So this is Christmas

PEACE and LOVE

  This painting is attributed here to Carl Larsson. I'm not sure it is his work but I like it anyway.

Well, finally it is Christmas Eve. For some of us, tonight will be the start of Christmas - my sister Tricia and her family celebrate in the German tradition, on Christmas Eve. For others, we wait until tomorrow. Some attend church, some sleep in, some get up early to prepare the turkey so it will be ready for a midday feast. We'll be having a cold lunch here with our family on Boxing Day. Shane, Sarndra and Alex won't be here this year so we'll call them tomorrow and say hello.

I hope you have a lovely time with your family and friends and store up those memories of good times, Christmas pudding and laughter.

This year has been a really big one for us. We've had many highs during the year and too many lows with Hanno's health, which still isn't quite right. We have an appointment with a heart specialist in early January which should tell us more than we know now. He'll take it slow over the holidays and rest when he needs to. I'm going to have a short break from the blog to rest, write and think about the new year. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting me throughout the year. If you've left comments, thank you for taking the time to connect. Hello to the followers and to everyone who has signed up as a member of the Down to Earth forum. There are over 10,000 of you now and it's become a wonderful place where people of like mind can meet, make friends, share their knowledge, be inspired and learn what they need to know about a wide range of simple living skills.

Wander on over to the forum during the holidays to download the free 2013 Home Journal, it will be downloadable at the end of the week. It features menu planning, basic recipes, decluttering, organisation, to do lists, a garden journal and a whole lot more.

A huge thanks to all the forum admins and moderators - Sue, Rose, Lisa, Lynn, Sherri, Becci, Corinne, Robyn, Amy, Alison, Meghan, Deanne, Sandy, Tania and Tessa. All these incredible women work as forum volunteers to keep everything operating smoothly, coming up with ideas to get members involved and generally supporting and encouraging those who are trying to change their lives for the better. They were the driving force behind the free D2E Journal. Thank you ladies. You all are a gift to me and to the forum. Thank you for all the hours you've put in and for the laughs we've had behind the scenes.

And to all my sponsors, Merry Christmas and thanks for the support during the year. Everything I feature on my blog is something I use or would use if I needed it. Often these small businesses have no other way to advertise so I am pleased to offer them space here. I hope you've been clicking on their buttons and buying from them if you need those products. I am still happily knitting away on the yarns I get from Eco Yarns, they're second to none.

Next year we will continue to work towards sustainable outcomes here in our home. I thought it would be a good idea, in addition to documenting our daily lives, to go over all the basic aspects of simple life again because I am ever changing, I'm sure you are too and it will be useful to talk about how we do what we do, and why.  If you have any questions you want answered, write an email and I'll slot them in as we progress through the months.

While I'm away from here, please browse through the archives. There is a lot of information there that may help you move towards a life change. When I have time, I'll repost some posts from the archives that I think might help you.  In the meantime, enjoy yourself over the holidays and appreciate the time you spend at home with family and friends. Relax, de-stress and make a plan for the coming year

If you've been a lurker during the year, please leave a comment now. When I have time over the holidays, I'll tour around your blogs and say hello.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!