Friday, December 10, 2010

Favourite Things Friday: Christmas Edition, Part I

Christmas! The very word brings joy to our hearts. No matter how we may dread the rush, the long Christmas lists for gifts and cards to be bought and given — when Christmas Day comes there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes. –Joan Winmill Brown

Christmas is an amalgamation of so many of my favorite things. So Favourite Things Friday this week and next will be a few of the things I love about and at Christmas time.

Christmas Music
Music is a favorite of mine year round, and I love that Christmas comes with its own special collection just for the season. But since you can only listen to Winter Wonderland and Silent Night so many times without going round the bend, I do have a strict policy that the Christmas music doesn't start playing until the day after Thanksgiving and ends at bedtime on December 26th. Playlist didn't have everything I wanted to share {Merry Christmas From the Family is a lot cuter when the Dixie Chicks sing it}, but this is still a pretty great compliation {Twisted Sister singing Silver Bells is priceless}.

Standalone player

Christmas Sewing
Christmas is a really great season to sew all kinds of things, whether you'll keep them or give them away. And I love sewing in either of those categories. Under that heading, these are our Christmas stockings. My mom and I {kind of} did this project together. We each bought a pattern, which included two stocking designs, and we bought our fabric together. Then we cut everything out together, but we each worked on getting them put together separately. The stockings and cuffs are made of flannel and the black background and appliqué pieces are wool felt. I added 1 strand of gold blending filament to the floss for the blanket stitch and the embroidery. I wanted to personlize our stockings so I put our names on them instead of the little Christmas phrase that came with the pattern. The patterns came from American Quilting and were designed by shop owner Amy McClellan. I had a quick look at their on-line patterns but didn't see these. I'll bet if you called or e-mailed, though, and asked for the Under the Garden Moon Christmas Stocking Patterns, they'd fix you right up.

Christmas Dishes
Since inheriting my Grandma's china this spring, eating off fancy dishes on Sundays has become a favorite thing at Bug Cottage. We've decided to step it up a bit for the month of December and eat off the Christmas China all month long.

The thing I love most about this Christmas china was the price. The set included 8 each: dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, cups, saucers, salad forks, dinner forks, teaspoons, tablespoons, butter knives and glass tumblers and the hostess set with an oval serving platter, large serving bowl, gravy boat, salt and pepper shakers, large slotted serving spoon, large serving spoon, gravy spoon, meat fork and pie server all for $50. Seriously. I bought one set, got home and decided that it would be totally worth it to get another set at that price. When I went back they were gone, so I checked another store and when they were out, I called my mom and had her check near her, also without luck. The Little Bugs think it is so cool to eat cold cereal out of Christmas china dishes.

Christmas Specials
I love watching Christmas movies, even if they are cheesy made-for-TV specials. I scan the listings for old favorites and watch for new ones. And there is one special this year that I'm particularly looking forward to. It involves a certain Doctor, who I may have mentioned I have a little crush on. Or maybe I left the crush part out and just mentioned Dr. Who. In any case, Christmas means two whole hours of The Doctor. Matt Smith does a decent job as the 11th Doctor. But I really think that it is his companion, Amy Pond {played by Karen Gillian} who makes him work as The Doctor. After watching them for a season, I'm really looking forward to this year's Christmas special. It promises to be an amazing trek across the universe with special guest Michael Gambon {who looks different without the long white beard and half-moon spectacles} in a time traveling version of A Christmas Carol. The best thing of all is that this year, BBC America will be airing the Christmas special on Christmas Day. I've got my DVR all set. And I'm super happy that last year for Christmas, Mr. Bug upped our Dish package for me so I'd have BBC America and be able to watch Dr. Who. It is the gift that keeps on giving.


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7 comments:

Michelle said...

Now that's really getting into the spirit of things! Your Christmas stockings are too cute, and I love the Christmas china. Can't believe you got it all for $50!

I'm going to listen to your playlist soon. Right now, I'm listening to BB King and Eric Clapton on Riding with the King. :-) No Christmas music, but some darn good blues.

Paulette said...

I'm enjoying the BNL singing "God Rest Ye..." as I type this. Nice! I hadn't heard it before. (Did they do a whole Christmas CD? Must Google...)

Those stockings are adorable! And I love your Christmas dishes. Good for you for using them all season, not just one day!

Larri said...

Excellent favorite! :o) I have two sets of that same Christmas China! LOL I usually pull it out right after Thanksgiving, and we use it all month too. My favorite Christmas CD is Christmas at Carnegie Hall. I simply love Christmas music. It always puts my heart into the spirit of the season. Thanks for sharing a fabulous Favourite! Happy FTF! :o)

Shevvy said...

I'm still not 100% sure about this doctor. I loved Chris Ecclestone and was really upset he left but David Tennant grew on me really quickly. This one I don't feel as much, but the Christmas Special is the highlight of Christmas Day now. The best one was when the Christmas Tree attacked in Roses house!

Shay said...

Im on Christmas overload with this post.

It's all so festive I can hardly stand it. The stockings are just too sweet for words.And that china! I think you posted it just to tantalise me ..

I cant listen to your music playlists when you post them because the internet gods recognise I have an aussie ISP and to share music in that way breaches licesing restrictions or something stupid. So Ive been humming Silent Night while Ive been reading this post.

Marg said...

Unfortunately I can't play your playlist either, breeching copyright, yeah hmmmm. Not fair! I'm not musical enough to hum Silent Night or anything else for that matter, so I'll just imagine the music playing.
The Christmas stockings are so very cute, such lovely details on all of them. That's a great set of china too, very pretty and I can't believe you got it for that price either, wow, excellent.

Jennifer Lovell said...

I love everything about Christmas. I (Uh oh, I just thought about one thing I don't love--having new stuff out that Tootie can destroy). I do love all of your favorites, too, and now really wish we had some pretty Christmas dishes like yours! Our Christmas movie collection may even be bigger than our chick flick collection. I have my favorite Christmas desserts and treats too--it's a good think I'm not more of a baker so it keeps me in check! Your stockings are so pretty. I would love to have such a pattern decorating my home, and definitely would have them out all month instead of bringing them out just on Christmas morning :). I bet you've got some other awesome Christmas decorations up your sleeve, too...how about posting a picture of your tree?