We’re just wrapping up a lovely Christmas Day: It all started with a lie-in, till 8 am for all. …No wonder after the excitement of presents last night! (We celebrate Christmas differently, merging traditions.) I sort of wanted to have a record of it in years to come.

Christmas Day morning: After us all cuddling in bed and reading a couple of stories from one of the books the Littlins got for Christmas, we headed down to breakfast. By the time it was ready I was more of a brunch. Pigs in blankets (i.e. sausages wrapped in bacon), French salad (mixed veg and gherkins in a mayo sauce) and toasted muffins…. a perfect start to a perfect day!
Next Dadonthebrink delved into setting up our new telly, I tidied the kitchen.
The Littlins played with the various toys they got from Baby Jesus (here’s why I’m not talking about Santa), both ending up doing puzzles. I eventually joined them with the puzzles, while we listened to Dadonthebrink quietly cursing in the other room as he gradually lost his patience with the TV set up.
Lunch was some Christmas kalács (a brioche style bread filled with raisin infused with a hint of brandy, topped with a drizzling of chocolate) and some hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream.
We played a bit more after lunch then snuggled up to watch Kung Fu Panda, which was on BBC. (I really appreciate the BBC for watching programmes live- no adverts!) In the meantime, Dadonthebrink succeeded with setting up the telly, hooking it up to our old DVD player and a borrowed Xbox.
Angelina joined him in the playroom to watch the last bit of the film. This was the perfect opportunity to get Hugo to lay down a bit and grab a nap. He snuggled up against me on the sofa, while I peeled some extra vegetables for dinner later. Within 10 minutes he was asleep and slept for a good hour and a half.
We were expecting guests for 3 pm. In the end they arrived at almost 4.30, just as I was about to give up on them and just as we finally managed to get on Skype with my parents.
After my Littlins had a hyper half an hour with the guest 3 kids (7, 10 and 12) we sat down for dinner. It was the left-overs from yesterday: Fish soup, Honey roast gammon with steamed and roasted veg, finished off with some Christmas kalács with brandy sauce (yoghurt for kids). The whole dinner went down very well with all.
Food is so much tastier next day: The flavours mature and blend together.
Stuffed to the brink, we thought it might be a good idea to try the Xbox kinect.

The first to have a go were Angelina (4.5yo) and her 7yo friend. It was hilarious!!! …Not the girls, they were really good, but the sideline cheering from everyone was very funny. Imagine 5 adults all bopping up and down, shouting instructions. “Move your hand! Wave! Jump! Lean this way! Lean that way! Wave! Faster! Slower!”
We laughed so much and so hard. (I’ve been vacillating whether to buy a console and whether to go with the Wii or the Xbox for a while now. This evening I think has definitely swayed us towards the Xbox)
Finally, the Littlins fell into bed around 9.30 pm and we got to put our feet up.
It was a truly wonderful day! I am so glad for the traditions we have- having the big meal on Christmas Eve, opening the presents then and just being able to spend Christmas day relaxing with friends and family. I am grateful for my family and what we have together.
Prologue
…Dadonthebrink disappeared from beside me about half an hour ago. I thought he was tidying in the kitchen and watching some sports on telly. There came giggles from the kitchen/playroom direction, so I went to have a look: he was boxing in front of the Xbox Kinect! …I fear for an Xbox moving into the house permanently. 😀
Now to bed! I hope you all had a lovely day filled with love, people you love and peace!
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Sounds like you had the perfect Christmas for your family, happy New Year !