Christmas Day 2012 (by sarah)
Christmas Morning and the stockings were bulging at the seams, two dresses lay draped across the fire guard. Jean was almost bursting with excitement and Mary had picked up on this - they had woken us up at like 4:30 am - we sent them back to bed and then I couldn't sleep for excitement and so went and woke them up at first light!
Jean was ecstatic to find the things she had asked for in the stocking and Mary got a little confused and kept trying to put her things back into the stocking! Jean then entertained us with jokes from her Angry Bird book.
Whilst Mary played plinky music on her little plinky guitar 🙂
I was impressed that Santa realised I needed a pencil sharpener and rubbers and pencils and a calligraphy set!
Mary finally got the idea with the stockings... just in time to help Daddy.
The girls were sleepy but perked up once breakfast and more present opening was mentioned!
There was a lot of presents!
Most of them were from our friends and we could not believe their generocity, there were lots and lots of lovely things for the girls but also things for me and Al. My presents ranged from a lovely pocket dragon broach which I wore at dinner, to butterfly necklaces - one of which Jean had chosen specially for me. Then there was a Clangers craft book and so many other things - all I could say was 'Oh wow!' and then it came time to open the package that had turned up on the door step Christmas Eve.
The tag read 'The Snell-Pym Family From Santa' it was a complete mystery and it contained an X-Box Connect! Jean did little happy jumps and Daddy stood there frozen and then started trying to work out if he had a cable to connect it to one of the monitors we have kicking about the place etc... and I cried. I'd tried to make a video Christmas Eve to thank everybody for being so lovely but I had gotten too choked up. Father Christmas had delivered what was wanted but not what had actually been asked for as Jean was worried it was too big a present and I had said on Facebook that such a present would have to be a whole family present.
Jean loves Angry Birds and so the umbrella had to instantly be tried out!
As did the Ju Jistu mitts that she had asked Santa about specially.
Butterflies! I received lots of butterflies as necklaces and wall hangings - Alaric says he is neither for nor against butterflies in the house but that they make me so happy that he wants to just cover the house in them now 🙂
Jean was over the moon at the stack of books she received and we knew that there was just as many to come on Boxing Day too!
She chose a Worst Witch book to start with and was just finishing chapter two when it came to bed time 🙂
Jean loves books
So does Mary 🙂
Mary also loved her little Hedgehog that Jeany had gotten her.
The girls both wanted to put on their new cloths - Jean chose the blue dress which had been mine at the same age - though it had been made longer for me when I was about 10 so is long enough for Jean!
The hat is one of Nanny's which she then put on Mary, a process I don't think Mary appreciated!
But then Mary was really happy with the hat and wondered around with it on for ages!
Mary loves the little Minni Mouse outfit so much that there was a cross tantrum when it had to be removed due to a nappy breach - but this was solved by the fact she saw her new pj's (sent by the same person! Helen her god mother!).
We left the kids watching their new film whilst we went to cook the dinner. Well when I say 'we' I mean Al the elf!
I was busy decorating the Christmas cake 🙂
The Snowflake Cake! It didn't quiet come out the way I invisioned - the two techniques didn't work well together - most of the slump in the wonky cake stand rather than the cake itself though!
I was very happy with how the glittery snowflakes came out though! More on this will appear on our cooking bog at some point!
It was then Dinner time and Jean rushed to the table - anyone would think she was hungry!
We went with a standard fruity starter 🙂 Melon and strawberries 🙂
then onto the leopard pie which I had made little vent tubes for, these represent polyp tubes in colonial organisms 🙂
It worked really well this year and I really enjoyed dinner 🙂
Jean of course was very hungry and couldn't even wait for the crackers to be pulled - she got shouted at! (ok so this is a posed shot taken after the event!).
Yummy yummy for my tummy!
I then made pud as Alaric was exhausted!
See very tired - one Alaric!
Mary never quiet got the hang of the crackers!
We then all went off to read our books whilst Mary napped - apparently I was snoring away on the sofa! :/
Then me and Jean played an epic game of Scrabble where I found the new challenge was to to try and make the board as open as possible and to only use words I could explain the meaning of to her - I am hopeful that in about three years I will have a proper opponent for the game!