas dinner calls for the good china. Although I am not doing a tablescape this year, you might enjoy this one from a previous Christmas. This is Lenox Holiday Tartan china with the dinner plates on green chargers, topped with the rimmed soup bowls. On the side are the fruit bowls on top of bread plates, with a coffee cup on the right. The good silverware and individual salt and pepper shakers complete the settings. The centerpiece is a gold sleigh filled with greenery and gold ornament balls. The little church is part of a set of tiny birdhouse ornaments.
I did manage to get a batch of Egg Nog cookies baked and decorated for our pickleball group. Those guys love treats and there are more men there than women. I bake these in bell shapes, and sprinkle with gold sparkle sugar crystals for decoration. I took all these to the athletic center yesterday, and they ate them up. Only two were left to come back home. I did save a few out for My Sweet Babboo, so he has his share.
I still don’t have this Safelight quilt done. There just has been precious little time to sew. Progress has been made, though, and the bottom is in sight now. I hope to finish it off this week, or maybe next week.
But the good news is that a friend came over with some donated batting and we went through the bins to see if there were any pieces big enough for Safelight or Quilts of Valor. The ones that were not but were still big enough for children’s quilts we took to the Project Linus group. I added some of my own smaller batting pieces to that donation to free up a bit more space. I also took the little quilt I made with the nine-inch blocks as I haven’t donated to Project Linus in a while. We dropped off the rest of the little scraps to a cotton recycler.
I’m working my way through my Christmas movies in a hurry this week, as I haven’t watched much this year so far. I watched The Christmas Card on Sunday morning, and fit in Recipe for a Perfect Christmas and Borrowed Hearts while baking and cleaning. But I still have some holiday favorites left to see. We love A Christmas Carol with George C Scott, and have to see White Christmas on Christmas eve. There is so much football on this week, it is hard to get in a movie as there are Monday and Tuesday games postponed from the weekend. I am looking forward to the Fox documentary on John Madden that will be shown on Christmas day. So I will have to find time to fit in the rest, like The Holiday and Love Actually, two more recent favorites. Perhaps some will be on the schedule for Christmas day.
What is on your last minute list this week?
From My Carolina Home 
Hi Carole and Merry Christmas celebrations!
I enjoy your descriptions of your place settings and tablescapes.
Your decorations sound like mine this year…less but still pretty.
What does a cotton recycler do? Also, how small are your pieces?
How nice to have a cotton recycled nearby! As the end of the year gets closer it does seem to go by even faster. All that’s left to do here is hanging the stockings, planning on that today.
What is a cotton recycler? Do they take both batting scraps and fabric scraps?
Yes, we take over plastic bags full of snips and irregular bits of fabric and batting, leftover pieces we don’t want and ugly stuff we won’t use. The recycler takes them and shreds them for use in other industrial products like car seats.
I love your china and decorations. I think I told you already, but since I am living alone, decorating and then taking it all down is very depressing to me, so I don’t do it. And I love the Safelight quilt and the small one done in flowered prints. Such a great pattern! So Merry Christmas to you and your Sweet Babboo. Can we do a Sit and Sew sometime next year? We can chip in for the Zoom.
Stay safe,
Mary Ed
Everything looks beautiful, just the thought of prime rib has my mouth watering wish I was there. I’m off to Maryland to spend the holiday and my 80th birthday with my family. I wish you and yours peace and love as well all of your readers. Hope 2022 brings us all the best.
you know I have not watched a Christmas movie this whole season- where has the time gone the days are flying by.
A couple of my favorite Christmas movies are “Last Holiday” and “Trapped in Paradise”
I haven’t watched any Christmas movies yet, but wouldn’t mind one or two. I’ll have to look for some of your favorites and see if they’re available on any of our streaming services. Not much left to do here except to make Christmas dinner and spend some time with my mom. Mike already has his Christmas present – he ordered it himself, lol! Merry Christmas, Carole!
