Christmas Presents!

So Christmas is over for another year!  That's a little bit sad, as I love Christmas - it is my favourite time of year.  But I'm also very happy, as I have a whole new set of Christmas memories to add to my collection.  :o)

Also, now that all the Christmas craziness has died down a little, we have the fun of looking at all the lovely presents our family gave us!  I feel very lucky this year - I received many beautiful presents; some Sylvanian, some not, but all very much appreciated!  I would like to show you my Sylvanian Families presents.  Here they all are:-

Three new families (and a Freya) - how exciting!! 

Let's have a closer look at them.  First, meet the Thistlethorn Mouse family:

Aren't they cute?  This family was given to me by my lovely Mum and her husband.  They were bought second-hand (for those who don't know, they are a retired family, and no longer available new), but they are in mostly beautiful condition (the brother is missing his tail, and the sister has a little flocking damage to one arm, neither of which you can really see when they have clothes on.  I am going to create a back story to explain the lack of tail though - stay tuned for that in a future post).  I am in LOVE with these mice!

You may have noticed a little blue dress in the foreground of the main picture - this is a lovely dress that my daughter Caitlyn gave me for Christmas.  She made it herself, and it is for Priscilla Thistlethorn (the sister figure) - here she is modelling it:

Next we have the Hedgehog family.  I knew I was getting these from my wonderful husband and daughter, and they have been VERY eagerly awaited - this is one of my favourite families of the whole range, past and present.  They were actually the catalyst for me getting back into collecting my own Sylvanian Families, as they are not a family Caitlyn wanted for herself (much to my disappointment at the time).  At some point I suddenly thought to myself, "Well, why shouldn't I have them for me?"  Aaaaand, the rest is history...

Look how CUTE they are!!!  They each have a little brush or comb to groom their spikes!  The cuteness!!  I have decided to name them the Prickles family.

Last but not least, I am pleased to present the Outback Koala family!

They are also a gift from Husband and Caitlyn.  As you can see, this family is somewhat different from most, as not only are both the children girls, but they are also both babies - one jointed standing baby, and one sitting.  A very cute feature of this set is the sling that either Mum or Dad can use to carry one of the babies, whilst still keeping his or her arms free:

So the baby koala can be carried on its mother's back, just like a real baby koala!  :o)

At first I mostly wanted the koalas because I thought it was weird that we didn't have any Australian animals living in our corner of Sylvania, but every time I saw them in a shop, I liked them more and more.  Now that I have them, and have had a chance to get them out and see them properly, I love them to bits.  They will be a very important addition to the village too, as both my Outback parents are going to be doctors - they will be the first medical professionals we have had!

The final animal added to my collection is little Freya Chocolat - she will get to keep her official first name, as the Freyas Caitlyn owns have both been given different ones.  It looks like we are going to end up with a chocolate rabbit family living in Macadamia Grove, although we don't have any parents yet, just lots of kids!  I actually really like my Freya's red and white spotty dress, it is very pretty.  My Freya came with the Cosy Cottage, but she isn't going to live there.  The Prickles hedgehogs are going to be the lucky ones to move into this cute little house.

I also received a Street Lamp from the new Town series (which is very elegant, and includes real lights that flicker like old-fashioned lamps would have);  a Family Table & Chairs set, which is great as we are a bit short of tables;  a Garden Decorating set, which the Prickles and Bouquet families have already claimed parts of;  and a second-hand bathroom set.  This bathroom set is really cool as it comes with a section of tiled floor, a shower curtain and a little cupboard, as well as more or less all the pieces the Country Bathroom set comes with. 

I suspect this may be a retired set called the Cottage Bathroom set.  There may be a couple of little pieces missing, but nothing important, and it is in great condition.  I am very happy with it!

Finally, the one present I didn't have in the first picture was this lovely new cushion:

If you are on the Sylvanian Families Forum, or if you read my daughter's blog, you may remember a while ago we won one of these cushions (with different pictures on it).  So imagine how happy I was to unwrap this one on Christmas Day!  They are going to make a gorgeous matching set...

 

Wow, this turned out to be quite a long post!  Thanks for reading (if you have made it this far!)

I really appreciate all those people who read and comment on my blog.  It's nice to know there are others who share this funny little hobby!  I hope that you and your families had as wonderful a Christmas as we did, and wish you all the best things that 2019 has to offer.

The Perfect Christmas Party (Part One)

Okay, so the Advent Calendar thing got away from me a little at the end there - we have been very busy, what with four Christmas parties to attend in three days, and two of them being at our house!  I hope this story will make up for my absence - and fill in the gaps of what our Sylvanians were up to in that last week before Christmas!  This is a collaboration, so many of the creatures pictured here are my daughter Caitlyn's.  She has written the second half of the story on her blog, Sylvanian Stories.

