Prior to Christmas we had a couple of parties and met up with friends and had a thoroughly nice time.Xmas eve we spent some time with my sister and her family and a group of their friends.We left after a couple of hours and got home to do our traditional Xmas eve walk around the village.We started it many years ago when Emily was very small as she had wanted to go on a Santa hunt to see if she could see him in the sky.It was a lovely evening, very cold but still and we all enjoyed taking Beauty round with us.We sang a couple of carols going round and got home to throw out the oats with glitter for Rudolph to find his way to us.Then inside for a mug of hot chocolate and Milly opened a present I had got specially for tonight, Nims Island.We all enjoyed watching it,Emily and Alan had seen it at the cinema but it was my first time. Around 10.30 after setting out a plate for Santa and Rudolph Alan and Milly headed to bed to read.She had wanted us all to go to bed together so she could put a chair near the door!! She said she still believed in Santa but wanted to make doubly sure it wasn't us putting the presents out!!
Xmas morning started at 6.30, a bit of a lie in after the 5.00 start last year;-)Milly found the stocking Santa leaves on her bedroom door had opened that in bed with us, then we went down.Milly had decided she would open all her presents in the morning. In previous years we had saved some to open up with family at whoevers house we were eating lunch and even kept some for boxing day.For many years we had gone along with other peoples traditions and it took quite a lot of the joy away from Emily's day.She is a very immediate kind of gal:-))
We decided last year that we were going to do things differently this year and do things in a way that enabled Emily to enjoy it to the fullest.She had a whale of a time opening one after the other:-) I did take pictures but most are very shaky .This was taken later and it is one of her favourite presents from Santa.
After bacon rolls this is pretty much how we all felt:-))
After a clear up we placed all the presents back near the tree.Last year we also decided that it would work better for us to do our christmas dinner on a different day, to enable us to be fully present with Emily and be able to spend time playing and just being together so we had no preparation to do and didn't need to be going back and forth putting things on and checking things out,I was much less frazzled. We had a lovely relaxed day watching Dr Who(new DVD boxed set)and checking out some of her toys and had a lovely walk on the beach with Beauty in the afternoon.Quite uneventful apart from a few frayed nerves and moodiness caused by being so tired and Emily wanting to go barefoot, yes even in the midst of winter she gallops about the beach barefoot.It wasn't so much going barefoot that was the problem, more the clobber that we ended up carrying,socks wellies,shells etc and the faff of getting back to the car having to navigate our way across a rather deep channel of water and not having hands free to hold on when the sides gave way and I toppled down !!I can laugh now but wasn't a happy bunny at the time ;-)
We then drove a short way to the big playground and a rather sticky incident with a merry go round thing brought the trip to an end with tears from Emily(claimed she had a broken leg) and sulks from Daddy(it was his fault,but he hadn't meant it and could not understand all the dramatics!!)however I managed to lighten the mood and we had a good laugh on the way home.We made steak in a lovely pepper sauce with chips and veg and Emily had chosen chicken dippers and chips!!More Dr who on TV and an evening watching bits of TV, reading new books. An early night for Emily and I finished off a super Christmas.
Boxing day was spent over at my Mums with my sisters and husbands and our nephew.She had made Roast beef and yorkshire puds Mmmmm good food and wine,lots of laughter and games.
We had our Christmas dinner on the Saturday evening.I got it all made whilst Emily was taken out for a long walk by some new friends we have made, she had a great time and was home just in time for tea.She was invited to spend time the next day with them on another long walk and then came down with this awful virus:-(
A couple of quiet days watching lot's of new DVDs and busy nights,cuddling when she awoke in pain, getting drinks for sore throats and rubbing sore legs.
Over the last few days Milly has gradually been taking her presents from under the tree and playing with them or reading them or making them.She likes to open things quickly but then enjoys taking her time to go through them and explore them at her own pace when she is ready.Gradually the pile under the tree is going down and finding new homes throughout the house.
Going into 2009 in a quiet fashion but looking forward with great optimism for a good year full of fun and joy.
Wishing all of you some fun and joy too for 2009.xx
2 comments:
Apart from getting ill, it sounds like you had a good Christmas, by making it yours and not trying to fit with anyone else. That's what I do :-)
Happy New Year!
what a very lovely Christmas, I love the pics especially the yawning one ah :-)
Happy New Year x
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