Zoebird
6-24-11, 3:58am
We are celebrating the winter solstice this weekend!
it occurred to us that we finally "feel" the seasons here (1.5 years in), and DH and I both started humming christmas carols about 10 days ago! Then, i started collecting pine boughs and pine cones in our neighborhood. And then, it occurred to me to make a christmas dinner!
Crazy, because I haven't actually celebrated holidays of my own accord in a b-zillion years. even though i wanted to because of the kid. it always felt like a massive effort.
But not this year!
So, this is our solstice weekend:
Friday -- family celebration at home;
Saturday -- party at a friend's (Swedish Jul)
Sunday -- friend's 3 yr old birthday party (not really solstice related, but still). :)
Today, DH went to the fair trade shop and picked up the wooden toy that we wanted to get DS -- a helicopter.
Hawk and I went for a hike and got pine cones and pine boughs to finish our decorations, and then went to the shops to get our feast!
I made kumara-leek-spinach soup, lamb roast with brussels sprouts, and orange cake.
so anyway, we got the ingredients and then went to a little shop that has locally made baskets and grabbed a couple of tote-like ones for gifts for our friends. then we came home and prepped up dinner (cut things for soup, and prepped sprouts, put roast in to roast), then DS and I put together our decorations. We made 3 simple sprays of pine boughs with some flowers that we found as well, plus a pine cone or two at the top.
We then went out again to gather the gifts for our friends. Hawk has a little friend at the Jul party (her mom is hosting). The little girl is hawk's best friend (or girlfriend). :) They are funny together. Hawk found a big paua shell and a rock and piece of drift wood for his friend.
His friend's birthday on Sunday -- he got two shells, a spiral and a paua, and then a small rock.
These go in those little baskets, which we put under one of the pine bough sprays.
When DH got home, he put DS's gift under the spray, and then we had our feast and DS opened his present. Then we played some great christmas music that we have, and now DH is reading the winter bedtime stories and soon it's time for yums. :)
it occurred to us that we finally "feel" the seasons here (1.5 years in), and DH and I both started humming christmas carols about 10 days ago! Then, i started collecting pine boughs and pine cones in our neighborhood. And then, it occurred to me to make a christmas dinner!
Crazy, because I haven't actually celebrated holidays of my own accord in a b-zillion years. even though i wanted to because of the kid. it always felt like a massive effort.
But not this year!
So, this is our solstice weekend:
Friday -- family celebration at home;
Saturday -- party at a friend's (Swedish Jul)
Sunday -- friend's 3 yr old birthday party (not really solstice related, but still). :)
Today, DH went to the fair trade shop and picked up the wooden toy that we wanted to get DS -- a helicopter.
Hawk and I went for a hike and got pine cones and pine boughs to finish our decorations, and then went to the shops to get our feast!
I made kumara-leek-spinach soup, lamb roast with brussels sprouts, and orange cake.
so anyway, we got the ingredients and then went to a little shop that has locally made baskets and grabbed a couple of tote-like ones for gifts for our friends. then we came home and prepped up dinner (cut things for soup, and prepped sprouts, put roast in to roast), then DS and I put together our decorations. We made 3 simple sprays of pine boughs with some flowers that we found as well, plus a pine cone or two at the top.
We then went out again to gather the gifts for our friends. Hawk has a little friend at the Jul party (her mom is hosting). The little girl is hawk's best friend (or girlfriend). :) They are funny together. Hawk found a big paua shell and a rock and piece of drift wood for his friend.
His friend's birthday on Sunday -- he got two shells, a spiral and a paua, and then a small rock.
These go in those little baskets, which we put under one of the pine bough sprays.
When DH got home, he put DS's gift under the spray, and then we had our feast and DS opened his present. Then we played some great christmas music that we have, and now DH is reading the winter bedtime stories and soon it's time for yums. :)