Day 5's prompt was about Advent calendars and counting down to Christmas.

I used some BG Figgy Pudding and some crystals, the numbers and the title were cut on the Craft Robo.

Journalling reads -

I always used to have an Advent Calendar as a child (although I don’t remember being lucky enough to have one with chocolates in – in fact, did they even make them with chocolates in when I was a child?!) but in recent years, not so much. Having worked in retail for years our Christmas countdown used to start about mid September, and I was usually totally fed up with it come December! The closer it got to Christmas the busier and more stressed out I would become….
Still no advent calendar this year, but I am enjoying the countdown much more. I’m now working in a place where it actually gets quieter at Christmas, which is a nice change!
We do have a couple of things that I suppose have become sort of countdown traditions over the years. A visit to one of our local garden centre’s which has the most amazing Christmas displays and we always buy some new decorations or some lights. And then the Tesco “Christmas big shop” also means that the festive season has well and truly begun.
Maybe this journal may become a future countdown tradition too!

Day 6, our prompt today was about Christmas memories, good ones and bad ones! Here's todays...

The cards with the journalling on pull out from behind the scalloped card.

Journalling reads -

The good - I remember when I was a child, waking up really early, and calling out “Is it time to get up yet?” Eventually we were allowed out of bed, and had to wait at the bottom of the stairs for Mum and Dad to come down before we were allowed into the living room to open our pressies! They were always arranged in 3 big piles for me, my brother and sister, and we fell on them and started tearing off wrapping paper in our haste to get to the toys inside!

Then, later in the day we had even more presents when we would exchange gifts from under the tree - I was always Santa's Little Helper, giving the presents out round the room!
Every Christmas since I met my husband has also been amazing! We still wake up really early on Christmas morning, giggling like schoolchildren and saying “Do you think he has been yet?” before going downstairs to open our pressies!

And the not so good - I can’t quite remember the year…I think I was 21 or 22? I had just started working as a relief manager for the licensed trade and was in my first ever posting. This particular pub had just changed over from tenancy to be part of the managed house estate and was very much a “locals” pub. I took over about the second week in December, I knew that the pub was going to be open for Christmas Day lunch, but we had a chef, so that was OK. Christmas Eve I came downstairs to find a note through the back door – the chef had quit! Aaaargh! I rang my area manager, who in his infinite wisdom decided that I could manage to cook a 3 course Christmas lunch for 40 people on my own. I just about struggled through, but I vividly remember peeling sprouts till gone midnight on Christmas Eve, and ringing my dad on Christmas morning to enquire how to cook roast potatoes! I still shudder when I think about it….it was not a good year!

Thanks for looking!