Xmassy Time stuff

Now that the Halloween and Bonfire night and Armisticeday/ Rremembrance Sunday is over we hurtle towards Christmas. We have in addition this year Children in Need. CIN is going to be at Alnwick Garden this Friday and its free so though Weeny and I would pop along. We are taking as requested jam jar lanterns as they hope to light up the grand esplanade with lanterns. Christmas however...as a recap what do we do..... let me think....

Alnwick Garden


General Stuff!
Making our own cards - Cheap and fun and uses up last years and donated cards

Advent  calendars - one for sweets and one for pressies. Auntie- My sister started this one. I had one for sweets which is simple. We only do tiny second hand bits both collected and donated.

Having two trees - Biggles had one so did I and we make sure they fulfill their Xmas destiny each year! My tiny living room looks like a plastic forest but bah small girl likes it.

Making our own door wreath from detritus - special walk to gather up the bits from various good spots and woods.

Santa visit  at The Alnwick Garden- been pricey in recent years so may give this one a miss. Last year was naff as well for what it cost! Will def be giving it a miss. Skint! With a capital SK!

The watching of silly films- its a wonderful life in particular. A must! MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET IN BW ALSO A GOOD ONE.

Church - We try being left footer RC types and  apparently if you are going to celebrate it you gotta bring in the JC somewhere eh! Though am a bit at odds with RCdom and their stance on gay marriage and such.Hmm I will go for Weeny but have issues.
Biggles Birthday - We have Pavlova with candles! Early December! Trial run and practice for making pavlova on Christmas Eve - well the meringue bit.

Nativity stuff at School. Awwww


Solstice
Solstice celebrations - fire outside, lots of cooking ( Brownies and Biscuits) and a special song to say goodnight to the Holly King and welcome in the oak tree king danced around the fire outside.
Brownies and Christmas shortbread biscuits - One made by me with hazelnuts and the other by weeny with festive cutters. Good day to make your biscuits and stuff and bits to go with.


Xmas Eve
The tracking of Santa via Norad! Xmas  eve with Weeny!

The eating of fajitas on Christmas Eve - Biggles would work late Xmas Eve when based here so he could have Xmas day off. Stay up late with Weeny and eat Fajitas around 10pm. This year he will be home or we may be returning from Sheffield on 24th but will have fajitas!


On The day - Food!.
The Corn fed Free Range Chicken from the Butchers- and chipolatas and streaky bacon. Still loads of meat which does for Boxing day or soup and always the cats.
Pea soup - starter. Frozen pea soup. Very green and cheap and light. I make bread to go with it
Pavlova/meringue thing for pudding with special strawberry sauce- I freeze nearly mushy going off strawberries to save for the sauce.

Up early - We have stockings - Sorry Biggles and Weeny have stockings. I try to get her to leave some pressies (wrapped ones) till evening so as to stretch the day out a bit but invariably fail. it will work when she is older.

Doctor Who Xmas Special - the only thing we watch, well maybe a bit of the queen too.

Boxing Day - we are invariably travelling or sans Weeny who is with 'The Others'
We visit Scotland and Sheffield over the week. Its busy.


BC- Before Child I used to like to go away preferably somewhere hot and Islamic to avoid the whole damn lot of  it! Malaysia, Borneo and Tunisia is good for this! Also Prague though while Christmassy does not shut down. Metro still runs etc. Went to the Opera on Christmas day. La Traviata which was ace. I was much younger and mooched about in a long coat wearing sunglasses while wrapped up, drinking black coffee, Czech beer and smoking pretending to be European and watching Jazz musicians. Highly recommended. Not the smoking though.