So This Was Christmas 2013..

I can hardly believe that Christmas was nearly 1 whole week ago and tomorrow it will be New Years Eve!  Time flies and I find it rather depressing because Christmastime is one time of the year that I wish could go forever!  I love everything about Christmas, even the crazy crowds at the shopping centres and the extra 2kg (give or take) piled on by eating all those wonderful Christmassy foods! (thankfully most of which have now been eaten from our fridge, with the exception of Hubby's Birthday pav from yesterday which I plan on eating a final piece for dessert this evening!) 

 

Christmas was a little different this year because all the kids got to stay home for the entire day.  Usually my three step kid's only spend 1/2 the day here or there til 1pm or from 1pm (depending on whose turn it is) but next year they will be spending the entire Christmas with their Mother in New Zealand so we got to have them home for the entire day this year.  It was nice, because we didn't have to rush from place to place, the kids got to see the whole family and still had plenty of time to actually play with the gifts they were given.  Next year will be odd without them, but I'm sure we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

 

Aside from that little difference everything else was tradition as usual.. We kicked off Christmas with a lovely dinner on Christmas Eve with all the trimmings such as roast pork and beef, Christmas ham and prawns.  We took the kids out to look at the Christmas lights (which we looked at quite a few times this year, due to Mr 2's addiction to Christmas Light looking!)  Sprinkled reindeer food on the front lawn, hung our stockings, placed our Santa sacks and left out milk & cookies for Santa (the cookies tasted like lemon washing up liquid, they were not nice and I'm surprised that Santa ate every last crumb!) 

 



 

Christmas Eve Dinner



One of our many light looking adventures



Christmas morning the kids were up at a reasonable hour, Mr 8 creeping in at 5:45 to wake me.  The kids wait until everyone is awake to open their gifts, but know they can tuck into their stockings before that.. So there was a lot of chocolate rustling and woopie cushioning before Mr 2 woke up at 7:30 (I don't think the kids could have waited much longer!) And then they got into their pressies, as per usual far too many but a lot of happy little faces and squeals of delight make the morning all worthwhile (despite the empty bank account!)

 

 

Christmas Morning is never dull in our home!

The rest of the day was spent with my family which was lovely, we don't get to spend enough time together, so Christmas is always a time I look forward to because my family always get together and enjoy the day, like we haven't really been apart.  Christmas is great for that. 

 

So it brings us now to December 30 & our decorations are all still up and our house is still well lit outside (because Mr 2 doesn't want us to take any lights or deco's down as yet) and I guess I really should start taking them down little by little, but I'll make a start on that after New Years. 

 

So I know it's late and I'm closer to New Years than Christmas, but I'd like to wish all of my Blog readers a very Merry Christmas, I hope however, you spent the day it was lovely and special xoxo

 

 

Wordless Wednesday 27th November 2013 ~ Christmas Books

                                           

We've had the Christmas books out & about for a week or so now {although they really never go away} but I sorted through the book boxes & found them out & popped them into a basket for the kids to easily access. My basket is missing its decoration {thanks to Mr 2} but you get the idea. The kids all get a new Christmas book each on Dec 1st along with their Christmas Tshirt, Advent Calendar & an ornament for the tree. 

I also borrowed out some Christmas books from the library this year too that the older kids can enjoy as I found our collection was a little younger. Last year the older kids had Christmas chapter books but I had no luck in finding different titles this year. 

                           

                                                3 of these I've had since I was little. 

                                          

                                       Picked this material book up at a market earlier in the year. 

                                            

                 Our pop up book has seen better days & the jolly postman is missing a few activities. 

                                           

                                 

                                                           Some Australian Christmas Titles. 

                              

                                                                     Love Little People :) 

                             

                                                                  Books from the Library

 

 

Linking up with Trish from My Little Drummer Boys

&

Karly from Three in Three

 

for Wordless Wednesday!

Christmas Crazy!

