Tried to write this post a couple of times but family time interrupted me! Third time lucky :)
It’s been a great few days. Christmas Eve involved all the usual last minute shopping and prep. Al picked up our large seafood order (we always eat fresh prawns and oysters on Christmas Day), and a last couple of little presents. I took the kids on a rather chaotic (it was sooo busy) but fun (everyone was in a merry mood) supermarket outing to get all the ingredients for a fancy potato salad I was making was Christmas Day.
After some house chores and a nap (I have napped every day these holidays and it’s been glorious!), we headed over to my parents for an afternoon swim and delicious fried chicken in gravy dinner my Dad cooks we call “Dad’s special chicken”. Finally we all went for a walk around my parents local streets finding Christmas lights.
Such a lovely way to end the evening. We headed home, kiddies went to bed, and Santa came. In the morning I was up at 5.30, half an hour before kids, which gave me time to have a coffee and gaze at the beautiful tree before the excitement of the day commenced.
The red gifts are from Santa!
E woke at 6, and it was a hard wait until her brother woke up closer to 7. She really wanted to wake him up but I said a hard no! Once O was awake, she was allowed to wake Daddy while I made him a cup of tea. And then we did presents.
We are a family that opens one gift at a time, and this year we didn’t go overboard, and it was so great to see them excited and truly appreciate each gift (instead of getting overwhelmed as can happen). E was incredibly enthusiastic about everything (her catchphrase is O.M.G! Hehe), even a new lunchbox cooler bag, too cute.
She also got Bluetooth headphones which she loves (this girl LOVES music)
And a waddling, walking, singing soft penguin because she’s still 7!
O loved his many animal themed sticker and puzzle books, and his Marble Run. E was great at helping him open his gifts and explaining what they were.
Straight into it!
After a fairly slow morning, I made the potato salad while we watched a Christmas movie, and then we got ready and headed to my parents about midday. We got a family photo before the kids got into the pool (it was perfect swimming weather).
We could not get O to smile!
We also took a whole group selfie on a timer!
And then it was on to a lovely day of delicious food, Christmas music, drinks, and just generally great chats.
Just one of the epic spreads.
After a nap and a late afternoon swim (with a mermaid- E got a mermaid tale from my parents, how epic!), we had dessert- my favourite Sticky Date Pudding. YUM!
How great is the tail? And she learnt how to swim with it in about 5 minutes.
At about 9pm we headed home, exhausted but happy from a truly lovely Christmas. Boxing Day was a slow relaxing day (the most challenging thing I did was a home pedicure, with my mum and sister in law). All good eaten was leftovers or sandwiches. More swimming was done. And that’s a wrap for another year. Merry Christmas everyone!
Your Christmas looks so lovely. I agree that there would be major perks to having a warm Christmas season.
That mermaid tail is genius and I'm so impressed E figured it out so quickly!
I had a marble run as a kiddo and it was one of my absolute favourite gifts. I received it one Christmas from an aunt. I passed it along to another family a few years ago. I remember it drove my Dad NUTS because it was very loud once you got a whole bunch of marbles going at once, but he tolerated it reasonably well ;)
That sounds like a wonderful holiday!! I am kind of envious that Christmas = pool season!! :) Taco also got a marble run! It was a hand-me-down from another family but he has no idea. Although that means no instructions so I had a bit of a challenge figuring out how to set it up. I do not have the mind of an engineer apparently. Ha. We tried to cut back as well since they get so many gifts from others.
Boxing Day is not a thing in the US (at least not where I live) so I would love an explanation of what it is/what people do. I think it’s a national holiday so most people have the day…