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'Twas the week before Christmas...  and everyone in Macadamia Grove was looking forward to the big village Christmas party!

Every year in Macadamia Grove, the whole village is invited to one big celebration on Christmas Day.  Each family takes a turn hosting the big event.  Some families (generally those with smaller cottages) choose to host the event in a park or by the river;  others hold it in their own home.  This year, it was the Trunk family's turn, so of course the event would be held at the Courtyard Restaurant.

Savannah was very excited and proud to have a chance to host Christmas in their beautiful restaurant.  It was the perfect venue, with the large grassy area outside, the huge old tree with the "special functions" dining platform, and of course the restaurant itself.  Savannah had planned the perfect menu too, and the whole family had had some input into what decorations they would have.  Savannah just knew this was going to be the best Christmas party ever - it was going to be perfect!

Many other people in the village were excited about the venue for this year's party too, and were very interested to see what delicious food Savannah would be preparing!

By the 18th of December, preparations were in full swing.  Hugo had placed orders for everything they would need from the Supermarket.  Most of the decorations were waiting to be put up.  Hugo had also arranged one or two extra surprises without the children's knowledge, and he went to see Mr Rivertail to check on progress.

"Don't worry Hugo,"  Murray said cheerfully, "It will delivered safe and sound the day before Christmas!"

On the 19th of December, Edward Babblebrook arrived at the Courtyard Restaurant to see how things were going.  As the Chairman of the Macadamia Grove governing committee, it was his responsibility to make sure the host family was managing okay with all the preparations, and to see if they needed any help.  He was very impressed with how organised the Trunks were.

"Is there anything I can do while I'm here?"  he asked.
"Well actually, you could give us a hand putting the lights up if you don't mind,"  said Hugo.  "Brooke Rivertail will be here soon to help too - she is bringing a ladder."
"Sure, no worries!" said Edward.

In due course, Brooke arrived, and the three worked together to hang the lights all around the front of the restaurant, and in the big tree.  Brooke had an excellent eye for where the lights would look best.

On the 20th of December, the Buckley family played host to a large group of village children.  This was Nellie Trunk's idea.  She had had so much fun making paper snowflakes with her brothers and sister that she thought it would be lovely to display their efforts at the Christmas party.  Her brother Ivor had said, "But we won't have nearly enough!", but Nellie knew just how to fix that, and had gone to see Mrs Buckley.

With school finished for the year, Mr and Mrs Buckley had a bit of time to spare, and were glad to help out.
"Now children,"  said Anna, "After you have finished folding, take your scissors, and..."

Maisie Honeycrackle leaned over to Misty Rivertail.  "It's just like being at school!" she whispered.
"But more fun!" Misty whispered back.

On the 21st of December, Christopher Appleblossom started on a new gingerbread house, specially created for the party.

He wanted to make sure he got it done before he needed to concentrate on all his cranberry macadamia nut bread orders...

On the 22nd of December, Mr Whiskers and his daughter Pearl brought the Supermarket order to the Courtyard Restaurant.  Hugo was amazed at the large number of Christmas Crackers Savannah had ordered.

"Well there needs to be one for everyone, dear!" she pointed out.

On the 23rd of December, it was time for Savannah to start making some of the food for the party.  She decided to start with dessert.  Meanwhile, she set Ivor to work in the garden, picking vegetables to be roasted tomorrow.

On the 24th of December, Savannah got up very early, as she had a busy day ahead!  All the mixing, chilling and freezing was done - all that remained was to fire up the oven and get baking!  Savannah turned the oven on, humming, and walked around doing a last check on things while she waited for it to heat up.  Everything was looking perfect!

But just as she got back to the kitchen, disaster struck!  A plume of smoke drifted up from the oven, accompanied by a nasty crackling sound!

"Oh no, oh no!" cried Savannah.
"What's wrong, Mum?" Ivor exclaimed, running downstairs.
"My oven is broken - how will I finish this cake now?  Let alone all the roasts I need to cook!"  Savannah wept.
"Well can't you ring Mr Prickles?"  asked Ivor sensibly.  Mr Prickles was the local handyman, whom everyone tended to call on when something needed fixing.
"He's away, the whole family have gone to spend Christmas at the Seaside," Savannah groaned.  "Oh, what am I going to do?  Our perfect Christmas party is ruined...!"

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Oh no - will the Trunk family be able to pull their Christmas party together, even with no food?!
Head over to Sylvanian Stories now for the thrilling conclusion...

