Christmas Shopping on a Shoestring

September 27, 2014fran

Shopping for Christmas in the January sales can be a great way to save money, but getting organised twelve months in advance is a big ask! For those of you who aren’t quite there yet, here are a few tips to get you through the silly season without breaking the bank. Read more →

Christmas in the Community

November 27, 2013fran

Strawberries and Ice Cream

Christmas isn’t all about commercialism. That may seem like lip service, coming from a business basing itself on the holiday season, but to us, Christmas is about thoughtfulness and love. Christmas is about sharing laughs, creating memories with family and friends, and remembering those who cannot be there because of distance or death. It is about helping those who are less fortunate, be it through giving a $10 note to the busker who entertained you on your walk to work all year, giving gifts to the City Mission to distribute to children, helping out in a soup kitchen, or inviting a lonely neighbour over to share a meal.

DIY wreaths

November 17, 2013November 17, 2013fran

It’s 9.10 on Saturday night and we’ve reached that point where we are so tired, everything is hilarious. Possibly not the best time to try writing a blog, definitely not the best time to try and make Christmas wreaths, but we did both anyway. The results on the wreaths have been surprisingly attractive.

Home Baked Christmas Gift

November 8, 2013fran

As we all know, Christmas can be a very expensive time of year. Each year we come up with an idea for gifts that are thoughtful and come from the heart but don’t cost the earth. Last year we made Candy Cane White Chocolates. This year, we thought we would give homemade Chocolate Chip Meringues a go. The test batch is in the oven as we write, they take an hour of cooking and 2 hours of drying out in the oven so here’s hoping they are delicious. Also, a meringue is fat free (if it didn’t have chocolate chips in it)… but who counts calories at Christmas.

Here is the recipe we used:

Christmas Traditions Around The World

October 26, 2013November 1, 2013fran

Christmas Traditions from 10 (randomly selected) Countries around the World

Antarctica (yes we know, not actually a country)

Christmas in Antarctica is during the austral summer so for three months they are in continuous daylight. There is no day-off in Antarctica, however, there is a festive meal and usually a big party in the evening. It has been said that Christmas in McMurdo Station is more peaceful than anywhere else due to the complete absence of commercialism, the isolation, and the simple beauty of a truly white Christmas.

Read more →

Portal – Fran’s tree last year

October 13, 2013November 1, 2013fran

In our household, Christmas has always been my domain. My husband humours me, letting me go nuts with decorating, and sometimes even chips in half for a new set of decorations or tree. He will tell me when he doesn’t like my ideas – usually if they involve excessive amounts of pink or gold – but all-in-all he’s very tolerant of my Christmas obsession.

Candy Lane – Julia’s tree last year

October 13, 2013November 1, 2013fran

Last Christmas marked the first year of my plan to have a different themed Christmas tree every year. At the beginning of December 2012 I was heavily pregnant with my first child. Having gone on maternity leave a month earlier, I used my free time to design and make some of the decorations for my tree. The original theme was “Baby’s First Christmas”, however, with my baby being a boy, and my obsession with pink, the tree morphed into a more gender-neutral “Candy Lane” tree.