wagwaan?: Happy Christmas everybody!

I hope you are having a wonderful day. We are! This is actually the first Christmas I have ever just spent at home. I'm not kidding! We usually go to my family's for Christmas, either one of my siblings', or my mum's, or a couple of times to a gîte in the country. Wherever we do it, it's usually a huge gathering, with most of the family there at any one time. This year, with the credit crunch or what have you prevailing, everyone was a bit short of cash and it turns out most of us have spent it quietly at home with our own immediate families. And although I miss my mum and my siblings, siblings-in-law and nephews & nieces, I've actually rather enjoyed the peace and quiet. And sleeping in my own bed. And having the cats on my lap during Christmas day.
It all started yesterday: it would appear it is a tradition to bring your kids to work on Christmas Eve, and our company had planned a visit from Santa and some creative fun. I was asked to supervise the cake decorating, so I got the kids all kitted out (wipes for the hands, plastic aprons, icing and sprinkles) and they set to with gusto. It was really funny to see the different approaches the kids took to decorating. There were some who were of the chuck-it-all-on-the-cake-the-more-icing-and-sprinkles-the-better persuasion; and others who were minimalistic or who did an actual design. The youngest ones just liked eating the sprinkles... My colleague who arranged it all had even bought boxes to put the finished cakes in - proper boxes with a cellophane window on top. The kids were so proud to take them home to show mum and dad. After that, we set them up with cards, pens, glue and decorations and they made Christmas cards. Then it was time for lunch - with most of the kids opting for the chocolate biscuits and crisps rather than the mini chicken kievs and sausages etc. It was pretty exhausting, but I was surprised how well-behaved they were. Oh and their faces when Santa came in! I had a great time - and I think the kids did too *smile*.
I left at 12 because I had to go to the bank before they shut. There were kids everywhere in Fenchurch Street, and again on the Tube on the way home. All visiting London with their parent(s) before Christmas.
In the evening I made the stuffing for today's dinner, and we watched Calendar Girls before going to church at Our Lady's for a carol service followed by "midnight" mass (at 11pm, but it finished around midnight). It was lovely to be able to attend for once, as we are usually in France by this point. Fr Jim's homily was very good, as usual. It was obviously all about love and Jesus's message and it had that feel-good factor. He always says something that gets me thinking, so he must be good! When we got home, it was already 25th December, so we decided to exchange one little present each before bed.
This morning was brilliant: we got up around 8.45am and came downstairs to open our stockings. DD had thoughtfully prepared one for me, with lots of specially thought out gifts in it, each one more special than the last. She even remembered the traditional sugar mice! And then we exchanged presents. Oh my goodness - I was totally spoiled! Among other things, DD bought me.... A NIKON FINEPIX 10 megapixel camera!! To say I was blown away is an understatement. She knew my camera was getting a bit old, and I really haven't been taking pictures because it's clunky and the battery keeps dying, so she thought I needed a new one. What a wonderful present! And then the OH gave me..... a pink iPod nano! DD had even loaded lots of my favourite music onto it. So I've been totally enjoying myself listening to it this afternoon.
Oh, and Christmas dinner was a huge success. I bought a delicious chicken from M&S and we had roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, sprouts (sliced and done in the frying pan with some veg stock as suggested by my sister J, yummy!), mash, peas, stuffing, and "pigs in blankets" (pork sausages wrapped in bacon). Oh and I laid more bacon on the breast of the chicken too. Anyway, it was delicious and both the OH and DD really enjoyed it. Instead of Christmas pudding we had an ice cream chocolate and vanilla "log" like the French; and I did mince pies and custard for OH as he prefers a traditional pudding.
The only thing that marred the day was that OH's mum decided she didn't want to leave her house on Christmas Day after all, so he stayed with us until after lunch, then we did a plate for her and he took it to her place complete with cracker, clementines, chocolates and mince pie. She lives a long way from us, and his rental car was only a two-seater due to a mix-up, so we couldn't all go to hers. He might be able to persuade her to come tomorrow - we shall see.
Anyway, we've had a lovely quiet afternoon, listening to music, watching the Queen's speech & a programme on the history of carols, and (in DD's case) the Doctor Who Christmas Special. Sigh. A lovely, lovely day!
I'm just charging up my camera and then I'll upload the software onto the PC so I can upload the pictures I took today. Watch out for more pictures from me now, and a renewed interest in my photo blog!
I forgot to say recently that we'd picked a name from the Christmas tree at church and sent off our present to the Cardinal Hume Centre in London. I hope that the families who received the presents are having a lovely day today; a little bit of light in the midst of a dark winter. And also, let's not forget those less fortunate than us who are facing illness or who have suffered a bereavement - I've thought about them a lot today. Family and friends new & old, who are not in the best health, such as my SIL still in hospital, K who faces chemo on Monday, two nephews with leg injuries who are still undergoing treatment; and even people I don't know, like Mason whose blog I follow as he makes the slow and long recovery from a horrific accident. I believe in the power of prayer and pray for their continued progress.
Well, cheers everyone! Check back tomorrow for picture updates.