December 17th - City Lights

Today, Dorothy Patches set off on her journey to visit her sister's family for Christmas.

To get to her sister's village, Dorothy had to pass through a large city, so she decided to look around at all the lovely Christmas lights.

First, she stopped for some dinner.

"Hmm," she thought.  "This place looks interesting..."

It was the best hamburger Dorothy had had in a long time!

Next, it was on to see the lights!  First, the biggest Christmas tree Dorothy had ever seen!

These lights made Dorothy feel like dancing!

There was even a castle.  Dorothy was very impressed - it made her feel tiny!

But her favourite lights were these ones - another very large installation, but very beautiful, with constantly changing patterns and lovely soft relaxing music...

Dorothy could have sat and watched these ones for hours...

... but she knew she had to be on her way - after all, her sister was expecting her that night.

Luckily, her sister's village was not far from here.  A quick bus trip and a short walk through the park, and she would be with her family.  By this time, Dorothy was very glad she had sent her luggage on ahead!

"It's just over this hill!"

Merry Christmas, Dorothy!

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The Christmas lights Dorothy saw in this post are really some of the lights on the City of Perth's Christmas Light Trail - we had a lovely evening strolling around the city, looking at all the beautiful lights, and we couldn't resist bringing a Sylvanian along with us.  Dorothy was the lucky one this time, as we thought a whole family would be a bit much to deal with, and it fitted in well with her travelling alone to see her family (besides, who else would have enjoyed the fantastic burger more than she?)

December 16th - Presents Under the Tree!

The Rivertail children are very excited - they can't wait until Christmas Day!

All those brightly coloured presents under the Christmas Tree - what could be inside?

Mrs Rivertail knows of course (well, all but one!), but she's not telling!

Murray and Brooke exchange a happy smile.  Having all the family together, sharing the fun and excitement of the festive season - for them, this is the best part of Christmas.

I notice that the Rivertails seem to have FIVE presents under their Tree!  I wonder who is getting two?

December 15th - Christmas Shopping

Dorothy Patches has no children of her own, but she does have three little nieces in another village, and usually spends Christmas with her sister's family there.

Today, Dorothy went Christmas shopping for her nieces, and knew that the best place to go would be Mrs Maple's lovely toy shop in Town.

For her sister's middle child, Dorothy has chosen a toy squirrel, whilst the youngest will be thrilled with her new bucket and spade.  Dorothy knows she needs to find a book shop for her eldest niece's present - I wonder if Mrs Maple was able to recommend one?

December 14th - Wrapped With Love

The Bouquet skunks have finished their Christmas shopping!  Today, Rosemary and her daughter Jasmine spent a lovely afternoon wrapping presents for their friends and family.

Jasmine was even entrusted with wrapping a very special and delicate plate for her grandmother. 

Rosemary was slightly nervous about this, but she needn't have worried.  Jasmine was very careful, and Grandma Stripe is sure to receive her beautiful gift intact!

December 13th - Fancy an Eggnog?

After a hard day's work, Christopher Appleblossom often likes to sit out on the front step of the bakery with a nice hot cup of tea.

Except, just sometimes in December, he treats himself to a foamy cup of eggnog instead, made from a recipe handed down to him by his grandmother.  This afternoon was one of those times.  Christopher felt very happy, with the front of the bakery now looking festive, thanks to his new Christmas tree and the welcoming wreath on the door.

Suddenly, Christopher spotted Mr Whiskers, who runs the supermarket.  He had just shut his shop for the day too, and gave Christopher a friendly wave.

"Good cup of tea, Christopher?" Mr Whiskers called genially, being familiar with his neighbour's habits.
"Not today,"  replied Christopher.  "It's eggnog!  Fancy a cup?  Come on over and I'll whip one up for you in no time!"

December 12th - Christmas Ornament

On the 12th of December, Caitlyn and I decided to make some Christmas ornaments using some spare White Mouse twin figures that we picked up in a bundle on Gumtree (Caitlyn already has baby twins for her Mouse family, so these ones were extras).

This is mine:

As you can see, I used the crawling baby, and went with a gingerbread theme.  I was quite pleased with how it turned out!

The bauble with the cut-out front was on sale at a craft store.  The "snow" is batting, the gingerbread house and the gingerbready bit on top of the ornament are made from super-light clay with glitter, and Miss Mouse's dress was made from a lovely sparkly elastic.  Also, I don't know if you can see it properly in the photo, but she has a little Sculpey gingerbread man to eat.

