A Very Merry Finish

"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you'll head, you can hear." 

Silver Bells - Michael Buble 

There was nothing more I wanted then to experience a white Christmas. To wake up on the 25th with a sheet of fluffy snow covering the roof. To drink hot chocolate by a crackling fire and wrap myself in bundles of clothes to walk in the snow.

The last time I was in Korea was in December 2009. All I wanted was to have a white Christmas. I wished and wished and wished for it to start snowing every day of that week. 

I woke up on Christmas Day only to be disappointed.  No snow covering the city, no snow falling. It rained that day and I was so excited that it may have been snow.
It wasn't. 

When it did eventually snow in Korea, I took all the wishing back. It was absolutely freezing! I learnt that I had a very low tolerance for cold weather. I couldn't stay outside for more than 5 minutes! 

It always looked so fun, romantic and beautiful in the movies. But I think I will leave the fantastical image of a white Christmas to the screen. 

In fact, this year I will be doing the complete opposite. I will be spending my Christmas with my family in tropical Queensland. Leaving shortly after I return from Cambodia, to stay with my cousin. 

I know that we are still a while away from Christmas Day, but I am feeling extremely festive as I write this. 

There is nothing better then popping on delicate fairy lights, lighting a couple candles and listening to the silky voice of Michael Bublé.

Tuesday was also my last lesson of floral art. The past couple of months have gone by sluggishly. However, I am surprised that I have already completed two months of the class.

It will be strange not going to the classes every week and coming home with flowers.

As well as doing a Christmas inspired table centre piece, we also had a little party at the end. It was a very lovely way to finish off such a challenging, interesting and at times therapeutic course.

Here is the base of the arrangement with a guard on
top to secure the Oasis sponge in place. 

Miniature Monstera

Dyed Singapore Orchids

Red Anthurium: waxy leaf flower.

Ginger. Yes this is called ginger. This acted as the focal flower.
This is actually a part of the Ginger we all know. 

This is Spruce/Christmas Tree. 

We started off by placing the Spruce around the sides of the Oasis.
It is a little hard to describe the placement of each segment but you
can see in the photo that mine turned out to look like an awkward
spider. It was suppose to be in an oval shape. We then placed our ginger
right in the centre of the arrangement.  

We continued to place the Singapore Orchids onto the sides of
the Oasis. Directly above the Spruce. I am not sure if I did mine correctly
but at this stage it just looked more and more like a mess. 

We added the Miniature Monstera leaves on either side of the Ginger.

We completed our last arrangement by adding White Lilies (which are going to be massive when they bloom),
the Red Anthuriums, acorns and baubles. Even though this was not my favourite arrangement, I loved having
free reign at the end to place the additional pieces together. This is the final front shot of the arrangement. 

This is what the arrangement looked like from the back. Even though this was a very strange looking creation,
 the extravagant colours and textures of the arrangement excited me. Whenever I walk into the house with my
arrangements, I can tell when my mum is really impressed, or when she is just trying to encourage me.
But this week she was over the moon with the final product and thought it was very festive.

These are some cute cake pops, that a lady in the class
made for our Christmas party. I had never tasted
them before. They were unexpectedly extremely moist and sweet. 

Here is a shot of some of the snacks that were brought, with the teachers'
beautiful arrangement in the centre. 

So from my keyboard to yours, I wish you all a very, very merry Christmas!

Enjoy this holiday however you like to do it. If it is just listening to Bublé and sitting in a fairy lit room like me, or going all out with turkey and jam.

I used to think Christmas was all about presents. And I still get excited over them.

I remember getting scolded by my Aunty one time because I was asking that many times if we could open the presents. I don't even think we had started eating dinner yet.

I used to wake up at the crack of dawn and organise my family's Christmas presents into piles. And just sit beside the presents, waiting and waiting until everyone else woke up.

I am not going to lie... sometimes I tried to carefully peek into the wrapping to see what mum and dad had gotten me. I was never really successful though, because I was too afraid that I was going to rip the paper and wouldn't be able to fix it.

One year I even dressed up as Santa, stuffing a pillow in my shirt. I passed all the presents around to my family, using a relatively deep voice. I thought I had so much power in that moment.

I find equal, no... maybe even more joy in buying and giving gifts. I get very excited if I know I have put effort into what I am giving to someone.

I can hardly refrain myself from telling that person what I have bought them. I haven't really had that much money this year, but I kept a large portion of it for Christmas presents.

I get so excited and nervous when someone is opening my gift, because I want them to like it as much as I do. The notion of giving and receiving gifts is one of my 'love languages.'

The gifts do not need to be extravagant. I genuinely much rather a thoughtful and loving token. But of course a big present won't be turned down.

I am going to make this Christmas not focussed on gifts and giving. But to use it to truly appreciate everything that surrounds me.

To fill this time with family, friends, joy, laughter, food, drinks, sun, the beach and and whole lot of other generic things.