And so it begins - -

- - that most magical season of the year I mean. You must be able to guess?? Of course you can - for today is the start of Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas for 2010, I am an Alumni of the class of several years standing yet I am filled with the same sense of anticipation and excitement that I used to feel as a little girl waiting for that Man in Red to come down the chimney! My favourite albums and a favourite time of the year!!!

As in previous years I will use Shimelle's prompts - but try to add a little twist of my own. Last year in order to stay on task I took a photo every day in December, the year before I had only about half my pages with photos, and the two years previous to that I simply worked with the prompt topic.
This year I thought I would try to include snippets of information about the day/date that interested me - a bit like an old fashioned almanac, with quotes: poems: other countries Christmas Traditions, poems or legends,odd snippets and scraps which have caught my attention : all related solely to the month of December- well thats the theory anyway - lets hope I can make it work!
I am also really trying to post on my blog more regularly - especially as I complete my Journal

Quote for the Day
Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind.  ~Mary Ellen Chase

December 1st - on this day

• in 1761 Marie Tussaud was born
• in 1955 Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama
• in 1971 it was my Wedding Day - the day I married my first husband - and it was also a Wednesday!
• in 1990 the English & French halves of the Channel Tunnel meet up.

It is also St Eligius Day - and as the Patron saint of Metal workers - he is quite significant for me as my husband is a metal worker, as was my Grandfather and my Uncle - and we have Smiths as a name in our family tree.

I just need now to plan my "manifesto" for this year and hopefully tonight it will all come together so that tomorrow I have the first page in this years journal.I am planning on  making it as easy as possible so will keep it simple. Love Shimelle's print out for today!! I have just decorated the Christmas Tree in the school foyer - hope you like it!

I love this season of the year!
Bannaghtyn J x