Merry, Baubly Christmas!

Mr U-t-B finally returned from his little break yesterday evening, a day later than planned.


 HE says the car broke down somewhere just south of Reims, but I think this is just an excuse and that he secretly had an extra day on the slopes...


Never mind all the detail he gave me of phone calls to AA 5 Star, of the hotel he was put up in and the breakfast he enjoyed, I'm still not sure I believe him.  Even if he did drop his sister and brother-in-law off at the airport after a long journey down the mountain because the snow has not stopped falling, I still think he snuck back up to enjoy a bit more powder!  

I said he'd hope these things were done by the time he got back...

a) The Christmas shopping will have been done, lovingly and decoratively wrapped, labelled and arranged oh-so artistically beneath the tree

b) The Christmas cards will have been written, addressed and put in the post (and that a letter will have been written and placed inside the ones that require it)

c)  Food supplies will have been purchased, cakes and biscuits baked, hams boiled and studded, and chutneys and preserves simmered and consigned to well-sterilised jars

...and actually, they pretty much are (there's no proper food in the house, but if all else fails, we can survive on gingerbread!) though I'm not quite sure how we managed, what with the sidetracking cause by music, films and gingerbread houses! 

 I don't in the least mind that he doesn't do much of all this stuff, because I do love it (well, apart from the cards!) and he doesn't, and it's more enjoyable to do it with Miss U-t-B than have a bah-humbug-er reluctantly dragged in!

Yesterday evening I went to my lovely friend's 'Bauble Party'.  

Have you ever been to one?  

It's great fun!

Everyone choses and wraps up a Christmas bauble.  It can be bought or home-made.

As people arrive (there were 10 of us last night) they surreptitiously place their package into a sack (or pillowcase).  Nibbles and drinks ensue (everyone brought a contribution), then the real fun starts.  

The first person choses a package from the sack.  They open it and most likely coo over its loveliness, then sit back and hope they get to keep it if they love it, or that someone 'steals' it from them if they don't!  Subsequent people can either 'steal' a bauble that has already been opened , or chose one from the sack.  Baubles can be stolen three times, but once they've changed hands three times, they can no longer be stolen, and the person who has it can keep it. If your bauble gets stolen by the person whose turn it is, you either open another from the bag, or steal a different one (but you can't steal back what has just been stolen from you).

All the baubles were lovely last night, but apparently at some parties, there is a deliberately duff choice!  Almost every bauble changed hands two or three times.  This is the one that I came home with...

Cute, eh?

He's on a long spring so he's jolly bouncy!

I took an angel (I actually only started making them in order to take one to the party) and had a real sinking feeling seeing all the bought loveliness that was unwrapped, and my package was the very last one to remain, so whoever opened it would be stuck with it!  But luckily, she did seem to go down well.  Phew!