The most wonderful time of the year...

As you know I LOVE Christmas. And our festivities are already well underway having started on the last weekend in November with the annual trip to buy the Christmas tree. It was a pretty tight schedule this year as the project where we go opened at 3pm, and we needed to be back for Kirkintilloch lights switch on at 5pm...plus we had to squeeze in some post tree buying mulled wine/mince pies with friends and neighbours. But we did it...well over 20ft of green needle clad joy was purchased by 3 families, plenty of stollen and mince pies consumed, plus a few mugs of warming spiced wine to give us a nice glow; and we still made the lights and subsequent fireworks with minutes to spare.

Emi doing her bit

Videoclip: Lights switch on!!

And then it really all began. The next day was Christmas tunes all day as stir-up Sunday meant the pudding got made with everyone having three wishes each (Emily was not content with one). And then it was a week of Christmas craft making and excited debate on Christmas, before December began with a bang as we decorated the house and brought light to the dark winter months. The festive season can just bring out so much joy and excitement if you can avoid the commercialism of it all.

We've done Victorian Santa, made masses of decorations including a brilliant 'stick' tree, started prepping and freezing lots of food, but most importantly, we've spent some wonderful time as a family just indulging our 'inner children' and our Supreme Being. It's brought a hearty glow to winter darkness and Emily really is getting into the full Christmas swing. The highlight for me so far was Emily meeting a wonderful Santa and Mrs Claus at our Victorian Christmas event. It was exactly as it should have been - just a lovely noncommercial and traditional experience. Last year Emily was terrified of Santa but now she's really starting to embrace his magical self...there's going to be one very excited Supreme Being by the time we get to Christmas Eve as there's lots more still to come!!

Stir-up Sunday

Videoclip: What happens at Christmas

Videoclip: Christmas deliveries

 The tree is up!

Emily, Santa and Mrs Claus