Yuletide Greetings to One and All!!

Yuletide Greetings readers!

Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, a day where we give each other gifts to raise each others spirits in the dark as we look forward to the coming spring!

I thought I’d give you a little update on the Yuletide festivities going on around me right now…

This is the first time I have spent the holidays on the ship; it’s also the firsttime I have spent the holidays away from my family, ever, so this is a very new experience for me. I have heard all about what happens over the holidays on the ship, but never experienced it, and it is an experience!! We are almost at full capacity of guests for the Christmas cruise, which means we have over 2800 guests, 700 of which are children. It is a little hard to see families enjoying the holidays together when we are so far away from ours, but my cast is my family right now and we are having a good time.

I am spending most of my time making and adjusting costumes for the Christmas show we are going to have on Christmas day. We are also going out to villages in Roatan and giving presents to under privileged children tomorrow.

The most fun aspect of Christmas here, however, is Secret Santa! We are giving out five small presents from the 20^th to the 24^th, then we all get together and give one big gift to our Secret Santa person on Christmas day… so far I have been given fruit Tootsies rolls, strawberry Mentos and a Starbucks frappuccino – well done Secret Santa!!

More Christmasy things to follow!!

Have a Happy Holidays!

Bowiegirl1982

Yule Is Coming!!

I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, but I’m Pagan. So I don’t celebrate Christmas, I celebrate Yule. I do participate in the season with family and friends though, and event though every year I try to convince my Mum that she should

give me my presents on the 21^st December (which is when Yule falls), she doesn’t let me!

As it is said, Santa Claus is Pagan too! So here is my first Yule craft – stockings! I made one for me and one for my friend for on the ship. Now I just have to find stuff to go in them!

On a side note, I am thinking about moving this blog to my own website, when I can get it up and running... so if you read this, keep an eye out for the moved notice...

Bowiegirl1982

A Crafty Christmas!

As I said before, this Christmas everyone is getting a crafty gift. For my best friend’s mum and aunt I have made jewellery. These are my first pieces intended for other people so I was a little scared when I began. It was also the first time I had used crimp beads and beading wire.
I don’t have any clasps with me on the ship so I decided to use a large bead and make a loop from smaller beads to close it. I then used a beading board to arrange my pattern – very handy! I made the cream version first and liked it so much I made the blue version. I hope they like them as much as I do!!

Don’t worry, my family members are also getting crafty gifts – I’m making them photos books ;-)

Bowiegirl1982

A Family Affair

This year for Christmas I have been making people presents. My first completed project is a sampler for my best friend’s family. I have incorporated symbols and colours that remind me of them. They are from Texas and Mexican; I have used the Lone Star, red, white and blue for America and the State of Texas. I added a Mexican Day Of The Dead skull to represent their heritage and a Cross to show their faith which is very important to them. In the centre I have put a heart to symbolise their love for one another and for me – they have always made me feel very welcome.

I’m really proud of this piece, I really like the way it finally came out. I can’t wait to find out what they think of it!