Happy Christmas everyone!

CHRISTMAS COMES BUT ONCE A YEAR....
THE FAMILY ARRIVED WITH CHRISTMAS CHEER....
FUN AND LAUGHTER FILLED OUR HOUSE....
I WOULDN’T WANT TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE!

Hello everyone and I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!

In our house the last week before Christmas can be a testing time. The children get so swept up in the build up they find it hard to contain their excitement and this usually turns into naughtiness. At least I know what to expect as I have seen it all before and know the pattern. Once the magic day arrives they turn back into nice little boys instead of horrible little trolls and peace and balance is restored again!

My favourite time is Christmas Eve. Although I had to work, we were allowed to finish early. So at 1pm I was rushing home to check on the website that tracks Santa, whether or not he had started! It is a bit of a routine now that we always go onto this website on Christmas Eve, and one I hope that will continue even as the boys grow and become older and wiser and more cynical about magic in the world we live in. It is an interesting time as Sam is 10 now and able to question things a lot more. I think he is developing his own ideas about Father Christmas but as Luke is still only 7, I try to protect him from growing up to soon. You have your whole adult life to develop cynicism, so in my view the longer it takes to get there, the better! I remember my own mum telling me that when you stop believing in Father Christmas that is the time he stops coming to you. She said when other children try to tell you at school that it’s really the parents, in their case it probably is, because parents have to take over once Father Christmas stops and I stand by that argument! The children had actually gone to bed by the time the web site showed Father Christmas’s sleigh flying over Bristol and landing at the millennium stadium in Cardiff to make his deliveries and for a minute I forgot I was nearly 40 and shouted to Rob “look, quick he is flying over Nailsea right now!”

The morning arrived and this year I am pleased to say it didn’t arrive until around 7am. I remember plenty of years when I have woken up to shouts of “wow look at this, he’s been!” “Mum can you open this, have you got a screw driver?” and felt a sinking feeling when the clock said 4.30 am! One of their stocking presents was a make your own comic set and this kept them busy for several hours whilst we waited for the rest of the family to arrive - so top marks for Father Christmas this year from me!

At around 10.30 my parents and brother arrived, the turkey went in, and the mulled wine went on. Some people find Christmas cooking quite stressful and maybe I’m just lucky with the family I have, but I think there is no point in doing it at all if you spend the day tearing your hair out in the kitchen. We are all very relaxed and I know that even if I burnt everything and ended up giving everyone a sandwich, my family would still all say it was wonderful as long as there were crackers, games and wine! Rob is very handy in the kitchen too and had prepared all the vegetables the night before with the children. They love peeling and cutting the veg as they get to use a sharp knife under supervision - something I would be far too nervous to allow, so I let them get on with it under Rob’s watchful eye and keep out of the way. I know it is good for them to develop a sense of responsibility and I’m sure their future wives will be very grateful that they know how to deal with a sprout!

Anyway without feeling under the stress and pressure of having to create a perfect meal the end result always seems to be just that, a perfect meal. No one was confined to the kitchen; we all helped and had a lot of help from Iceland too!

I never want to eat turkey curry for three weeks after Christmas so we had a turkey breast crown which was delicious and juicy and was the right amount for the number of people eating. We also had the prepared stuffing with the bacon on top and the prepared pigs in blankets. This meant there was time and space for Rob to make his own vegetarian version with veggie sausages and veggie bacon. My brother is vegetarian too but between us all we produced two versions of the best Christmas dinner ever without any dramas in the kitchen.

We all had some lovely presents. I had got new bikes for the boys that I covered in tinsel and put in the hall. (They took some hiding in the run up to Christmas and I am very grateful to good friends with spare garage space!) I got the response I was looking for, and they both seemed really happy with them. I had a beautiful lamp that is hard to describe but looks a bit like a huge red tulip bulb with sticks sticking out of it, it is actually much better than it sounds! Top marks to Rob as I had seen it in a shop window a month or so before and commented on how much I liked it and he must have remembered and gone back to get it.

I also had a huge mirror disco ball from my friend which I realise may not be everyone’s heart’s desire but I thought it was fantastic! It is now hanging proudly along with my blue neon lights in the conservatory and I am happy to say a boring old kitchen is rapidly turning into an authentic 1980’s discotheque, especially with the addition of a purple lava lamp too!

I can honestly say it is no longer a problem in my house to be out in the kitchen, with the music on and all my disco effects. I would happily stay out there singing and dancing, and perhaps even cooking for hours!

The icing on the cake was having a dishwasher from my mum. Yes, I know that might sound very grown up and boring, but she also gave me a wooden monkey that does trapeze tricks and a Spike Milligan book to balance that, and the time I save not having to wash up anymore can be used to do things that are much more fun, so it is the best present ever! I have never had one before and can’t believe how labour saving they really are.

We spent the rest of the day playing silly games like charades, consequences and playing “Just Dance” on the wii to burn off a few Christmas calories! It really was the best Christmas so far and unlike the soap operas at Christmas, there were no fights or natural disasters, just a really happy day!

I hope you all had your own perfect Christmas too. I realise that might mean different things to different people depending on your own routines and priorities, but whatever they are I hope it was good!

Please come back next week when I can tell you how we said goodbye to 2010 and welcomed in the New Year.

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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