Christmas Eve 2014

I can't believe that it's Christmas Eve again.  Christmas seems to creep up just a little faster every year.  Despite that,  I have all the presents wrapped and under the tree. I think this may be the first time ever.  Usually I'm  wrapping presents after the late Christmas Eve service.  Last year I was still making Christmas presents and arranging IOU's for some people whose gifts weren't finished until after Christmas.

Maybe part of the reason I'm ahead this year is that I took part in three Christmas craft fairs starting in early November.  I had to have things finished in order to sell.  The craft fairs were fun, largely because of the other vendors I met.  I had a great conversation with one guy who is a student and makes a bit of extra money turning pens all year and selling them during the Christmas season. He says he doesn't make enough to offset his school fees but at least it offsets the amount he spends on materials and pen-making supplies.

I understand exactly what he means. I'm extremely grateful that I don't have to pay the electric bill with the proceeds from my woodworking.  The fairs were still worth it for two reasons: I did make a bit of money to offset production costs and I was able to move some of what I made out of the house. If you do any kind of craft there comes a point when you need an outlet otherwise the work just piles up around your ears. Some of the things I thought would sell well didn't and some of the things I wasn't sure about sold out. Perhaps with experience I will get better at discerning which is which. In the meantime, the things that didn't sell will give me a start on stock for next year.

Most of my sales were to friends and some people bought things out of the blue. One woman contacted me through my website saying she was unable to get to one of the fairs and wondered if I had any ornaments left.  I did and, as I was out and about the next day anyway, I delivered them to her at work.  She told me she would be sending them to family in Nova Scotia. I'm delighted that some of my work will be making the trip part way across Canada.

Some people want cooking spoons made from our green ash tree that was cut down in early November.  They are willing to wait until after Christmas for their orders and I'll be starting on those once the turkey soup is made and the wrapping paper tidied up.  I've been out of the shop for several days now and I miss it.  It will be no hardship to get started on the next batch of projects,  some for others and for us.

The lead-up to Christmas has been a great deal of fun.  We've had time to visit with friends and attend parties for the various musical groups we belong to. For the first time we shared a Chanukah dinner with friends and it is one of the highlights of this season.  Christmas Day will be quiet and relaxed. Richard's brother is with us tonight and Richard's dad will join the three of us for dinner tomorrow. We're cooking a turkey roll rather than a whole bird but there should still be enough left over to make soup on Boxing Day. That's almost as good as the Christmas dinner.

At this time of year I'm prompted to consider all the people who make our lives so rich.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or the winter solstice, whether your gatherings are with family or friends, whether your celebrations are large and noisy or small and quiet, I wish you much love and laugher.  Thank you for being part of my circle. Good wishes and good times are among the most precious of gifts. All the best tonight, tomorrow and throughout 2015.