A Happy Christmas was had by all

Well I did forget to mention the carol service. Mum in Law decided not to come, so it was just us two. We didn't have my favourite, Joy to the world. I did manage to buy the dairy free ice cream, Daughter managed to get some too. I completed icing the cake, and got most of the cards hung up.
I spent part of Christmas Eve making new stockings, for the children, and replacing one that had got lost. They were done very quickly on my new sewing machine.

New stockings

Our pot grown tree on its third Christmas

Tree ornaments

Winter Wonderland cake 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Son and his wife, baby and Tom arrived at around 5 pm.They were planning a meal out, but as they went to book in the travel lodge, they discovered that the place was closing early.

We had offered them gammon, which is what we were having, but Son ordered a take away from the place and drove over to pick it up. They went off later to the lodge, leaving Tom with us.
I was up relatively early, we opened our stockings, and I got the Turkey sorted and into the oven before church. Husband took Tom out, the we went to our church for the service at 10.00 am. We still didn't have Joy to the world, so I felt deprived.
Home again, Son and his wife joined us. We were a tad later than I'd hoped sitting down, but all was cooked well, I seem to remember it was the sausages which had failed to brown that held us up.
Baby Ethan was a bit fractious, probably from all the change to his routine, but Son took him upstairs
and laid him safely on a bed so that they could eat in peace. Excuse the pun, but the ice cream bombe, which I had bought for those who didn't like Christmas pudding, went down well. Some of us had clotted cream with our pudding, but Grandma had her dairy free ice cream.
After the washing up we headed off to Daughter's, where we all opened our presents, then later ate an enormous buffet tea. Son had provided a trifle, which he had made and managed to transport without spilling much custard.

Opening gifts

The wonder of Christmas

baby talk

Great Grandma

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daughter with nostalgic toy

Ethan

As usual, most had bought what I wanted, or given me money, but there was a huge box of chocs, and a tin of choccy biccies, in addition to the tin of shortbread, which our Son had discovered tied to our front door when he took Tom out the evening before. This was from husband's ex work colleagues. We made our way home later, and as  a treat Tom had the turkey giblets with his meal.
On Boxing Day, the younger family members had a trip out to Ashridge Forest for a walk, so I went out and bought the Telegraph, then we watched Downton Abbey, and Call the Midwife on the catch up services. I couldn't go for the Forest walk as my back was really painful. Grandma needed company anyway.
Son and his wife arrived back having had lunch, had to bath Tom as he was so mucky. Fortunately they left a drop of dog shampoo here in the summer. So we had a salad, then later Daughter and family came round, and all squashed in,and I opened the box of chocs, and they were handed round several times, so there were not many left for me to be tempted by. Daughter and family left later to travel to her husband's parent's home in Kent.
Our Son and his wife came round the next day, having been to buy something they really wanted. They left some time during the afternoon, as they were off home, as he had to work on Saturday, they didn't get home very early as the traffic was bad, but the weather was not as bad as predicted. We had been shopping that morning to Sainsbury's, I usually go on a Wednesday for the weekly shop, but was completely thrown out by they Christmas holiday. It was nice to have husband with me to help, but he does sneak things in the trolley which I normally would not buy, there was no weigh in for 2 weeks unless I went to a different class, so I've kept an eye on the scales at home so that I didn't gain too much.