Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like

Trying to upload my parents photo - couldn't see it... agh. I'm so unskilled with these things at times. And my links weren't links - maybe when I grow up, I'll be clever... or maybe a kind friend will rescue me from my ignorant misery.

I used to dread Christmas. My children have turned all that around so now I have to admit I love this time of year. It's a time for:
• Colour wherever you look. If it shines, sparkles reflects a rainbow of colour, it’s acceptable at this time of year.
This was perhaps what might have entertained the mind of whoever designed the gelato look
for Parliament House during the Commonwealth Games.
• Balancing all that with simplicity and tradition.
• Questioning your faith or more precisely your commitment to it and what that means.
• Doing the annual catch up with family, friends, and acquaintances (some who you adore, some not so much).
• Getting soppy about things.
• Counting your blessings. Having Dad around still is one of the big ones for me this year. And there are so many others.
• The commitment caring about someone else - to make a positive difference in someone’s life. Not just to be charitable but to surprise a stranger with kindness and maybe restore some faith that the forces of ‘good’ rule.
• Being surprised by the kindness strangers.
• Shopping for a huge variety of food ranging from nutritionally necessary to wrapped in pretty packaging which will be so much nicer than the handkerchiefs we gave her last year.
• Singing at the top of your voice without having the expectation that someone will be arriving soon to lock you up and Advent calendars in all forms, the artistic, the beautiful and the Australian Idol one at every supermarket at the minute. There’s a lovely little advent calendar here.
• Presents, gift wrap, cards that say less than a letter but more than a text message.
• Writing everything in list form.

It's also a time for getting out and about. Here is something made specifically for the attention span of a blogger. Looks like fun. I’ve always fancied myself as a script writer so I could also justify it as a learning experience. Then again, it might just be fun.

Mip has been showing me how to live in the moment. We went to a Christening this week which I loved for its simplicity. My daughter has a fascination for anything religious so while the Pastor was praying, my little girl was right in there, hands clasped together, solemn bowed head, beautiful. Then, she looks up at me and her expression says, ‘this is bigger than us’. She melts me.

Yesterday, like a cat when you’re reading something interesting, she snuggles up between me and my newspaper. I’m about to get really annoyed except that she says, ‘this is the best cuddle I’ve had in all my life.’ So I figure the newspaper can wait.

Thank you Chai for your technical direction. I feel much cleverer (er) now.