Yes.

It’s that time of the year again.

I love the Christmas season. It’s my most favourite time of the year. Well, along with January because thats my birthday month and school holidays which means long summer days, blue skies and generally I take a bit of a break from work.

However, there’s something magical (and stressful and busy and chaotic) about Christmas.

Maybe it’s the fact I get to make pretty gifts for everyone. And all the family gather around to put up the beautifully decorated and perfect tree, wrap all our presents in coordinated gift wrap, sing rowdy renditions of Christmas carols as a family, make gingerbread, throw fabulous Christmas parties and cover the house in glitter.

Ha

The reality is, its a BUSY, hectic, last minute rush leading up to The. Big. Day.

The tree is usually dragged out a few days after December 1 and all my tree decorating “helpers” suddenly disappear. Well, except Capri but she often gives up half way through decorating and wanders off leaving me amidst the baubles and tangled Christmas lights..

I’ve never had ANY success baking gingerbread. But Capri makes pretty darn good chocolate trees drowned in condensed milk and drizzled with white chocolate.

I always visualise wrapping all of our presents in beautifully coordinating and pretty giftwrap, tied up in bows with handmade gift cards but being the last minute girl I am, I dive into BigW after the hoards have cleared out the shelves and dig through what’s left of the rolls of wrap and come home with a mix and match array of paper. If I’m REALLY organised, I might make one or two hand made tags…the rest are stick on tags from the cheap shop (much easier to attach!)..

As for singing Christmas carols as a family — no takers in this family. I can’t even get them to hum along. The boys groan when I whip out the Hi 5 Christmas CD from many moons ago and I hear, “Do we have to listen to that. Again.” Secretly, I KNOW deep down that they LOOOVE the Carols.. and it wouldn’t be Christmas without them or without their whinging about them.

I think that it’s those things — those little traditions – that make the season OURS and makes it feel like Christmas around here. Just like there will be things/traditions that make it feel like Christmas in your home.

Seriously though, despite it being a really busy hectic, last minute rush of a time I still truly love the season.

And it also means that it’s Jingle Bells time.

Jingle Bells is an online workshop I started waaaay back when I just had my one little old Typepad blog. It’s grown enormously over the years and we have moved around as we have grown and evolved, from my blog to my website to the Etzcetera site and this year I am pretty excited to announce —

It’s the biggest and best year ever.

For some of our classmates, this is THEIR little tradition – to come along to our Jingle Bells class — and they have been coming along since our very humble beginnings. Which is pretty awesome!

This year we are moving into new premises. It’s a fresh new space filled with AWESOMENESS! There’s galleries for you to upload your work into as well as forums for chatting and connecting, live chat rooms, projects galore, ideas, inspirations, giveaways and a big fat ebook presented to you at the end of the workshop for you to keep with every project included.

I will fill you in on details over the next few weeks but mark NOVEMBER 11 (oh hello, I just realised that’s exactly ONE month today away!)in your diaries because thats the big kick off!

OH and our Jot Spot members have automatic FREE access to the workshop – it’s included in your membership — Yay.

Jingle Bells registration will open over the next week or so. Or consider joining as a Jot Spot member and the Jingle Bells workshop will be included for you along with a ton of other content and things.