Here are a couple of closeups:

Caitlyn chose a different - but equally sweet - theme for her ornament!  Look out for it on her blog (Sylvanian Stories) in the next day or two...

December 11th - Gingerbread Day!

Today was a very busy day for Christopher Appleblossom.

Not only was the Watermill Bakery open for business as usual, with customers to serve, bread to bake, and delicious pastries to sell, but also it was gingerbread day!

He knows that the residents of Macadamia Grove are very partial to a gingerbread man (or star, or tree!) at this time of year, so today he made several batches!

The Hazelnut Dormouse family could hardly bear to leave the bakery now that they were here - it just smelled so good!

December 10th - In A Tangle!

The Bouquet family are very excited to have their new apartment in time to decorate for Christmas!  Today, Mr Bouquet brought some new lights home to hang outside, but oh dear, he got himself in a terrible tangle!

At least it happened before he started to climb the ladder up the side of the building!

"Don't worry Daddy, I'll help get you out!" said Jasmine.

"BWAHAHAHAA!" Aniseed was less helpful, being overcome with fits of laughter as Stilton only succeeded in getting himself even more tangled... 

And who is that, peeking around the corner?  Rosemary looks as though she was having a quiet giggle as well!

December 9th - Checking It Twice

Like many Sylvanian children at this time of year, Aniseed Bouquet dreams of what might be in his stocking on Christmas morning.  This morning, while his sister still slept, Aniseed got up early and wrote a wish-list...

December 8th - Paper Snowflakes!

Today, Misty and Todd Rivertail have been very busy making paper snowflakes! 

They know it is the only snow they will see over Christmas, as December here is the beginning of a hot Summer.  This is not typical for Sylvania, but a strange weather anomaly exists around Macadamia Grove that causes its seasons to be reversed...

December 7th - Under the Mistletoe

Today, Mr Stilton Bouquet surprised his wife with a sprig of mistletoe hung up in their new kitchen!

"Oh, you are such a romantic, my dear!"  Rosemary said with a blush.

December 6th - Christmas Concerns...

Aaaughh!  I am running so far behind with this calendar!  I put it down to a combination of being very busy with real-life things, and not having a huge variety of Sylvanians of my own to use in scenes.  I felt like I couldn't use the Beavers and Christopher Appleblossom every day, especially as Christopher is a single squirrel, and Caitlyn wants to use the Beavers in some of her photos too.  But I didn't want to use my Bouquet skunks for any Christmas photos until they were properly moved into their new home, so I really wanted to post that story first!  Anyway, now the Bouquets have settled in nicely, and I am determined to catch up with the advent calendar over the next few days!

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Jasmine Bouquet had some concerns about moving to Town.  Back in her old school in the countryside, Jasmine was quite the social butterfly, with lots of friends she had now had to leave behind.  She was also worried about living in a small apartment, having been used to quite a large home in the country.

Now that she and her family had moved in though, Jasmine was getting quite excited about their new home.  She liked the cute (although in her view pokey) little apartment, and she liked the close proximity of a large number of new and interesting shops and restaurants.  Also, she had written letters to some of her old friends, and they had written back - Jasmine quite liked the idea of having a penpal or two, and was starting to look forward to making new friends as well.

But there was just one thing still bothering her...

"Mama?" she ventured one night, as their mother had just tucked her and Aniseed into their beds.
"Yes, little flower?"  answered her mother.

"Now that we have moved... will the Northern Mouse know where we live?"
Aniseed didn't say anything, but Rosemary noticed that he had become very still, and she realised he was keen to know the answer to this, too.

"Oh, of course he will, Jasmine!" Rosemary explained kindly.  "The Northern Mouse is very clever you know, and knows just where to make all his deliveries!  Besides, I have heard that there is a whole department of his reindeer helpers that is especially tasked with making sure all the children's addresses are correct,"  she added importantly.

"Really, truly, mama?"  Jasmine asked, her face brightening.
"Really, truly," said her mother.  "Now, off to sleep you two."

Now Jasmine could sleep soundly, and she was finally ready to call this new apartment her home.

The Bouquets Move In

This is Part Two of the story of the Bouquet skunk family's arrival in their new home.  To see the first part, go here.

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"Oh Stilton, the wallpaper looks lovely," Rosemary exclaimed happily.
"I knew it would," her husband replied.  "You have very good taste, my dear."

Meanwhile, the children had ventured into the next room, which turned out to be the bedroom.

"Bunk beds!" yelled Aniseed.  "Bags the top one!"
Stilton, following them in, laughed.  "I think your mum might have put Jasmine's bedding on the top one, Aniseed," he said.

