We had our takeaway last night and it was delicious. We were just settling down to watch something on TV before bringing out the presents and maybe getting an early night in view of expected early morning to follow when the phone rang. We didn’t answer it but listened to a rather slurred message from my Mum saying ‘itsh yer muvver, we’re coming round’. So I went and got dressed again (I’d been in pjs) and sure enough they appeared having been out for a meal somewhere local. They were on good form but quite loud and so the kids who had been at least pretending to be asleep gave up on that and reappeared.
In the end I went up and read to them both, one of those books where you can have a childs’ name put in the story that we’d got for Scarlett years ago about helping Santa deliver presents and then ‘The night before Christmas’, which settled them both down and they were asleep not too long afterwards. I filled their stockings and then pretty much evicted my parents around midnight as I really wanted to at least have gotten to sleep before the kids woke up for the first time.
We put presents under the tree, dealt with the carrot, mince pie and brandy left on the hearth and went to bed. Infact I slept through the first waking at about 4am when they opened their stockings and played with stuff before going back to sleep. Davies came in at 7am to ask if it was 7am yet but I lied and said no it wasn’t 😆 I did give in ten minutes later though and they both brought their stockings in to us to show us what they’d got. The usual stuff like chocolate coins, new toothbrush, toothpaste, bubble bath, some new pens, couple of things like paper aeroplanes, wind up toys, jumping beans etc – Hawkins finest ;).
Then downstairs for present opening proper along with cinnamon rolls in the oven and much tea. They were both really happy with what they got, along with a few things like craft kits, warm socks, a new top each and a gorgeous journal each with some twig colouring pencils, a stylophone and the usual chocolates and art materials, Davies had a second hand psp and several games and films to go with it and a big tub of plasticine while Scarlett had a night vision monocle, cuddly ducks, a couple of memory sticks with more photos from this year for her digital photo frame and a bouncy ball making kit. All four of us had a new knife each for next year too. Ady and I had had a strict budget of £10 each on each other and had very spookily spent it on the same gifts for each other of chocolates, a hip flask and handwarmers although I got Ady the snap the metal disc then refresh in boiling water type while he got me a rather more swanky one where you put lit fuel sticks into a case.
We almost instantly lost Davies to his psp and indeed he has had to be prised away from it all day today. I was deeply reluctant to buy another games console but he does get lots of use from his DS and he put forward a good case for the psp for next year as another portable, small entertainment gadget, one he can watch films on and it does have several games he really wanted but are not available on DS. He was given the choice of a new one with just one or two games or a second hand one with several games and films and he went for the second hand option. Thankfully way back in August one of Ady’s workmates was selling his in really good condition so we bought it back then and have been keeping our eyes out for bargain games and films on ebay so had amassed a fair few for him.
Scarlett had proved really difficult to think of a gift for but given her love of wildlife and nature and the endless opportunities for night time spotting she’ll have next year the night vision will be ideal. We’re really impressed with it, her and Ady took it outside after dark for a while tonight but it was just so cold they came back in again after a few minutes. Scarlett also liked the couple of mixing up potion type kits she got – a bouncy ball making one from us and a crystal growing one from Chris & Julie. So her and I looked at those together and she made bouncy balls for everyone in the family and set her crystals off growing. The bouncy ball kit is excellent actually, I’m hoping the refill kit I’ve tracked down and ordered online will work with the moulds from Scarlett’s kit.
Chocolate eating, bucks fizz drinking and general present exploration continued before we gathered ourselves up and headed over to my parents for midday. I think it’s most we’ve ever contributed food wise this year as we bought the turkey and Christmas pudding, I made the mince pies and a Christmas cake and we took over several bottles of wine too, including a non-alcoholic bottle of pink fizz for Tarly 🙂
We arrived and had mulled wine and mince pies while Mum stressed about the cooking (I refused to get drawn in), Davies showed Ady stuff on the psp and Scarlett and I did a lizard puzzle, or rather failed to do a lizard puzzle.
Granny arrived eventually and after helping a bit with timings of food we cracked upon a bottle of wine and exchanged presents. We’d got Mum and Dad a cd she’d specifically asked for, a bottle of drink and a new coffee maker as their old one broke this year and a photo card for their digital frame with some pics of this year. They got Davies a digital photo frame keyring and a game of jenga and Scarlett a wildlife book and a soft toy pillow which was a huge hit as she’s been after one for ages but I’d proclaimed them over priced and not worth it so she was delighted :). I got a set of bath stuff and Ady got several pairs of decent socks and gloves and then they called us out into the kitchen and said they were wiping off the money we owe them from our boiler earlier this year. We had paid off nearly half but with various things the last couple of months we have not managed to pay anything and it was obviously going on hold while we are away. A very generous and welcome gift :). Frazer was then called out into the kitchen too and I know he owed Dad a fair bit so I’m assuming he was given the same. The kids also got their premium bonds from them as usual. They also got money off my brother and Granny so now have another injection of cash to add to the balance they both already have. I’m trying to persuade them to keep it as their personal fund for next year for anything they might want along the way.
That pretty much took us to dinnertime so I helped serve up and we all ate. As usual it was a lovely dinner, far too much washed down with fizz :). Afterwards I helped stack the dishwasher and then we all sat down and pulled crackers. Mum usually gets everyone a little present for the table but this year she’d bought decent M&S crackers instead but they were crap! Looked beautiful and were such thick paper they were a real bugger to actually pull but the ‘quality gifts’ inside were still tat! 😆 The paper hats were fancy gold ones though 😆
Ady and I had a game or two of jenga and then it was dessert time. Davies uttered the immortal line of replying to ‘which is your favourite bit of the trifle?’ with ‘the pastry!’ 😆 which had us laughing like drains 😆 We watched Gruffalo and Doctor Who, the Frazer went to fetch Kat (his girlfriend) so we briefly exchanged greetings with her before deciding we were ready to come home – I’d fallen asleep during Doctor Who!
Back home for just before 9pm, the kids watched the end of a Blackadder episode and thought it was hilarious – another landmark milestone reached them, I remember watching my first Blackadder :). They are having another sleepover although it took a while for any actual sleeping to happen. I hope they sleep in and catch up a bit in the morning.
We’ve watched some TV too, Ady’s heroically eating his way through festive nibbles and looking forward to tomorrow which has been declared No Real Food Day.
A very successful Christmas. Not too much spent, everything wanted / needed / delightedly received, excellent and generous gift from my parents, lovely food, no tears or stress. Couldn’t ask for anything more really. 🙂