Merry Christmas 2018!

After my Christmas articles around the world, New York, Paris and Brisbane, you understand how much I love this festive season.

Whether in the streets, shops or houses, Christmas magic is everywhere for our greatest joy, including in Reims (France).

But if there’s a place where you can really show off, it's at home! And the shops have understood that very well, because every year, we are tempted again and again to buy new ornaments even if our garage is already full of boxes.
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And this year, I’ve bought a sheep for the crèche (hahaha).

From the famous Christmas tree to the dining table, including outside and every square millimetre of our interior, madness takes us and no question of leaving a single decoration in its box.
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But finally, plates are stealing the show!

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​Every year, I become the Christmas tree fairy, how do you not know this fairy? Well, that's my tradition, you have the right to copy, I'm happy to share.

I like to believe that the tree is decorated with a thousand decorations, in a few seconds thanks to a magic wand, while the truth is, it takes two days minimum ...

You know it from now on, I’ve kept my childlike innocence, and I’m a fan of Frozen, which is very convenient to find ornaments.

Obviously, in Australia no real tree but Santa is still giving us presents.
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Last year, I’ve also created a Santa’s Village with plushes.

When I start, it’s difficult to stop me and I admit that I love this period, because it lets my creativity express itself (a little too much sometimes hahaha).

From the fairy, I can quickly turn into a diva too, who said that the decorations were only for the Christmas tree?

Well this year, I think I'll be more in pyjamas, it's also good to relax, to eat chocolates and watch Christmas movies, well wrapped in my duvet.
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Especially that sometimes, it happens that I take Christmas too seriously and I become too Christmassy! Hahaha

I don’t have a chocolate Advent calendar this year, so I’ve prepared a plate full of chocolates and stop people who already think that there are more than 25 chocolates! When we love we don’t count, and I have a lot of love for chocolate, and coffee too.

Each family has its own traditions, some decorate their Christmas tree in November, others on Christmas Eve. Some trees are artificial, coloured or not, of all sizes. Sometimes presents are much bigger than the tree. Others don’t have a tree…

In Spain, a predominantly Catholic country, the crèche and its characters are taken very seriously, check the wall of a department store in the photos below.

Everyone builds their own world, pursues family traditions and invents new ones, even more with the arrival of new partners or newborns.

A tradition that I discovered in Australia and that I kept, Christmas crackers. They are part of the Christmas table decoration and are placed on the guests' plates.

We must crack the cracker with our table neighbour, the person who keeps the cracker, wins the prize that is inside. Obviously, the gift is a function of the price of the cracker, usually a trifle but it's funny.

Fortunately, only 3 days before opening the presents! I can’t wait for Santa to deliver me from my intolerable wait. I need to know among the 8760 wishes from my list (365 days per 24 hours, a gift per hour and day 😉), which one he has chosen!

As for the tree, everybody has its own rules, some families open the gifts on December 24, others on the 25th, and still others at any time.

This is the whole principle of Christmas, to share, to give, to receive and above all to express our love for each other.

Sometimes, however, we don’t really know what Santa Claus was thinking about, kitchen knives for Little Miss Trouble, fortunately no incident to regret that night.

And when we were very very nice during the year, we can have surprising presents under the tree ...

​​My favourite bar is in a festive mood too:

​​Thank you to all the people I love who sent me these beautiful pictures:

​Santa Claus has asked me to help him this year, so no article next week, everyone will be too busy, see you next year!

And at the end of the article, two of my favourite singers who celebrate peace, freedom and love.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas 2018!
Love & Joy,
L.
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