It is a funny thing to be perusing my favourite blogs and to continually read about the "break" between Christmas and new year. Around here it has truely felt like 12 days of Christmas- starting back on the 21st with our solstice celebration.
First, more photos from our Christmas Eve
Our wonderful Christmas Eve repast shared with friends who came to visit
Ella's letter to Santa on my fun new blackboard I made for the kitchen from a spare piece of wood.
Our Christmas day:
Ella fetching Matt's glasses
As I said before, one of our nicest Christmases ever. This has been one of the hardest years of our lives with my cancer and ongoing thyroid issues and Matt being out of work for the last 6 months.
And yet, the generosity of family and friends meant we had presents to put under the tree and fill the stockings (everyone got a lot of things they really needed like socks and underwear), and a few treats like books and CDs.
All the boys were even able to get a new shirt and t-shirt and we were able to get Kit his promised birthday present from August of an ipod (we do a lot of travelling in the car and he was the only one who didn't have one)- his reaction was so precious that both Matt and I were close to tears.
They know how hard it's been this year and it's been super hard on them. Probably no more so than this awesome boy who is supposed to be making plans for university and yet with everything so up in the air, it's really hard for him to work out what to do.
Maybe that's why it was such a great Christmas-everyone pulled together and celebrated our being a family, and our Christmas traditions. Not a word in anger or annoyance was said all day, and the kids' gifts to each other were so thoughtful. With Oscar turning 18 in 2012, and going off to school somewhere, it was possibly our last family Christmas all together for a while.
So we feasted, (and feasted again and again from this meal over the next few days).
Later that evening (after a substantial post meal nap), we ended up with the two girls from next door, their dad, and two friends (one who was meeting THEIR family for the first time and ended up over at our house), over here for some raucus fun.
It was certainly a Christmas to remember.
That made me cry cause I know it's been a hard time for you all. I'm so glad it was a lovely positive experience and that you all know you're loved. (mum, back from 4 days bushwalking, 6 nights camping at Freycinet & feeling much fitter and trimmer) xxxx
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