The Christmas Present That Starts in October.

Between school meetings, homemade bread rolls and a new responsibility, Babette is already thinking about wool, colours and Christmas.

By Babette. Germany.

Sometimes I think a school parents’ evening should be a quick meeting. You go there, listen to the teachers, hear what is happening in the class, and then you go home.

But that is not always how it works.

This week, I went to a parents’ evening and arrived home at about quarter to ten. My husband had also been to a school meeting, but he had finished much earlier. When we spoke, he wanted to know why I was still at school.

I told him I had been talking to the teachers. After all, that is why we go to these meetings.

There was something else I had not told him yet.

I had become the chair of the Parents’ Council.

A Very Quick Election.

Normally, choosing the parent representative involves a secret ballot. The teacher leaves the room, the parents discuss who should take the position, and everybody votes.

This time, things happened much faster.

The class teachers had asked whether I would take the position for another year. I was happy to do it, and another father had already offered to be my deputy.

So, when it was time for the election, I told the teachers they could stay. There was no need to make everything complicated. I would continue for another year, and we already had someone willing to help.

That was that. A very short election!

I have experience with this kind of responsibility, and I think some parts of the job are quite easy. Often, I receive information from the class teacher and pass it on to the other parents. If the school is planning an event and needs help, I ask in our class group who can volunteer or bake a cake.

Of course, not every school or class works in exactly the same way. Some responsibilities are more complicated than others. But I know what I need to do, and I am comfortable continuing.

My husband, however, still needed to discover that I had agreed to another year.

For the first two years, I was the only one of us in the parents’ group. After the meeting, I added him to it. I had already sent some messages that morning, so I thought he might discover my new responsibility when he read them.

Perhaps that would save me another explanation!

Thinking About Christmas Already.

One of the things I can now start organising is the Christmas presents for the teachers.

Yes, Christmas presents. In October.

It sounds early, but when you want to make something yourself, you cannot leave everything until December.

I have made a soul warmer for a teacher before. It is a lovely handmade item, something warm that you can wear around your shoulders. This year, I am thinking about making them again.

Before I start, though, I need to make some decisions.

First, the colours.

One teacher likes green, which makes things quite easy because I already have an idea of what might suit her.

The other teacher is a little more interesting. She told me that she normally likes black, especially with beige decorations, and sometimes a bright, juicy yellow.

But when I mentioned the soul warmer, she said it could be very colourful.

That gives me many possibilities.

I will have to look at the wool I have at home and see what colours I can put together. I also need to decide which pattern to use and how I want to make it.

There is still plenty to think about before I begin.

The Ring Is Easier for Me.

I enjoy making things with wool, and I have different tools I can use.

I could work with knitting needles, but I prefer using a knitting loom. For me, the ring is easier, and I can make something beautiful without having to use two needles.

I also have a larger loom, although I am still thinking about which one will be best for this project.

When I need ideas, I like watching videos from a woman whose work I follow online. I enjoy her patterns and the way she explains things. I have watched her videos before, and I know I can find inspiration there.

Sometimes it is nice to discover something completely new. Other times, when you find somebody whose instructions work well for you, there is no reason to change.

I can look at the different patterns, choose something I like, and then decide how to make it my own.

And, of course, I must remember to buy the right wool.

A Christmas present can begin with a very small decision, but there are quite a few more decisions before it is finished.

Fresh Bread at Half Past Five.

Making things at home is something we do quite often, although it is not always me doing the baking.

Normally, I bake our bread and bread rolls myself. But this week, my husband prepared the dough.

He had made it the evening before, and when he came home early in the morning, sometime between quarter past five and half past five, he took it out of the fridge, shaped the bread rolls and put them in the oven.

My alarm goes off at half past five.

A few minutes after I woke up, he came to tell me that the bread rolls were already baking.

That was quite a nice surprise, especially after getting home so late from the parents’ evening.

Not everybody in the family is equally enthusiastic about my homemade bread, though.

One of my children has decided that she does not like it.

So yesterday, I bought bread for her instead. It cost €1.99.

At that price, I certainly hope she enjoys it!

I still like baking our own bread and rolls. It is something useful we can make at home, and it is especially nice when somebody else has already done the early-morning work.

Another Project Waiting at Home.

There always seems to be something happening. A school meeting, a message to send to the parents, bread to prepare, or something that needs organising.

And now I have Christmas presents to think about as well.

When I get home, I want to look through my wool and see what I already have. I need green, perhaps some black, maybe yellow, and possibly several other colours if I decide to make the second soul warmer bright and colourful.

Then I can look for a pattern.

I have not decided exactly what I will make yet, and that is part of the fun. I can watch a few videos, look at the different possibilities and choose the one I like best.

There is still time before Christmas, but I know how quickly the weeks can pass when there are so many other things to do.

At least the election is finished, and I know who will help me with the Parents’ Council this year.

Now I can start thinking about the wool.

And perhaps, by Christmas, the teachers will each have something warm, colourful and handmade.

That is the plan, anyway.