New Year and Christmas

As I grow older I am finding it increasingly difficult to remember all of lifes details as they happen to me and mine. Of course a lot of this might be because what with covid lockdowns and a reluctance to actually go do stuff when we are out of lockdown (how many of us have simply got out of the habit of going out doing stuff) there are no details to recall, life just blends into one?

Whatever, even though I dont usually bother with all that new year stuff including resolutions, I have decided I need to open up a new bullet journal and throw some stuff at this blog.

The details for the start of this year arent that brilliant to be remembering though. Yesterday I started the new year with tooth ache. This is on a tooth the dentist took several hours building a half crown on, so I am a tad worried as it covers one of my back chewing teeth. I am hoping its a gum thing and not a tooth thing.

Then I also spent some time  yesterday writing out death announcements to send to all the people who knew my mum that I have not phoned (as many of them I simply dont know} and then some time this morning finding layouts with her in to take to the funeral and wake (I did this for my dad, it seemed I scrapped him a great deal more than mum who hated having her photo taken}.

We took the christmas decorations down yesterday, a bit early as I usually do it on 12th night but with the funeral leaving from our place the day after I thought I may need some time to get them down and clean the house.

Anyway enough of the negative lets do the positive.

Christmas (despite mum not being with us) actually turned out to be really good this year. Kelly and Ollie were spending the day at Ollies sisters so they both popped in to us to open presents before they went there. From them I got a Bothy cross stitch kit and Johanna Basfords Worlds of Wonder book.  They left at 5 to 10 and then we went to Laura and Waynes where we were spending the day and the night. We had a relaxed time just the six of us sitting round opening our gifts from each other, again I did well, another Bothy cross stitch (not the same one), a set of knitting needles and accessories, a bullet journal and a set of stencils, some circle stitched stamps, nail stickers, and the christmas logo game. But by the far the best part of the morning/day/year was when Finley opened his present. He had been promised a PS5 for his efforts in the  Kent Test but getting hold of one had prooved near impossible so he had accepted the fact it was not going to happen,. His reaction when he opened his last christmas present from his  mum and dad reduced all of us to tears, Laura had secretly managed to get one when she was off sick. Finley sat and started at it, held his head and then silently tears of astounded joy and surprised welled up and fell down his face. Priceless!

 

Later Waynes parents joined us for a fun christmas lunch. Laura had got silly face maskes to start the entertainment, the obligatory crackers, a silly parce the santa, 

 

lots of forfiets and lots of laughs with a very tasty lunch. 

 

Of course the disasters which make our christmases struck as usual, this time the microwave deciding to pack up half way through warming our christmas pud!

 

After lunch we exchanged pressies with Di and Gra then I was treated to a lesson from Laura in making tea and coffee for all (LOL)

Unfortunatly all the excitement prooved a little too much for Graham and they had to cut their day short but as they left Waynes brother wife and daughter arrived so the boys and Chloe spent some time playing with the NURF guns the boys had had for christmas, or reindeer toss, which had us all giggling. We also got the kids doing tongue twisters which resulting in Beckett coming out with a rude word when he attempted peter pipper picked, and Craig nearly having heart failure from laughing.

 More food as Laura layed up the tradition cold meat salad and  pickle tea, and then everyone left. We had a game of reindeer stack which again left us in hysterics. 

 

By this time it was getting on for ten and although not that late for christmas day everyone had either had early mornings or broken nights sleep so it was off to bed with no board games. Yet it had been fun, we had laughed, eaten drunk and shared it all with family. What more did we need? 

We needed more of the same, so in the morning we went home, tidied up, baked a ham and welcomed Laura Wayne and the boys back to ours for late tea and board games until late, when we tucked them up in our spare beds, tired but feeling all warm and fuzzy having had time together- a fantastic improvement on our lockdown zoom christmas of the year before.