Advent Calendar Day 23

The pocket for Day 23 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained a scandinavian folded fabric star I had made. The picture on the pocket is a Christmas tree with stars.

Day 23 pocket

I used a YouTube video to show me how to make the star from four strips of fabric, folded (no seams).

Folded Scandinavian star decoration made of fabric

One side of the folded fabric star

The other side of the folded fabric star

The Scandinavian fabric star on her Christmas tree

She was intrigued by the star and kept saying 'how' (meaning how had I made it) before putting it on her tree.

Advent Calendar Day 22

The pocket for Day 22 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained a wooden reindeer which I had bought at the York Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop when visiting there with my daughter at the end of September. She had liked it at the time, so when she wasn't looking it went in my shopping basket. 

Day 22 pocket

Furry side of the wooden reindeer

Back of the wooden reindeer

When she unwrapped it she couldn't stop stroking it as the furry side of the reindeer is very soft.

The reindeer on the tree

Advent Calendar Day 21

The pocket for Day 21 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained a cherubic angel playing the violin, so the pocket picture didn't really give a clue about its contents as it showed a Nutcracker. The decoration came from our family Christmas tree and as we had two of the heavenly violinist, and both daughters are string players, it made sense for this angel to fly to a new Christmas tree to be with our elder daughter.

Day 21 pocket

The cherubic violin playing angel decoration

She instantly recognised the decoration as soon as she unwrapped it and went to find a place for it on the tree.

The cherubic violin angel on the tree

Advent Calendar Day 20

The pocket for Day 20 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained a miniature shweshwe fabric Christmas tree. The picture on the front, of mistletoe, was a sort of clue to its contents as mistletoe is found in trees.

Day 20 pocket

I used a left over piece of two shweshwe fabrics which were already sewn together from making a red and green Sasha doll dress in 2019 for Theresa. I cut the left over strip in half and stitched it together to make four parallel bands then cut two triangles for the tree shape so the bands came out on the diagonal - a nod to tinsel or lights wrapped around some trees. Once it was stuffed and the trunk added, I stitched on some glass beads for baubles and stars at either side of the top.

Shweshwe Christmas tree shaped decoration

One side of the Shweshwe Christmas tree

The other side of the Shweshwe Christmas tree

She was very pleased with the miniature tree, to complement the little elephant from day 18, and it soon found a place to hang on the full sized Christmas tree.

The Shweshwe fabric Christmas tree decoration hanging
with three of the other decorations on the real tree

Advent Calendar Day 19

The pocket for Day 19 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained another reference to her musical occupation, well at least in my view it did! The picture is a robin, which sings, and the gift inside was another cross stitch picture made by her sister. I saw them as mice carol singing, she saw them as mice carrying gifts.

Day 19 pocket

The mice cross stitch and 'oh bring us a figgy pudding'

Front view of the mice asking / singing for figgy pudding!

Back of the mice Christmas decoration - starry fabric and figgy puddings

She had always wondered about figgy pudding and whether it was another name for Christmas pudding (which she likes). I had made a Christmas cake and a Christmas pudding which we posted to her along with her gifts and some lights for her Christmas tree.

Day 19 was also the day we decorated our Christmas trees so the pockets of the Advent calendar, which had been holding the unwrapped items until the tree was ready, started to be emptied. Two days earlier she and her landlady went out to a Christmas tree farm and bought a beautiful Nordman fir tree. 

The Advent Calendar just before her tree decoration activities began

Day 19 cross stitch hanging on the tree, with a Day 6 snowflake and Day 2 star in the background

She has sent me photos of the tree as she gradually added the decorations from her Advent Calendar and her landlady added the collection of decorations her family have used over the years. 

At home, for the first time our younger daughter had the job of putting the lights on our tree, a role her elder sister has usually done in recent years when at home, otherwise I have done the lights.

Advent Calendar Day 18

The pocket for Day 18 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained a fabric animal. Although the pocket picture was a polar bear in a Christmas outfit, I wrote on the note inside the wrapping "Why have a polar bear when you can have an elephant", a comment which made her laugh.

Day 18 pocket

The little elephant was made with two different small print shweshwe fabrics, its ears were sewn right side out with an overlock stitch edging, which gives it a rustic appearance. Its tail is gold thread - a nod to Christmas.

Shweshwe elephant Christmas decoration

Shweshwe elephant close up

Shweshwe elephant with a sparse gold thread tail

She was highly amused by his tail and loved his curled trunk.

