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More Christmas activities from the weekend, as we prepare for the big day, which is a week away. Yesterday, we made a *gingerbread house* from a packet kit, which means it isn't gluten-free and I am the only one who can eat it - such a shame. However, it was also not the greatest kit in the world, with crooked pieces and broken bits, which required a little renovation before we could get started. 

>Fits for our house.

Regardless, it was fun to put together and decorate with various candies and sparkly bits, as well as one of the gingerbread cookies we made last weekend. I made this one, it is a bear. In my family, I am the bear, my wife the bunny and our daughter *bunnybear.* 

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23xpH9xiEHuFq5EfuGCdNGXqnuYQsAQX2GPsrFARHRJRuyVcJNsfEe3jrjeArvijD8nUU.png)

We lit it up with some LED tealight candles, as it would likely start a fire if we used real candles. These ones "flicker" as if they are real and they are fine, though I am not sure if they are better or worse for the environment overall - though they can be reused at least. 

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/242hjLwtzjuCAMff9EUJ55jqG4nzNLdNouKPgwHQGspoxaJrTxaALXNqzupEK9NyUrSnR.png)

Smallsteps enjoyed decorating the house this year more than other years, as her dexterity has increased significantly and she can do more herself. It isn't the most glamorous house in the street, but again - *suits our style.*

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23xyXCq7hqYcANKK1fgReJKcRiDvJqEKp8HsgECvfZwSngsxHjSgtK9x5WvtUWjw1DQC9.png)

As said the bear we used was one I made and I made it for my wife. Smallsteps thinks it is a tail, so we rolled with it and now we have a Peeping Tom bear looking through the window. 


![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23ynb6W6vqTjJ56SQqvxyEd63rr43BoEhWjTmEmixMEvPAAtAJrgdyXJMGVoELPY9fVZy.png)

And then of course...

>The Christmas tree. 

We again bought a *Noble Fir* rather than the traditional forest fir they use in Finland, because they are so much fuller and last longer, as well as dropping far fewer needles. They are a little more expensive (it was €50 compared to €35), but as they last longer and look good for many weeks, it is better - as my wife likes to keep it up until the 13th of January. 



![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23vsSN4tyigJQvkR2HvDTXdnNGaWPDW2Z1G4fkQD39uF6x51fVJb5ofVe4KyAKsgCBaG9.png)

Again, Smallsteps was enjoying it more this year, as she can do more by herself and work independently. She kept on walking back to the other side of the room to see if the baubles were well balanced on the tree. Though, this didn't stop her at times clustering them together. 

For our tree last year, my mother-in-law knitted a half-dozen pairs of tiny woolen socks, which are a great idea for the tree. What I really like about these hand-made items is that they are the kind of thing that we can no only reuse, but Smallsteps will likely want to have and use them when she is an adult too. *If trees still exist* at that time at least. 

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Now, the tree was the perfect size for our ceiling height, *except* that the star wouldn't fit. Normally, I would be glad for an extra couple inches, but this time I had to take the secateurs to it and trim it back to slide the star on.   

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/48iGXVoidbDvuvfoF3HwrWe3wJi6uWxXMfCpzTAuefuV5b7M95MzbpNqV3GdntC2yA.png)

And the finished result means that now Christmas has started and we can get down to the business of preparing the rest of the accoutrements of the event. *Food.* By the time we are finished and ready for the 24th, the house is going to look, smell and *feel* very Christmassy. 

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/tarazkp/23ywuFhZAPAN7QzZufdipGyzQAd5QASEg28Q6WtNiLh1ZgJeE8rU2PrtRSHAzbzQV392h.png)

Which is good, because Smallsteps said today that,

>"the best thing about Christmas is that everyone is happy."

I asked her what happens if everyone is happy but there are no presents, and she replied that would be fine for her. The presents are nice, but that is no the point of Christmas. Which is sweet. 

We are not a religious family at all, so for us at least, it is just about having a good excuse to spend time together with family. My wife will visit the graveyard a few days before to remember those lost and we will all have a few days off together, just hanging out. On Christmas day, I have invited a friend over who after his divorce, will be alone for Christmas for I think the first time in his life. The rule we have for him is, this is a pyjama and leftovers day - there is no stress, no expectation - just chilling. 

>He is up for it.

As a kid and never a believer in Santa, I never got too excited over Christmas, except for the lights on the tree. I always enjoyed the lights and back then, they weren't LEDs and they had to be checked to see how many had blown. They were different colors and we had random tinsels and decorations. There was no traditional food, and it was normally a mix of dishes with curries made by my grandma. 

It is different now. Better. 
As it is for Smallsteps.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]



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