{ Simple homemaking day and getting ready for Christmas }

As I've gotten older, it seems that the Christmas spirit has been diminishing.

I recall in my younger years, where I anticipated the season and loved every single minute of it.  The tree, the decorations, buying the gifts, wrapping, cooking and baking.

While I still enjoy all that, it just takes me so much longer to get into the spirit, and as we linger a day just before Christmas Eve, I find myself quite apathetic to it.  And I wish I wasn't!!!

I am hoping that by tomorrow, I can really start feeling the Christmas spirit and indulge in it all before the season passes us by.  Let's hope.

I've been busy getting the preparations ready though, just because I may not feel particularly festive, it doesn't mean that everything has to be put on hold.  We've also had some really cold days, fog and rain, which as found me enjoying hot breakfasts, like Weetabix, Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat and so on.



Last weekend we got all the presents bought, I think I already mentioned it on my previous post.  See, this is what happens when I'm not blogging daily, I think I've mentioned something and I haven't, or I think I haven't mentioned something and I end up repeating myself.  Ha!

The presents have all now been wrapped and are placed under the tree.  I find it funny though that no matter how old the kids are, they still walk by, grab one, shake it and try to figure out what it is.

The mailman, FedEx and UPS have been dropping by every single day, package after package being delivered.  Some presents, some review items, like the ones above.  I was sent two beautiful silk plants to review, don't they look real?  I'm so pleased with them and can't wait to tell you all about it.

I've steadily been baking the Christmas Eve goodies, like these little Christmas trees.  They were supposed to be one of my favorite Portuguese cakes from my childhood, but everything went wrong.

The inside cake is perfect, the outside however, is not what they were supposed to look like.  They should have a shiny milk chocolate coating, but for some reason, I burned the chocolate, and then ran out of milk chocolate, so had to use what was on hand which were Sea Salt Caramel chocolate chips.

Because it's been so cold here, as I was putting the chocolate on, they were hardening right away.  I was so frustrated and considered just scrapping the whole thing but then I thought that wouldn't be very frugal of me, would it?

I decided to just go with it and improvise, so I made them into little trees, dusted powdered sugar to act as snow and popped a cherry on the top.  Done, finished, and they do taste very good!!!

The spare moments that I have throughout the day, find me working on my Liliana blanket and sipping on flavored Lattes.  Every year, around Winter, I pull out my Latte machine and we enjoy lattes, hot chocolates and teas.  The kids enjoy it just as much as I do.

So, it's Saturday, and I'm making last minute preparations for family to be over.  As always, Christmas Eve is our big celebration, a table filled with all types of finger foods and chatting, laughing and visiting until midnight, when we open the presents.

On the table this year we will have:

Tuna Rissoles
Bola de Carne (Ham and Chourico Bread)
Fried Chicken Drummettes and Garlicky Pork bites
Sausage Rolls
Vetkoek with Mince (South African Fried bread filled with ground beef)
Plain Vetkoek (to eat plain or with jam)
Milktart

Rabanadas (Portuguese French Toast)
Tiramisu
Chocolate Trees
Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake

Christmas Day will be a traditional dinner with Brown Sugar Ham, Mashed Potatoes and a vegetable side dish.  Some of the family will be bringing a few different appetizers.

I think the thing I'm most excited about though, is the fact that my husband has the whole of next week off.  I can't wait to have him home that long and spend some good quality time together.  For now, I'm off to find my Christmas spirit, hopefully it's just hiding around the house somewhere :)