Advent Calendar Day 17

The pocket for Day 17 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained another cross stitch item stitched by her younger sister and assembled by me. The picture on the pocket was connected to the contents by its shape and a joke as it is a round figgy pudding and the cross stitch picture was a very round Father Christmas who had been indulging in too much figgy pudding after all that sleigh riding! 

Day 17 pocket

Father Christmas cross stitch decoration
with ribbon trim depicting his Christmas eve travels

Front of the Father Christmas cross stitch decoration

Back of the Father Christmas cross stitch decoration

My elder daughter laughed a lot when she saw the decoration - I think Father Christmas's sticking out hands made her giggle the most.

Advent Calendar Day 16

The pocket for Day 15 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained another hand made item. This time, inspired by the pocket picture, I made an Advent wreath out of contrasting Christmas fabric, stuffed with pipe cleaners.

Day 16 pocket

Miniature Advent wreath of contrasting fabrics and ribbon

Miniature Advent wreath decoration

My daughter was very pleased with this decoration and liked the idea of using the pipe cleaners for stuffing (quicker than attempting to stuff the thin tubes with anything else).

Advent Calendar Day 15

The pocket for Day 15 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained the return to hand made gifts and a very special item. 

She is a singer and has sung in choirs since the age of 8, now singing in York Minster choir as a choral scholar. Her late uncle, my red-haired brother, was a head chorister as a child in St George's Cathedral Cape Town, where I grew up, and the 15 December this year was both the second anniversary of his death from cancer and our 30th wedding anniversary (our wedding was in the Cathedral, my brother took my late rather's role for me at the wedding). So the gift had to reflect all those family connections and of course her vibrant long auburn hair. 

The pocket picture gave no clue about its musical contents as it was a pile of presents.

Day 15 pocket

I knitted a miniature chorister/choral scholar Christmas decoration for her. The pattern was from a book of knitting patterns ('We knit you a merry Christmas', Debbie Harrold, ISBN 978-1-90844-921-4, pages 16-17), but I scaled it down by knitting on finer needles with 2 ply wool than the double knit recommended in the pattern. 

Knitted choral scholar Christmas decoration

Knitted choral scholar smiling as she sings

Side view of the knitted choral scholar

Side view of the knitted choral scholar

Back view of the knitted choral scholar

She was overwhelmed by the little character and was struck dumb for a short while as she examined her carefully and took in the personal significance. I am glad she was able to sing Evensong in the Minster today, where she lit a candle for her uncle.

Advent Calendar Day 14

The pocket for Day 14 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar was the first of the gifts which was too large for the pocket, so there was a card with the number on it in the pocket and she had the numbered packages nearby. The gift was the first one I actually bought for the Advent calendar, rather than hand made or from the family Christmas tree, it came from Hobbycraft. I had hoped that it would arrive flat packed for assembly but it was glued together too well to unglue it, so was too bulky for the Advent calendar pocket. It was a little wooden laser cut house with a light to illuminate the windows and reminded me of some of the intricate laser cut scenes in the York Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop.

Day 14 pocket

front view of miniature laser cut house

Back view of miniature laser cut house

Miniature laser cut house

Miniature laser cut house

She was intrigued by it, then spotted the light switch, pulled away the battery strip and switched it on and exclaimed at how pretty it looked when lit up.

Advent Calendar Day 13

The pocket for Day 13 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained three Christmas cracker decorations we used to have on our family Christmas tree: Penguin, Santa and Snowman. The pocket featured an Elf costume, not much of a clue about the contents.

Day 13 pocket

Quirky penguin

Jaunty Santa

Smiling snowman

My daughter recognised the cheerful decorations immediately and laughed once again at their flexible legs or arms.

Advent Calendar Day 10

The pocket for Day 10 of my elder daughter's Advent Calendar contained lots of love. The pocket didn't give a clue, though my daughter likes candles and was lighting her Advent candle before taking the gift out of the pocket.

Day 10 pocket

Fabric heart decoration (one side)

Fabric heart decoration (other side)

Fabric heart decoration, hand made by me

She was delighted with the heart and noted the little metal label 'made with love' hanging at the bottom of the heart. It came with added significance, because York Minster where she is currently a choral scholar, has a famous window called the Heart of Yorkshire window and she sees it from her singing position in the nave. About 30 years ago her father and I visited York Minster and stood in the nave, we will have seen that window but could never have dreamed that one day our then future elder daughter would be singing her heart out in the choir there for Advent and Christmas. Our Advent window at home is currently decorated with our version of that famous window.

Our Advent Calendar window
featuring the Heart of Yorkshire window,
representing our elder daughter at home and in York.