I love the house fully decorated, the chance to spend the time with the family is fantastic, and the joy of watching my niece's face when she opens her presents makes all the time an effort worth while.
My family has a tradition at Christmas. Christmas eve is usually spent doing the last wrapping, and preparing the veggies for Christmas dinner, followed by a few drinks with friends and Midnight Mass. Christmas morning usually starts early, with my younger Sister who tends to be up at about 6.30am, even after Jess was born, and be dying to open the stockings. Stockings are opened upstairs, then breakfast of cold ham and boiled eggs and then onto the important job of opening the rest of the presents. After presents for the last ten years I will go and prepare Christmas dinner, typically with my Father's help (I tend to ensure that Dad has got at least one DVD which he can watch whilst having a drink whilst I cook! I find it so much easier that way round!)
After dinner the traditional Christmas activity takes over of sleeping through the Queen's speech, and pretty much everything else that is on TV.
I really enjoy this time of year, and Christmas seems to be just round the corner. This feeling was heightened today with the opening of Manchester's Christmas Market, a huge continental market spread throughout the centre, with all manner of stalls all festive and full of cheer (oh and mulled wine!)
P.S. - I apologise my posts are somewhat like buses.....you wait all week for one and then two come along at once!
I love people's Christmas routines. Looking forward to seeing my nephew's face at Christmas, he is almost two, had Christmas away from family last year so looking forward to this one.x
ReplyDeleteAww nothing beats Christmas with the family, am sure it will be brill. I love Christmas, I'm such a little kid when it comes to the festive season.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas routines have been thrown what with people emigrating, baby being born, etc, but I still love it. This year I'm at the in-laws for Xmas as my folks will be in Canada. My MIL is working Xmas eve so I've offered to do Xmas dinner and I am sooooo looking forward to it! Three bird roast, anyone?
Katy - it will be awesome! Little Dude will be two in January so this year is the first time he understands what is going on.
I loved the first Christmas when Jess was able to understand really what it was all about, although she was still more interested in the wrapping and boxes rather than the presents.
ReplyDeleteKaty - it's so nice to see the family. I have had a couple of Christmas' away and they are never really the same.
Gemma - if you need any recipes for sprouts give me a shout :) I tend to put them on to boil around the first of December to destroy as much of the flavour as possible ;) Just think in a couple of years (hopefully sooner) you will be waking up to X-mas in Canada too (fingers crossed!)