 

I'm distracted, and will be until the 26th December, you see I am addicted to Christmas & lately I can think of nothing but Christmas.. Christmas Day, Christmas Presents, Christmas Food, Christmas Lights.. You name it, I'm thinking about it.. Geez I even briefly thought of entertaining Hubby's crazy idea of a Mrs Claus outfit, very briefly & not very likely.. {Sorry Hubby} 

I must admit I was a little 'Already?!' When I saw the first Christmas tree back in September, but by October I was itching to start my Christmas shopping & started buying things to put away for both December 1st & Christmas Eve/Day itself. I made a pact with myself that I wouldn't venture into the speciality Christmas stores or the Myer Trim shop (my weakness) until November 1st & I'm doing pretty good because its now the 12th November & I still haven't visited! 

I love popping things away early though, that way you are guaranteed that you don't miss out. I have already bought the Advent Calendars (including the Lego City Advent Calendar) The Christmas T-Shirts, some books, ornaments & deco items and have tucked them away securely (mainly to stop me prodding them daily)  Last year I had all of my Christmas presents purchased by the end of October & I found it such a weight off my mind, rather than running around till the last second (As I did the year before when I found myself at Chermside at 3am in the morning shopping madly!) 

Some of the items I've squirrelled away; 

 

                    Hubby's Christmas Tshirt.

       Lego City Advent Calendar for Mr 8 & Mr 10.

Elf on the Shelf for some Elfish Antics.

       Night Before Christmas, Little People for Mr 2.

What I'm hoping I buy today; 

And the list goes on... (It really is endless) 

At this rate, I plan on being finished by the end of November ( I didn't do as many toy sale lay by's this year) which still gives me early December to wrap (another thing that Hubby & I no longer want to do on Christmas Eve!) & just ENJOY Christmas with the kids. I still go to the shops at Christmastime (too often really) because I love the atmosphere at Christmas, it's just so nice with the lights on & music playing.. Aside from the odd ba-humbug, people even seem happier at Christmas. 

And This is the first Christmas that the kids will be home all day (next year my 3 Stepkids won't be here for Christmas so instead of halving Christmas, we get 1 each) so I'm sure there will be lots of excitement in the lead up to Christmas & a very crazy Christmas morning ! Definitely looking forward to it as its quite hard/rushed to cram Christmas Day into 1/2 a day ~ particularly when visiting family etc. 

Iv also just started The Organised Housewife's 'Organise Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' challenge. It started last week (I started yesterday) so I'm madly catching up! You can see my progress on Instagram & after iv finally completed the first week ill pop up a post here :) 

Oh well best get back to it.. Have a lovely day, humour me, comment & reassure me that I'm not the only one whose caught Christmas Crazy! 

What was under our tree this year?

Each year I swear buying Christmas presents is getting harder & harder.. So here's a little peek of some of what was under our tree this year!

Each of the 5 kids got approx $250 spent on them & I found online lay-by a god send this year & would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who isn't that great at remembering to pay off their lay-by's in store.

Can't wait to start my Christmas shopping for 2013!

Christmas Fun.. The December wrap up in our home!

I can't believe that Christmas has been & gone already! I have yet to take any of the decorations down (I just can't bring myself too) but its been a fantastic festive filled month & Iv enjoyed every second of it! I had every intention of writing more blog posts about the various things I'd been up to, but time just got away, so here is a little Christmas wrap up!

My Favourite Things Christmas 2012!!

1. Having a Christmas dinner set, it made every meal from Dec 1st so festive!
2. I loved wrapping up a Dec 1st present for the kids containing their Christmas shirt, advent calendar, Christmas book etc.. It was a great way to kick off the festive season.
3. Looking at lights! This is a favourite every year for me..
4. Shopping early! Loved the 'organised' feeling.. It's a first, but I'm going to continue getting organised during the toy sales & September/October every year..
5. Christmas cooking ~ loved making chocolate balls, white Christmas & chocolates with the kids.
6. Decorating! I don't think I can bring myself to take it down!
7. Family! Time spent with family is the best & I was fortunate to catch up with the majority of mine over Christmas.
8. Santa photos ~ even if the 16 month old didn't like him all that much lol.
9. Egg nog & other Christmas food greats :) YUM
10. Togetherness.. Reading, crafting, playing, drawing, colouring in, spending family time, brotherly love & giving... That to me is what Christmas 2012 was all about..

Merry Christmas & here's hoping your family also had a magical one xx