I am feeling for Mary Ed in her above comment. 😦 I tend to take things too much for granted and forget that there are those who are alone during holidays. I hope she has a blessed Christmas.
I had not heard of a cotton recycler, how interesting.
I love your table, even if it’s from another year! That Tartan china is gorgeous. Prime rib sounds delicious. We are having snacky things and sugar cookies for our daughter and our two little grands coming on Christmas Eve morning, then we will likely have leftovers for Christmas, since it will just be the two of us. Although we would welcome family time, we are looking forward to the quiet. 😉
Have a Merry Christmas Carole!
Where is the cotton recycling center? I would love to recycle my fabric scraps
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
Your decorations are very pretty, your quilts very special. You’ve been very busy, cleaning out and donating. Well done. Merry Christmas and Happy HOlidays to you and yours.
LOVE your china. We will get out our family china as well to set a nice table, but it’s not particularly Christmasy looking.
lovely dvd collection….my 2 absolute faves are ‘white christmas’ and ‘christmas in connecticut’….i have some lenox ‘holiday’ pieces but i confess i like the tartan better…merry christmas!
Your Christmas plans are well in hand, not long now! We are driving up with our caravan to spend several days with my daughter and her family, then carrying on for another weeks holiday, should be fun. Merry Christmas.
Hi Carole! My sewing projects are finished, all presents are wrapped, house is clean and cookies are baked. Now, I wait for two different days of Faith, Family and Fun, one with my family and one with my husband Denis’ family. I take inspiration from your table settings. I am hosting Christmas Eve this year with a breakfast and I plan to set the table with my Pfalzgraff Winterberry china, fancy flatware and fun glassware. I love your ideas and plan to use several of them, if you don’t mind. So now I find myself at loose ends, all finished two days ahead. I do hand sewing at night, mostly felt stockings and décor, so I am now starting on next year’s batch of projects. As we all know, time goes by very quickly, so it’s good to start early. I always tell people that I begin planning for next year’s Christmas on Dec. 26! Merry Christmas to you and your Sweet Babboo!
P.S, I love NFL games too, and have also begun to watch college football, mostly Big Ten and SEC.
P.P.S. I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop during Autumn Jubilee. I have since spent it and more collecting fabrics for a winter wall quilt I will begin just after the holidays. Thank you again!!
Sounds awesome!! Of course I don’t mind!!! That is why I post so readers can copy to their heart’s content, be inspired to do their own thing, or make what I make. Enjoy!!
Merry Christmas!!
Everything is so lovely. Wrapping still! Merry Christmas and A Happy,Healthy 2022
Marion
I just have to remember to breath! Plans have changed so many times, My boys, age 6 and 8 got an early gift of a train, and now want the houses and people and you get the picture. So doing a little scurrying. I put a few things on Amazon and the total was extraordinary! Then back to the quilting for the 3 babies due in January! I can’t wait to be snowed in! LOL Happy Holidays to you and yours and thank you for all the great movie tips!
Not much “last minute” things to do as we are eyeball-deep into festivities here. My daughter & 2 kitties from Virginia are already here until the 30th and my brother & wife from Archdale NC and their Wilmington NC daughter and Raleigh NC daughter and their son from Colorado Springs CO arrived here yesterday. They’ll be with us until after Christmas brunch. Maybe we can catch a movie or two after the NC-connection vamoose! Ha! Merry Christmas to you & your Sweet Babboo!
Merry Merry Christmas Carole!
I’m like you — running out of time! My last to-do — a little baking and then delivering cookie plates. Wrapping is done (I think! — at least till we do Christmas with the kids!) I love all those movies in your stack and hope to catch a couple too! Merriest, my friend!
Carole, Wishing you and your family “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year”. 🎄🎉
Your posts are very inspirational. I look forward to making more quilts in 2022 for my QOV group, Old Glory Quilters, based in Rock Hill, SC and other personal projects.
Enjoy the holidays.
Marie