.. you'll kick off your shoes...
... gather a stack of books and magazines, and something hot to drink ...
... and find a cosy place to snuggle into.. 
... well, if you don't have to eject someone else first, that is! And just R-E-L-A-X.
Sieze a few minutes to take time out from the rushing around of Christmas, and take time for YOU.
I suspect that, like me, those of you reading this blog will be the ones who are racing around buying everything needed, putting up the decorations, and the one lined up to do the cooking on Christmas Day.
For a few minutes every day, just forget about it, do something nice for yourself. Don't get swept along in the tidal wave of Christmas preparations without stopping to enjoy what you have already done. It's too easy to go through the month of December in a total flap. Worrying about what has to be done next. We worry too much about 'The Perfect Christmas'.
Slow down.
Breathe.
Enjoy a quiet moment.
Your place to relax doesn't have to be anything fancy. A comfy stair with a cushion will do just as well as a fireplace and cosy chair! Doesn't matter. The place you like to be is the perfect place to choose. As long as you are comfy and relaxed, that's the important thing.
I am writing this for myself as much as you!
I must admit, that while I love to sit in my chair by the tree, I'm far more likely to be found at the kitchen table. I call it 'My Office'. It's where I do my reading, planning, writing of lists, and general tea drinking.
It's also my place for working on projects. Nothing relaxes me more, or clears my mind, quite like working on something like sewing.Whenever I create something, I know that it's always highly likely I will either reuse the fabric or materials for something else, or revamp it slightly. It's rare that anything is considered completely finished.
The most recent victim of revamping was a cushion cover I made in November, 2008. It was before I had a sewing machine, so it was hand stitched. The fabric used was from my daughters baby clothes.
As soon as I had a sewing machine, I planned on unpicking it and sewing the pieces by machine. It's been in a cupboard for most of the year, and each time I looked at it, I thought how much I wanted to change the centre cross fabric. It looked too harsh and I just didn't like it. The pale blue fabric I used as a background was far more precious to me. I wanted that to be more prominent.
Well, today I finally took the cushion down to 'My Office', unpicked stitches and made a few adjustments, changes, and additions.
I didn't want to change the cushion too much. I love the wonkiness of it, the less than perfect shape, it is how I made it and how I wanted it to stay.But now I love it even more. It helped me to feel relaxed and totally forget about Christmas for the couple of hours that I worked on it. I really needed that.
It still holds precious memories, but with a bit more drama. Especially with the massive flower in the centre!
