Tis the most wonderful time of the year

1st Dec - So, what's the plan....

Merry Blogmas, welcome to my first blog of the festive season.

My plan is to write a blog each day leading up to the main event. I have a raft of ideas for entries already, with a mixture of thoughts, experiences, recipes, and homemade ideas, but I’m open to suggestions as well.

For this one, I’m going to focus on our plans for the Christmas period, and our Christmas traditions; some old, some new, some borrow, but nothing blue…. unless you count Jack Frost nipping at our noses.

Let me say first on all, I love, LOVE, LOVE Christmas. It is, quite possibly, my most favourite time of year. What’s not to like? There is music, and laughter, ice skating, and mulled wine, reindeer, AND SANTA!!!! This year is extra special, but also extra sad…

This is Theia’s first Christmas.

         She is technically too young to really know what’s going on, as she’s 9 months old (on the 16th December), but that’s not going to stop us
         from doing all the fun stuff with her. This week I am going to do a lot of organising and planning:

                    There is the first visit to meet Santa to organise;
                    A trip to the petting zoo to visit the donkeys and reindeer; as well as
                    First Christmas letter to write – and hopefully a reply to receive. My friend has even suggested a video message from Santa.

         I am also behind on making Theia Christmas stocking and present sack…. As in I haven’t actually started yet… best get a wiggle on.


But this is also the first year without my dad, which is incredibly sad. He loved Christmas. He was a big kid at heart really. Originally, he and my mum were going to come and stay with us. I was really looking forward to it as I’d get to cook Christmas dinner for everyone, but now the plans have changed. My mum doesn’t feel up to celebrating, which I understand, to a degree, so she is staying in Wales. She doesn’t even have plans to visit on Boxing Day – in fact I think she has opted to work the whole Christmas week.

Maybe it’s a little bit of me over compensating, but I can’t let Theia’s first Christmas be marred with sadness to such a strong degree, but nor will I not reflect that this is going to be tough – there will be tears; must put tissues on the shopping list.

So, we need to come up with new plans to help celebrate.

         This evening:
                    The Christmas tree and all the other decorations are being pulled from the loft ready to be put up on the first weekend
                   of December. I already have our “this years’ decorations” bought, just one more to get from the market this weekend.
                    The advent candle will be lit before Theia goes to bed, along with the uncorking of some mulled wine and punch,
                   maybe some shop bought mince pies (I’m not THAT organised)
                    Last minute advent treats for the dog and big kids (me and guy) will be bought at lunch time and added to our large
                   Christmas tree advent when I get home (Yes, I’m blogging in work – tut tut). Theia’s white chocolate calendar
                   is already sitting on the shelf at home.
                    The Christmas tunes also need to be swapped onto the iPod – It’s time for some Slade and Wizard people!!

         I’m really looking forward to making my gingerbread house, shortbread biscuits AND mince pies this year as well – Don’t worry there
         will be pictures and recipes blogged!!! In fact I have a whole HOMEMADE week planned on the blogosphere; wreaths to chutneys,
         bon-bons to pomander balls; there may even be recipes for mulled cider, spiced apple, and mulled wine…

The first Weekend “to do” list

         This weekend I’m visiting the Bath Christmas market with my cousin, we started doing this last year and it is great fun – more on
         this in a later blog me thinks.

         But there is also a list of things I also have to arrange:
                    order Christmas and Boxing Day food – we finally picked out the Christmas menu…. yippee
                    buy my Christmas cardsAND stamps – must remember stamps – does anyone else ALWAYS forget stamps?
                    choose my wrapping theme and purchasing required materials… last year was two toned; this year I’m think ribbon….
                    book into the glazed pottery shop to make clocks and baubles with Theia’s feet and handprints on them for my
                    mother and my mother-in-law.
                    Investigate the carolling services; there is a really nice one a Lacock Abbey (where they shot some of Harry Potter).

Other traditions
          Theia is too young to start the ice-skating tradition, so we might have to wait until next year for that one… maybe I’ll just
          grab some hot chocolate or cuddles with Theia while Guy and my niece Jodie skate on the open-air rink. I can live with that.
          She is, however, big enough to partake in the tradition of Christmas jumpers – or in her case Christmas jumpers, dresses,
          roppersuits and onesies… She has already tried out her new Rudolph onesie this morning and looked EXTRA adorable.
          Preparing the Christmas Eve box; warm pjs, fluffy slippers, hot chocolate and panettone, and a Christmas movie.


Wishing you snowflakes and Christmas kisses ,