Today We Enjoy...

...Christmas Eve!  My favorite day/night of the year.  Everything slows down, the world goes quiet, and we can follow Santa around the world through the great work of NORAD.  (Is anyone else obsessed with this?  I love it.)

This means, of course, that Advent cross-stitching has ended.  Yesterday

Today

General Tiny Needle Tuesday fare is

I am so pleased with this.  I might make more than two more!

Cracker-wise 

A fortune-telling fish and a bottle opener keychain.  One will be travelling to Atlanta tomorrow.  Can you guess which?

Briton and I did lunch today, as the last couple of years, finding someplace open for dinner has been a real chore.  We went to Another Broken Egg, had good food and excellent conversation.  Hannah is cooking for us tomorrow, so we should all be full for present-opening!

May your Christmas Eve be calm and happy.  May your Christmas Day be full of love, excitement and surprises.  Thank all of you for your friendships and inspiration.

Tiny, Wee, Extremely Little Versus Enormous

 Look at this bowling set!

I'm not entirely sure where I'll play, but I promise I will.  (And note: a purple crown!)

Then, on the other end of the size spectrum, a big ol' die.

Now, I put "6" up because I've always liked it, but I didn't realize "2" was going to look like sad eyes.  Hopeful eyes?  Bored eyes?  We all anthropomorphize differently.

Even Logic Fails to Help

What is this?  Really.  What is this?

Is it a checkerboard?  If so, I can't figure out a way to fill in enough black squares to make it 64.

Is it a picnic cloth?  What does that have to do with Christmas?  Part of a striped scarf?  A wrapping paper* design?  A quilt?  For the life of me, I don't know what it is and why it's part of the Advent project.

Cracker-wise, last night was an orange crown and a tiny Rubik's Cube.

I have never had any luck at all with a Rubik's Cube, so this will remain cute and unturned.

This morning, another orange crown, and a little bag tag.

(Forgive the paper towel;  I was having an apple fritter.)

Tonight, a pretty shade of blue crown, and a ring toss game.  I've always loved little games --- remember the round ones where you had to roll the BBs into the holes?  Like those.  Loved them.

*I didn't mention it yesterday, but another proof of Kim's and my twinitude is that we both had jobs as gift wrappers.  So there's that.

The Wrapping

I enjoy wrapping presents.  All those years at the jewelry store didn't sour me on it.  (Though customers who were super-picky about the ribbon being perfectly centered on the box or something else ridiculous did hit the occasional nerve.)  The best part, by far, --- and we've discussed this here before --- is zsushing the scissors through the wrapping paper.  You can't even get mad if you cut the paper the wrong size.  You get to zsush again!

I'm thinking of wrapping because this is my Advent piece today:

I'm unhappy with the "24" in yellow --- that will probably be changed.  The little gift, though, is cute as can be.  I still like this yellow very, very much.  (It's DMC 444, if you're curious.)

The first Christmas cracker was opened this morning.  This pattern is so lovely, don't you think?  I suspect Twinnie sees it as collage fodder.

Inside, a green paper crown (there's always a paper crown) and this tiny deck of tiny playing cards:

I can play tiny games of Solitaire!

One word: Tap was crazy unhappy with me wearing the paper crown.  There shan't be, therefore, any photos of me in the crowns.  There will be reports on their colors, though.

Very Exciting

Another little ornament.

My favorite thing is the one white stitch standing for reflection.

But, bigger than that even, (literally and figuratively) a gift from Twinnie!

Christmas crackers, and aren't they pretty?  I'll open one  tomorrow, and then one through Christmas Eve.  I'll keep you updated.

Extremely Likeable

 Look at this little pudding:

I've never had a Christmas pudding, but I am a sucker for sticky toffee ones.  This is definitely going to end up as one of my favorite Advent pieces.

How to Worry

 This is the holiday time when all the questions start.  Do I have the right gifts for everyone?  Do I have things for the stockings?  Do I have all the groceries I need for a while --- especially all the pets' stuff?  I don't want to have to get out with all the Last Minuters.

In Advent stitching, all along, I thought this was a tree, but stitching it, I was getting candle vibes.

It is a tree, I realize, but I can use my imagination every now and again.

There's swelling of my gum and palate today, and my arms and shoulders ache from being tensed up during the process yesterday.  After my therapy session today, though, I am obligation-free until Christmas.  Which means keeping my own hours, sleeping when and as long as I want.  Which I'm looking forward to, especially after My Darkness of late.