It’s here again, the first advent Sunday. I can’t believe how quickly the year has passed. The weeks seem to be running away from me. Filled with home office, lots of reading and too short weekends. It seems like just a very short time and not 12 months ago that I was in the mood – basically for the first time ever since the death of my parents – to really embrace this time of year. Decorating my apartment, baking cookies, filling my advent calendar, ordering and buying my and tomcat Diego’s gifts … and now it’s the end of November and one month until Christmas. And I’m as excited as last year to enjoy this special time. Apart from the cookie baking … lucky me I already bought Christmas cookies in September in Austria as well as my beloved dried fruit bread. So, I can skip the cookie baking – which was not that much of a culinary success last year anyway.Although, I do love the cookie baking smell in my apartment. So, maybe I will do some baking after all …
The little autumn decoration I had is gone, the Christmas decoration is out and of course, even bed linens and towels have been planned out to colour coordinate with my red-green Christmas scheme.With every room displaying those colours. Pillow covers on the sofas, cuddly blankets, candles and candle holders, table linens, dining chair pads (red for Christmas, black for the rest of the year), tea towels, etc. I love it. I love when everything goes together.
And I’m really looking forward to advent. With Sunday afternoon tea and Christmas cookies the way we had at home, lighting the candle of my advent wreath, listening to Christmas music (not Silent Night, that was “forbidden” at our home, my Mum wanted to hear it on Christmas Eve for the first time, so this classic song was always skipped) and thinking of my loved ones. With the joy of opening my advent calendars – this year my childhood one I filled myself, one I got from my colleague and a tea calendar as well as a special one for my cat – every day. With ordering the last gifts for my family and myself and getting the few gifts for my German friends. With the preparations and planning for the Christmas holidays in terms of cooking and groceries needed. And enjoying the peace and quiet I treasure so much.
As it seems, Christmas markets will be cancelled again anyway due to the rising Covid numbers, which I won’t miss too much. I don’t like mulled wine and hot punch anyway, and I can certainly skip bratwurst at a food stand.
Well, I wish all of you a wonderful advent. Enjoy the time and don’t stress yourselves too much by getting last-minute presents, being harassed by your family, worrying … and for the singles out there: don’t be sad! I know, it’s difficult at times, I know what I’m talking about! There are days I too wish I had someone beside me, and most of all, could turn back time to be back in Austria with my family and the way it used to be, but … life goes on and I learned to enjoy the little occasions in life even on my own.
ABOUT EVERYTHING AND NOTHING 
Love to read your Christmas preparations. They look so good that I can’t distinguish between decoration and food. lol. My mouth is watering here. It is so much simpler just to lit a candle and I so agreeeee with you and do the same here. However I often drive to different townships to watch other people’s Christmas lights, especially those elaborate ones.
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