Christmas Day: Treasures, Tea, and a Tiny Mix‑Up

 I know some of you haven’t even gone to bed yet after Christmas Eve, but I’ve found a few quiet moments before the next round of celebrations begins. The children have been — full of delight and energy — and although their visit was brief (their calendars are packed today), it was lovely to see them enjoy their gifts.

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So now I’m tucked into a peaceful pause before we head out for tea, and I wanted to share a few treasures from the day.

🎁 Santa was very kind to me this year.

He brought me a stunning Jen Kingwell book — Quilt Recipes. I don’t even remember dropping a hint, but apparently I did! Santa said it was a proper treasure hunt to track down, and he was so pleased to get his hands on a copy. It’s beautiful, and I can’t wait to dive in.

He also found an amazing jigsaw puzzle: Magician’s Library by Michele Farella. We’re both readers, so it feels very appropriate — full of magical details and towering bookshelves. We’re looking forward to doing it together.

Another perfect gift was Lee Child’s latest Reacher novel, Exit Strategy. We both enjoy the series, and Tony was clever enough to double‑check my list before buying — I keep a running tally of the Reacher books and cross them off when I find them in op shops. Even though this one’s brand new, he still checked. Very clever love.

And finally, from Tony/Santa, a macramé plant hanger kit — just in time, as a colleague gave me a baby off her curly spider plant. It’ll need somewhere to live, and this kit is just the thing.

And it's in a beautiful box that is just asking to be reused later.

🎁 My Secret Santa at work knows me well too.

She found a scissor keeper, a fantail‑shaped needle gauge, and some lovely stitch markers. I adore the gauge — it’s shaped like a New Zealand fantail (piwakawaka), one of my favourite little garden visitors. They’re such sweet birdies, always flitting about with cheerful energy.

I didn't think to take a photo of my Secret Santa gift. My colleague received two of my knitted cloths and a decorated plate. A dusty purple plate with diamante dotted all over it and the words 'Queen of Bling'. She is the queen of bling, all of the desk accessories in her office have diamante on them, the sticky tape holder, the stapler, the pen pot.... Everything is covered in sparkling diamante. The top of her desk is covered in a marbled purple mat and she often has purple hair. I hope she likes it. I haven't seen her since the gifts were shared out. Some opened them at the time, and other like myself and my secret swapper saved our gifts for Christmas day. 

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Tony was delighted with his gifts too, and pointed out that I’d stitched the date on the kitty cat ornament as 2023. I promise I only just finished it last week! I’m really not sure where my mind was the day I did that — perhaps still catching up with the calendar.

And to those of you who saw the photo on my blog and said nothing…

I’m starting to think you were being very polite. Or perhaps you were just as dazzled by the kitty as I was and missed the date entirely.

Well I'm not changing it. It's too much like hard work to remove the felt backing just to undo a single digit. 

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It’s been a joyful day so far — full of thoughtful surprises, shared smiles and gleeful giggles from grand children.

I wonder if I have time to sew a few hexies before we head off to tea with friends?

 I hope your day unfolds with warmth, laughter, and maybe a few unexpected treasures of your own.