Christmas Eve



This time last year I was about to experience my first Christmas living interstate.  I was also a long way away from my family and didn't see them at all on Christmas day.  They went and had Christmas lunch at my brother's.  He lives in Hamilton in Victoria's west.  He had never hosted Christmas before but their newly renovated house called for a celebration to 'break it in'.  Instead I did Christmas with some of the in-laws at the farm up North, being responsible for making the pudding for the first time (my Great Grandmother's recipe...which I have never made...which turned out beautifully!), and then I spent the evening having chicken nuggets with my two little boys on my own and watching the old black and white movie "Some Like it Hot" with Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe.  Bit of a long story, but to be honest I couldn't be bothered.  Without seeing my own family at some stage during the day Christmas just wasn't the same.

This year we are heading down to Melbourne and spending lunch at my sister's.  Unfortunately my brother can't make it as he's spending it with his wife's family in NSW.  He still hasn't met my baby girl, who is creeping up to 6 months, but hopefully he will catch up with her soon...before she's in heels and dating, I hope.

My 10 year old, like all 10 year olds, is excited about tomorrow, and as he put it, really really excited about what presents he is going to get.  I am hoping that in there somewhere he remembers the true meaning of Christmas.  The 4 year old and 2 year old don't get it yet.  Ahhh..bliss!  They were interested in the Christmas tree when it first went up, but then lost interest, only to regain interest when I hung candy canes on it.  Yesterday the 4 year old had two and then kept bringing me additional canes with a sweet and innocent look on his face.  He is usually wordless and this time his look did say it all, "mum I want more sugar".  Be proud of me, I didn't relent. 

Ha..speak of the devil.  He's just brought me one to open for him.  He even gave a little skip when he did it.  He now keeps repeating "stripe stripe stripe" at me, so I can only assume he wants to eat it.  Oh..hang on...just open it for him....

Bloody hell..why are they so difficult to open??  You have to bite the plastic off with your teeth and I HATE using my teeth to open stuff.

Christmas shopping, thankfully, all done.  I bought the last of it on the weekend, two lemon trees for my mother in-law from Bunnings.  It was a bit of an expedition, as usual, with two small children and a baby.  I had the baby strapped to my front, a lemon tree in each hand, and was trying (not so successfully) to shepherd the two little ones out of the store and to the car without getting run over.  On the way past the obligatory sausage sizzle the women running it commented (like everyone else I ever walk by) "oh..you've got your hands full", so I broke into song..

"...three little children...
..two lemon trees..
..and a baby strapped to my front."  (to the tune of '12 Days of Christmas')

You would have thought that I might have scored a free sausage for my impromptu Christmas carolling, but no.

Today will be spent watching inane children's dvd's (oh how unusual..not) and at some stage I have to drop Christmas presents down at the farm for my nieces and nephews on my hubby's side.  It's 10.30am and I'm still in my pyjama's and thinking about going back to bed for a sneaky snooze.  I'll get to it at some stage.  Perhaps.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope you all eat and drink way too much and that your children are spoilt rotten and are not given anything requiring batteries.