Forget Easter I am still holding on to Last Christmas

New Year New start or talk of Easter – but what happens when you are not ready to move on? I still haven’t fully devoured last Christmas. I still need time to look through my photos and feel those happy memories again. For me this Christmas felt like a really important one. It was the first Christmas for my brother as a father and the last Christmas with my oldest still being classed as a child. Both really reminded me of the fact that my mom isn’t here and I really missed her. But what it did do was make me stop trying to do too much and miss out on what is important.

We started with making Reindeer Food on the 23^rd December. I love doing things that help add to the children’s excitement. This year our youngest coped so much better with all the changes than last year and we even put up a lot more lights and decorations. He still had the odd wobble but the more focused we kept him the easier it was for him.

Then on Christmas Eve my brother came with his daughter. We had our Christmas dinner but this year we simplified it all. It was just lamb and gammon, with pigs in blankets. Why are we wasting so much time and making ourselves so stressed by cooking anything more complicated? This way we could cook it in one day and not end up missing precious time with the boys or getting snappy. Instead we used the time to make Christmas Trees from the egg box with them. Then we made our annual snowmen from marshmallows, icing and sweets. (Note I shall probably be very unfashionably late with these pictures as I will blog about them when the boys are back at school!)

This year I went to town an ordered LOTS of marshmallows. We got some chocolate sprinkles and drops and squirty cream. The idea originally came from making hot chocolate Santa gifts for the teachers but they were so popular with the boys that we got in plenty to cover the festive period. I am sure this is going to become another of our traditions now. We all cuddled up together with drinks and sweets and watched a Christmas movie.

Christmas Day itself was all about the children (ok so I did sneak off and make a quick Lego video with a present from my 11 year old son). You know such was the quality time with them that I didn’t even take that many photos. We played board games, built Lego, took our boy out on his new bike, read stories – and generally just spent time together. It wasn’t all plain sailing as my 11 year old was sick, but we just made the most of it.

And after Christmas. Well our oldest turned 18. We had a birthday breakfast and then surprised him with all of his friends ice-skating. Again things didn’t go to plan as 5 minutes in one of the girls was pushed and fractured her arm. We had to take her home to A&E and so the meal was cancelled. But none of that mattered as our son was just so happy as he had NO idea that all this had been arranged. I am really proud of the man he has grown into.

Finally we went to see a Relaxed Performance of Dick Whittington at the Bristol Hippodrome before seeing the New Year in last night.

I hope your time has been as lovely as ours and hope that you have a very Happy New Year.

Looking at Lapland holiday reviews I really fancy travelling there next year. Have you ever been?