We’ve started Christmassy things this week.
We made paper chains
even if Anton didn’t think much of me taking photos when he wanted me to help him!
Decorating clementines with cloves was a surprisingly toddler friendly activity.
Lucas still sticks his tongue out when he concentrates!
We hung up decorated gingerbread in the kitchen
and my little helper and I made a huge bowl of mincemeat for fresh mince pies on demand all through December and also a lovely “Nigella” chocolate and prune Christmas cake. The house smells of warm spices and nothing got burnt! There’s a Christmas miracle if ever there was one.
the gnomes found a new home in our Christmas tree which we put up yesterday (our free-est day for it before Christmas believe it or not!)
and the boys loved digging out the old faces from the ornament bag.
and they made a joint wish as they put the star on the top of the tree. We will carry out our tradition of them each choosing a new decoration for the tree next week but this year we also started a new tradition of sleeping in the living room together on the night we put up the tree.
It was fabulous fun. We got the sofa bed and blow up bed out and snuggled up to watch the last, very exciting episode of Merlin and some of “The Apprentice,” while eating crisps and drinking (very weak) snowballs. I find it funny that Lucas has the same feeling of not liking the texture of the advocaat at the bottom of the glass that I used to have but he loves the idea of having it! The night was such a success that we all felt much closer today because of it. Well worth a broken night’s sleep on the floor in my book! I also want to start another new tradition of choosing a day over the Christmas holidays where we only have fairy lights and candles and no TV, radio or computer. They’re less keen on that idea at the moment! (I’m sure I can win them round…)
Humming Along 