Last week I was thinking that Christmas this year is going to be quite different from the usual. An opportunity to do something different, including starting the preparations for it early – and enjoying it longer. Christmas baking, decorating the house with wreaths and vases of pine and fir, and lighting candles every evening. And then I just realised yesterday that the first of advent is actually *next weekend* 😱 So I am not earlier than usual *at all*. However, what is different this year, is that I really feel in the mood for decorating and baking and making the house look festive. It’s something for the soul – making me happy in my home while the uncertainty of the virus is still hanging over us. I started the Christmas baking yesterday and have the first two types of Christmas cookies under my belt. Two more to follow today.
I have to be early with this because I am planning to send a tin each of cookies to my son and my mum. Next step in the Christmas prep: make the advent wreath and the wreath for the front door. Usually my hubs and I get some fir from the roadside at my in-laws for my wreath needs. With lockdown forcing us to stay in a very urban, city centre 5 kilometre radius, I won’t get my hands on any pine any time soon. But well, 2020 everything is different. I’ll make do with the evergreens I have in my garden, although they are not necessarily associated with Christmas – such as leaves from the bay tree, some box sprigs, the curly leaves of an evergreen whose name I don’t know, possibly even the delicately leafed branches of a jasmine bush. And holly, of course. I wonder how that will turn out…
Ok, I am rambling on. 
New header. And this one is actually from a Christmas card I received two years ago! So, not my own work but I___’s – also known as the proprietor of mininottingham over on tumblr. It was just too good, I had to keep it. And now Guy makes a very sexy, albeit grumpy, bearer of Christmas gifts… Anyway, off we go now into the wilds of tumblr…
- Starting off with a fellow crafter who makes dolls. Here is Thorin Oakenshield, made by redcapartdoll
- Some new gifs of Adam Price from TS, made by riepu10 (who just celebrated her birthday – give her some love ;-))
- Lathalea’s Hobbit watch continues with the DOS Appendices
- I don’t get this at all – what’s with Mr Thornton and glasses? Do you understand what asdthatsme means?
- Just because that is up there is one of my favourite shoots – TBT Lucas-era Richard. Posted by lovethoseskinnylads
- Timeladyjanie does the 30 Days of BBC Robin Hood Challenge and deems her favourite character – Guy of Gisborne. Now, that’s what I like to read 😉
- Richardarmitagefanpage posted these stills on Love Theatre Day. We are missing Kenneth 😉
- Astrovian has discovered Richard as Daniel Miller
- Some more info about the upcoming Harlan Coben serial Stay Close via richardarmitagefanpage and imdb: it’ll be an 8 episode piece
- Baby it’s cold outside. Daniel Miller with a beanie – courtesy of Astrovian
- Mezzmerizedbyrichard is focussing on a thoughtful Guy
- *giggles* well, that feels very much in character for Marian. And is not What a Guy Wants… posted by nfcomics
…
Did I say something up there about cutting evergreens from the garden? Well, the long suffering hubs has just brought a massive table-load of greenery in from the garden. I guess I know what I am doing this afternoon.
Before I go, a quick small business shout-out. I came across this amazing textile artist called Karen Pleass the other day. Her pieces are one-of-a-kind and amazingly detailed, cute scenes. They almost look painted, but are entirely sewn.
You can find her work on Etsy. I think I need to buy something from her. Maybe a little pin like the blackbird up there – for my mum.
Have a lovely Sunday ❤️
Sonja
Guylty Pleasure 
Vanillekipferl? Yummy 🙂 Don’t know the other variety though. I’m not sure I’m going to bake anything for Christmas this year as it would only be for myself. Have fun and enjoy the result!
To no 10: Actually, I think he’s wearing 2 (!!!) beanies on top of each other. I’ve never realized that, I always thought the rim simply had a different colour. Must have been really cold when filming *giggle*
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The other type of biscuits is called “Spitzbuben”… And oh, go on, back a tiny batch of biscuits for yourself… You know you want to 😉
Ah, I had never noticed that he may be wearing two hats. But yeah, Berlin is very cold in winter… Far East.
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That’s funny about the two hats!
