Working girl

 Ronja's tree - dressed for December

Christmas has moved into our yellow house by the station. Entering December means entering a month of expectations and cosiness, and a month that has a different pace to it. 

 The Advent wreath

The Advent wreath is lit every Sunday afternoon, starting with one candle, and then lighting one more each Sunday. We usually sit around it with tea or hot chocolate, and have some nice family time.

Advent calendar pixie  

Ronja’s Advent calendar is a pixie that’s hanging on the door to the living room. The pixie itself is from a Danish design company, called Maileg, and I altered it a little bit, by adding little brass rings to each pocket. I found that I could never make any of her presents fit into the tiny pockets, so I tied them to the rings instead. Which is ok actually, because I really like the way it looks this way. I try to make the presents look pretty – in my opinion half the joy of opening these presents, which are not very pricy at all, lie in the expectation, and the excitement of unwrapping – so the look, the feel, and the sound is important.

Frida's Advent calendar for the Advent Sundays 

For Frida, as I mentioned earlier, I made a smaller Advent calendar with a present for each Advent Sunday. Her presents are kept in a small basket at the piano. They have little numbers on them, and Ronja helps her find the present with the right number.

The Advent candle 

We light the Advent candle every day to help us count down the days until the 24th.

As you know I started working Monday. These past few workdays have left me feeling very tired in the evening, while at the same time uplifted, because I love to be learning. My new colleagues have been so nice to me, and everyone is really helpful and forthcoming, so I have every reason to be optimistic about the future. During next week, I’ll be spending two days on training in Newcastle, which I think will be pretty exciting. Mads is just getting used to his new role. Today he took Frida to “legestue” – I don’t know what the English word is, but it’s a place, you can go to with your child, if he or she is not in daycare. There are other children for Frida to play with, and other parents for Mads to talk to, and the way he has described it to me, it was great for Frida as well as himself. It’s a little bit strange, that he and Frida will be doing so much together that I have no part in, but that’s something I will have to get used to.

I’m writing this in the train on my way home, and it’s snowing outside. It does take me a while to get to work, so I guess blogging, reading, and listening to music will be nice ways to spend my time on the train. I don’t have web access on the train, so I’ll have to hold the posting until I get home. Maybe I should get myself a mobile broadband connection…

9 comments

  1. Maria (of ShopONION.com) says:

    Eller også skulle du bare flytte til Holbæk – herude har vi nemlig gratis internet i togene til og fra København 🙂
    Puh, det er hårdt at starte op efter barsel – og så på et helt nyt arbejde. Husk at det er helt normalt at det tager 3 måneder før man igen har overskud til andet end arbejde!

  2. Melanie says:

    It’s interesting to see traditions from other places. Yours looks very cozy. Thanks for posting the link for the pixies, they are so lovely.
    Well wishes to you for adjusting to the working world.

  3. Sarah says:

    I love reading about your Christmas traditions, especially the Advent gifts. This is Clark’s first year doing an advent calendar, though ours just has little stickers behind the windows. I was thinking of making one to use every year with pockets for either little trinkets or activities to do that day. Good luck adjusting to work, it sounds like it’s going well so far!

  4. Jeannine McCloskey says:

    Astrid, your Christmas decorations are exactly what I expected – beautiful.
    We will all miss you not blogging and sewing much as usual, but enjoy this new time in your life. There is something gratifying about success, and the time you will spend with your children will become more valueable then ever before. I wish you the best of luck in your new job. Happy Advent too!

  5. Lisa says:

    Glad to hear that your new job has got off to a good start!! Love Ronja’s Christmas elf – what a wonderful way to celebrate the lead up to Christmas.

  6. Astrid says:

    iinu – thank you! 🙂

    Maria – det lyder godt nok meget godt – det har de i hvert fald ikke på mit S-tog! 🙂 Ja, det er sgi hårdt – og hårdt at få tid til alle de ting, man også gerne vil. Ja, ja – det går jo nok! 😉

    Melanie – I also love reading about traditions from other places! Thanks! 🙂

    Sarah – I’m sure Clark is thrilled! And thank you! 😉

    Jeannine – Thank you, Jeannine. There will be a bit of getting used to on my part, but I do hope to succeed in making room for all the things, that I want to do! Happy Advent for you too! 🙂

    Lisa – Thanks, I’m really glad too. You never really know, until you’ve been there for a while. 😉

  7. tracey says:

    Hi

    Just happened upon your page when searching for advent calendars. My two little girls are in love (as am I) with your advent calendar – we have looked at the link to Maileg but we cannot get a Pixie _ I have sepnt all week on the internet trying to locate one just like your design but no luck:( do you have any suggestions or do you know how I can get a pixie exactly like yours? My girls have set their hearts on that particular one!

    Tracey (Niamh & Florence)

  8. Astrid says:

    Hi Tracey – it’s funny you should write just now, because I have just ordered one for Frida as well – I gotta warn you, though, ’cause they are terribly expensive. However, I love them, and I consider it an investment that’ll last for a long time. You can find a one very similar to this one here: http://designerleg.dk/products/pakkekalender-nissepige-i-lys-kjole – and one in a red dress here: http://designerleg.dk/products/pakkekalender-nissepige-2009

    The design has been altered slightly since I got one for Ronja, but I won’t know the details until I receive the one I just ordered. Good luck! 🙂

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