A Very MSE Advent 2025

beanielou

Loving the grotto. 

Wednesday2000

I was supposed to be going out to meet a new group of people today for the solstice and then going to a carol service on my own in the evening, but I am too tired. I went out last night with a new friend and we ended up talking (and drinking) much more than I had planned. I was thinking that I finally feel very at home living here after living in London for most of my life. I found the winters quite quiet and strange at first, but I like the pace of life here. I sometimes feel very overwhelmed going back into central London now.

I have lit a white candle for the solstice and I will just have a bath, get back into my pyjamas and watch TV and YouTube. I'm cooking a nice dinner this afternoon and I have most of my Christmas dinner for the two for the two of us prepped in the freezer. The workmen will be back next week to finish off a few things and then I am going to have a very restful Christmas.

I'm going to do the last day of the 21 day meditation challenge when I get out of the bath. Someone on the group told me about an app called Insight Timer so I will carry on with daily meditation using that.

Oh yes, I did an annoying OAT yesterday. I took everything out of my top bathroom drawer in the cabinet and cleaned it and rearranged all the products. It looks so much better. That had been bugging me for ages!

Wednesday2000

I meant to put a pic of the view from the bar yesterday.

Rhyddid2026

I have had a lot of advent joys today, and it is solstice so that is the most joyful bit of it. 
I woke near the coast with beautiful sea views, had cake for breakfast, walked the dogs (couldn't get to the beach as the path got a bit dangerous as we got closer), had my homemade sweetcorn chowder sat in the van at another beach, looking out to sea. A friend came and picked up spare packing boxes that had taken up space in my living room for far too long (OAT). She also brought me prosecco and chocolates to celebrate my promotion, the prosecco is chilling in the freezer for later. I got showered and changed into comfies, the fire is lit, and there is a chicken roasting in the oven with lots of 15p veg. It has been a lovely day, and my plans for the evening is to drink prosecco, eat nice food, watch the fire, and generally contemplate life. 

PennysIntoPounds

Today's OAT prevention was buying a lightbulb the day after the last one ceased to work, unheard of!
It would be pretty poor form to spend solstice putting off bringing light though ✨️

Today's jewellery is ginormous hoop earrings 

KajiKita

Whilst rummaging through the bags of presents I found a set of socks I bought myself whilst buying Mr KK’s …
For the last two days of work I shall be wearing unicorn socks and ‘Go away, I’m introverting’ socks! 😂😂😉👏

KK

Cherryfudge

I'm loving the photos...

Last night I finally fed the Christmas cake. Better late than never! I also wrapped gifts for some of the people we saw today.

This morning was the carol service with Christingle thrown in for good measure, then Christmas biscuits and mulled a/f wine afterwards - all before lunchtime! I saved some Christingles for the grandchildren as they were all getting ready for the eldest's birthday party.

The party was all afternoon: lovely to spend time with family and some of their friends, and eat party food and cake. Our daughter and her family were there so they came to ours afterwards to collect their dog who's been staying with us. We are missing her already - I find myself shutting the outside door so she doesn't get out! I do feel the extra exercise has done me good so I'm going to try to get back to being out of doors, even if it's winter. After all, the days are now officially getting longer. (Yay!)

I've kept up my resolutions about eating up stuff from the freezer and using up toiletries, but no dramatic progress. Christmas jumper of the day was light blue fluffy stuff with a sequinned snowflake.

Suffolk_lass

I dare not feed our cake any more @Cherryfudge. It will swim away if I do. The Brandy soaked fruits are definitely evident (well I dod soak them for over a week). Yesterday I did the Waitflower run early. A day early, based on local intel that it wasn't too bad on Saturday. It was OK. Lots of people, two items OOS, (some perfectly acceptable substitutions) and with the collaboration of other shoppers and lots of partners (the working ones, not the married ones) it was relatively painless, and something I don't need to do today. Just some gently mixing and presentation today.

Our advent joy today is that we have friends coming this evening for cocktails and canapes (drinks and nibbles, I told them) to kick off the Christmas celebrations. All shopping is done, just a bunch of assembly in preparation.

Mr Sl may need a cattle prod to deal with the dust on surfaces, and the residual cobwebs, but I can now vacuum the floors as the new long stick vacuum doesn't set off my asthma.. Slow but steady progress on tidying the spare room, the bed is nearly clear (not needed until NYE. No word from our other friends who I anticipate may come for NYD, but not the preceding evening. I rather hope they don't or we shall have to clear the smaller room that Mr Sl uses as his study (it has multiple piles of old bike magazines on the floor that are just low enough for me to open the linen cupboard door. It's an OAT neither of us wish to tackle, if I am honest.

suprisinglynice

Christmas baking day today with eldest GD! Such a special time for us. We'll be doing visits later to drop off the goodies to friends. We also have to collect five turkeys and deliver those tomorrow. A more relaxed day tomorrow as we will make cheesecake and a yule log for her to take home.

Wednesday2000

It is a lovely sunny day here. I'm so glad this winter has been so mild as I dread the cold weather.

I just booked a club night for my birthday next year as it is my 50th. I was going to go abroad, but I just booked some nights away for us in Brighton and Bournemouth. I did book a mini cruise for the summer too.

I'm wearing my red jumper and silver necklace today.

I have an OAT to do - rearrange my paperwork. I had better get cracking.