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The cookies look yummy! 😋
I try to keep things as normal as possible. It’s not that my life is on pause and will renew after this nightmare is over, these days won’t be compensated, so I’m trying my best. Focusing on positive things. I remember very hard times (after Soviet Union collapsed), there was literally very little on our Christmas/New Year table, but decorations were in abundance 😁 and we were happy. I am an incorregible optimist. 😊
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I think that is a good plan, Olga. The circumstances are all but normal, but at least in our own domestic arrangements we can try and maintain some normality. And you are right, we are not getting this time back, so better use it in a meaningful way, if possible.
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Oh Sonja – bay leaves are beautiful in wreaths. We have both bay trees and magnolias here & my late mom & I used to deck the front porch columns in magnolia and holly branches. We also used magnolia leaves in wreaths, but we’d turn them over & use the velvety backsides. They also took gold spray paint really well. Never really used pine boughs (not when the trees are 50-75 feet tall), but if we lucked up & found the large cones from the longleaf pines we’d use them for gumdrop trees.
As for cooking, I’ll leave the cookies up to my sister as she’s better at that than me. I’ll be making bourbon balls instead.
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Ah, good to know that you have used bay in wreaths before. So that means it’s not going to wilt too quickly and look unsightly? I’m gonna try my best with what I have tomorrow. Might spruce it up with some artificial needles.
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They won’t, at least not too quickly. And then they dry beautifully.
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Alas – it turned out my hubs did not pick any bay leaves for me. Meh :-(. But the rest of the greenery also works for the wreath. Must try the bay leaves another time, though. Thanks for the tip, Lady!
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Those cookies look fabulous! David used to make his mum’s sugar cookies at Christmas … wonder if I could persuade him 😉 Plus Tollhouse cookies (chocolate chip… known as Maryland cookies everywhere except Maryland, where he grew up 😂)
I love bringing in greenery and luckily I can get most of what I need from the garden, including pine. No holly berries though, I have to go searching for them. Though I did cunningly make some glass berries on wires that can be handy!
#4 not a clue! And I wear glasses… #11 is lovely. Guy is just so beautiful when he’s not being nasty 😊
Thanks for the roundup and happy Sunday to you and Mr Guylty!
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I think I have baked about 5 kilos wirth of cookies 😂. Any self- respecting German housewife won’t do less than four varieties of cookies for Christmas 😜. I’ve switched entirely to spelt flour this year instead of wheat, and the result is a resounding success. You should definitely get David to work in the kitchen 😉
We have a holly bush in the garden but very few berries this year. Might have to raid the park in order to get some…
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#5. One of my favorite photo shoots, too. He just looks sooooo scrumptiously masculine. And the literal message: “No escape.” No kidding, there is no escaping this man. I am stuck for life.
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That shoot was really nice, partly also because of the variety of pictures available. I always like it when we get to see more than just one or two from a particular set. No escape indeed.
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I believe the Drama channel is finally showing series 7 of Spooks.
Shame the writers of later series spoilt what was a cracking good programme.
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What’s the Drama channel?
Yeah, it all went downhill after season 8 😦
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Terrestrial channel on UK
television
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The biscuits do look scrumptious. Are the ones on the right chocolate? Christmas will be weird this year and I’ve moved house so I can drop some of the traditions, that I obsessively think will ruin festivities if they are not kept, and make some new.
Thanks for the round-up Guylty. Happy to see some Daniel in there. I am mystified by the glasses comment – was it the impact of RA’s beauty?
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I’ll join you in the “mystified by the glasses comment” camp. No idea. 🤷🏻♀️
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The dark biscuits are chocolate and cinnamon. My favourites, together with the vanilla crescents…
Definitely the opportunity to make new Christmas traditions. Same here in that my mum is not going to be here, so we can be a little more untraditional 🙂
Ha, maybe that’s what the glasses comment meant?
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I don’t know what (4) means by glasses falling off either. 🤷🏻♀️
Glad you found one of mine funny enough to include on your round-up. Thank you💋😁
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I always look for your What a Guy Wants posts… although I tend to go for the SFW ones 😂
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I’m thrilled that you like any of my WAGW, but full disclosure . . . I’m easily thrilled. After all, just looking at Sir Guy pics thrills me. heh 😆 (Maybe I shouldn’t admit that out loud?)
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Oh, ehm, I join you in the “easy to please” corner. And I admit that loud and proud 😉
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