Stolen Ideas.

Look at this gorgeous fruit platter!
We had a little party yesterday, a sort of pre Christmas chance to get together with friends & family.

Mr & Mrs Nice Neighbour came over, & Mrs NN had made up this lovely fruit cheese & cracker platter. The lovely little dresser on the plate contains little Pate knives! Isn't it so cute! What a lovely idea to make something festive & appealing.

We all had a great afternoon, with plenty of laughter. Time spent with good friends is so cheering & uplifting.
All in all, it was a lovely afternoon/evening.


Here is Red Square Dance hanging out on the line for the photo. It was a little breezy this morning, so a photo was a hard task.


The sun is shining & it is a very nice non humid day, thus far. It is not tipped to be too hot, so hope it lasts.

I even got most of my Christmas gifts wrapped up yesterday morning too, so that there were no inadvertant peeks to be seen. I am glad that is out of the way.
Now all I have to do, is prepare Sherry Trifle, mix a special Ice Cream I make, & then the remaining food will be prepared on Christmas Eve.
Time to relax.

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I was tagged some time ago, by Anecdotally Yours, for the Deck the Halls meme.

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate. But here it is Summer!...cool white wine.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Presents are always wrapped.

Colored lights on tree or white? When we had a tree, I liked the colours.

When do you put your decorations up? There are decorations?? Er, not very often these days.

What is your favourite holiday dish? Roast Pork & gravy.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Having time to read endlessly, & having cousins & family come to stay.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Walking home from school across farm paddocks, the neighbour kids told me. I can still remember the shock, & how I cried when I got home. I was careful not to cry in front of the neighbour kids, though.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No. I am a 'wait for it', kind of girl!The kids sometimes opened one gift, to stay the excitement.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Always put the children's homemade ornaments on- even when they were adults, & got embarrassed! These days, unless we have Christmas here, I don't bother. It is so liberating!

Snow! Love it or Dread it? I loved it, because we didnt ever have much, & it seemed special, & was soon gone. However, here downunder it was also never at Christmas!!

Can you ice skate? Never tried. Am sure I couldn't!

Do you remember your favorite gift? I presume this means from childhood? Always books.

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family get togethers.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Fresh fruit salad.

What is your favorite tradition? Family gatherings.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? I enjoy both, but I do love to give something, even if it is only an ear to listen.

What is your favorite Christmas Song? Keep them away from me! GGRRRR!

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yuk, but I might have liked them as a child.

Ever recycled a Christmas present? Honestly? Never!


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I stole this from one of the Sunday paper magazines, because it appealed to me.

What would you like for Christmas....

If you were feeling greedy?
A new small car, with a liftup hatch.
If you weren't feeling greedy?
Good health for all my family.
If you were being practical?
Baths & haircuts for the dogs!
If you had to share your present?
A first class trip for two around the world.
If you had a present for one day only, (then had to give it back)?
A chance to give the homeless 2 great meals for Christmas Day, with a bed for the night, in comfort & luxury. Well, one day is 24 hours right?

Try it if you like, I found it quite hard to think of things that were not flippant or ridiculous... after all it is just a fantasy...

I remember a Christmas when a Beatles album would have been treasure!!