Christmas has come and gone. In many ways I’m saddened that we now have to wait another 12 months for it to return. On the other hand, I’m relieved that the stress is over. The madness of shopping and planning and buying and preparing is too much for me at times but at other times I really enjoy it. A big mixed bag of emotions for me!

We had a lovely Christmas though, this year. The first in our new house and actually the first I’ve ever hosted. All my life I’ve been planning the Christmas table - centre pieces, colour coordination, place markers, all the crockery and glassware, the menu, the guests. I enjoyed this to the hilt - it was all to be re-arranged and dismantled by the 24 guests once we sat down to eat however, but the hour or so beforehand, I treasured!

We have a few little Christmas traditions which I love.

Every year we have an advent calendar - usually one of those daggy cardboard ones. This year we found a lovely felt Christmas tree which had a little felt pocket for each day of the advent. Each pocket holds a wooden decoration which is hung onto a button on the Christmas tree. Inside the pocket I placed a chocolate coin. Lewi now has a real grasp on the whole calendar thing. Each day he would look at the date and tell me what it was. He’d count down how many more days until Christmas and worked it all out in weeks as well.

We also love to make gingerbread men for the festive season. We usually make them and then share them with friends and visitors who pop in over the December weeks. We also made rocky road for gifts as well as florentines for ourselves!

On Christmas Eve I give Lewi a special Christmas decoration for him to hang on the tree. It’s always one for him to keep for when he’s an adult and he loves building up his little supply of ornate decorations. I also gave him, this year, a picture book version of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. We read this by the Christmas Tree lights on Christmas Eve. We then set up Santas’ little plate of nibblies and a carrot for the reindeers. Lewi also wrote a note for Santa, lettig him know how to get into our house. He was concerned that Santa might not know how to get into our new house as it doesn’t have a chimney!

Lewi really got into the whole Santa thing this year. I’ve never pushed it and he has always known that Santa’s a character but this year he really wanted to believe in it all. It was lovely to revel in the whole fantasy of it and it brought so many memories of my own childhood back. The waiting up as long as possible to try and hear sleigh bells or see just a hint of red was such an exhilerating feeling for me as a child and I could see it, this year, happening for Lewi. He couldn’t get to sleep, straining his ears and staring out of our bedroom window (we haven’t put our blinds up yet!) waiting for Santa to make his appearance. I became weary waiting for him to finally drift off so I could fill the sack and nibble at Santas’ food so that I could then snuggle up into bed.

Christmas morning was nice and relaxed this year as we didn’t have to rush off anywhere. It was lovely to be in our own house and to have some quiet moments before the guests arrived. Lewi’s main present was a timber cubby house which I made (with a little hired help!). He got to have some play time in it and enjoy the rest of his presents while I finished the final preparations of food, table setting etc.

It was lovely having lots of family this yar. All my siblings came and their children. Plus my Grandma, some uncles and aunties, some of my cousins and step-grandparents. The kids had a lovely time and played the day away. Cricket on the lawn (well, almost lawn!), a complicated treasure hunt and water bombs entertained the young’uns (and the olds too!).

For the next few days my brother and his family stayed so Lewi got to have loads of cousin time. We went to the beach and the river, played games at night and ate lots in between. A really lovely way to get the summer rolling.

I’m not sure what we’ll be doing for Christmas in 2006 but this Christmas will be one that I think I’ll find hard to top. I am now looking forward to some normality re-entering our lives and some chilling out time just to sit and ponder. I hope that I’m not dreaming!

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Posted by Anonymous

Hi,

I've been looking for a school friend of mine, Joshua. I was hoping he was your brother. We went to Quaama together. If you are Josh's older sister you may remember myself and my two sisters, Tara & Stacey.

Rhys

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