"I don't mind having the bottom bunk," Jasmine said.  "We can change the sheets over later."  She looked over at the couch in the room.  "Is that a fold-out sofa bed for you and Mama?"
Stilton eyed his daughter warily.
"I know it's a small apartment, Jas," he began nervously.  "I know you're used to a bigger house, but I'm sure you'll get used to this one in no time, and there are lots of things about living in Town that I know you're going to love..."

"It is small," Jasmine said quietly.  She looked around at the patterned wallpaper, the new bunk beds, and finally her father, and she smiled.  "But it's pretty.  I think it's going to be just fine.  Can we go and see upstairs now?"
Stilton relaxed a little.  "Of course - the stairs are back out in the entry."

They found Rosemary upstairs, inspecting the new stove and oven.

"Um... Mum?  Are we going to get a table?"  Aniseed asked, confused.

Rosemary smiled.  "Of course we are dear, but it won't be in here.  We are going to have a lovely rooftop courtyard for our meal area.  It will be great for having visitors and parties."  She glanced over at Jasmine, who looked interested at this, then at Stilton, who smiled reassuringly at her.  They had been a little worried about Jasmine's reaction to the move.  She had been sad to leave her old school in the countryside, and had left many friends behind.  Aniseed was another matter - nothing much fazed him, and he was excited to start at their new school, which was known for its excellent science program.

"Ooo, I like the bathroom!" Jasmine exclaimed.  "We've got a shower!  We only had a bath in our old house."

"So, family, what do we all think of the new house?  Will it do?" asked Stilton, when all the exploring was done.

"Well I'm very happy with how it has turned out," said Rosemary.  "Obviously there is a bit of work still to be done to get the courtyard up and running, but I think it is going to be a lovely place to live."  She looked expectantly at the children.
Aniseed shrugged.  "Yeah, it's cool," he said.  "The view is awesome."
"I like it too," said Jasmine softly.  "It's... very different.  Not like our old home.  But it's little and cute - it's nice in its own way."

Stilton and Rosemary were thrilled.  They just knew that this was going to be the beginning of a wonderful new life.

December 5th - Introducing Dorothy Patches

I know this post is a day late, but we have barely been home in the last couple of days - so busy!  Still, better late than never!  I hope to get today's post up in a few hours...

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It's the 5th of December, and Dorothy Patches is selling icecream at a special Christmas event just outside Macadamia Grove.  Dorothy is a very kind dog, who loves to volunteer at the stall every year.

Many families have come down to enjoy an evening's fun, including the Rivertail beavers.  Misty and Todd have brought some of their pocket money with them, especially to buy a treat at the icecream stall.

What is the event?  Well, if you look behind Dorothy you might find a big clue, but my daughter Caitlyn will be posting more about it tomorrow over at Sylvanian Stories...

The Bouquets Arrive

It was a fine sunny morning in Sylvania.  In Town, the shops were just opening, the children had all just gone off to school, and the workers were getting organised for the day.

But there was one family whose day had begun much earlier, and who stepped into Plum Street rather more nervously than the other people around them did.

The Bouquet family of skunks had just arrived from the countryside.  They were not strangers to Town - Stilton had grown up in the city, and had moved to the countryside after meeting Rosemary there on a holiday when they were younger.  

Since then, they had visited Town often, even after their children were born.  Aniseed and Jasmine associated Town with Christmas shopping, haircuts, and visiting Daddy's old friends.

This time, though, was different.  This time they were here to stay.  It had always been the plan - to start their married lives in the sleepy country town where Rosemary had grown up, to begin raising their children there, surrounded by fresh air and green things growing.  Then, when the children were a little older, to move the family to Town and start their own business.

Now, here they were, and about to step into their new apartment for the first time!  Actually, Stilton and Rosemary had both been there before, but that had been whilst it was still being built.  Now they would get to see the place with all the flooring finished, and with the wallpapers Rosemary had chosen - she so hoped they would look as nice as they had in her mind!

When they arrived, Aniseed's eyes widened.  "Whoah," he said softly.  "It's a tall building!"

"It's not all for us, is it, Mama?" seven-year-old Jasmine asked in wonder.

"Don't be silly Jas," her brother answered scornfully, with all the authority of his nine years.  "It's an apartment building, remember?  Lots of little houses, stacked up like blocks.  And we get to be in the one at the very top!" he finished excitedly.

Their parents laughed.  "Aniseed is right, Jasmine," her father said kindly, as they took the lift up to their floor.  "And our apartment will actually be a bit smaller than what you're used to.  But you'll see, we will make it work."

Then he opened the door, and they all looked around...