Advent Calendar Day 8 #XmasQuestionnaire

Behind door number 8 - me again! Boo!

I answered this questionnaire for another blogger, but then it never got used, so I figured I'd share some of my answers here.

* What does Christmas mean to you?

Presents, family, turkey, card games and panto!

* When does the Christmas excitement usually begin in your household?

Now that I have a son with a birthday on the 4th December, we usually let him celebrate his birthday before getting too excited about Christmas. I usually put the decorations and tree up around the 16th December. Now I can’t have a real tree (too big for my cosy little house) I can do it a bit earlier if needs be. I let him have his cards up for a week.

* In terms of present shopping, do you like to begin early and stay organised, or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of shopper?

I try to buy things as I go. If I see something in June that I think will make a fabulous Christmas present, I’ll buy it then. I like to spread the cost and stress.

* What’s your favourite part of a Christmas dinner?

Pulling the crackers and telling the bad jokes from them. This one sticks in my memory as a kid is; ‘Where do you weigh a whale? At a Whaleweigh station”. Yep, bad I know.

* Least favourite part?

Picking up the discarded wrapping paper! (It always worries me it’s such a waste – at least it gets recycled now).

* Ultimate favourite Christmas song?

Fairytale of New York by the Pogues and Kirsty McColl – never tire of that song.

* Favourite Christmas movie?

Recently, with the kids, it’s been ‘Nativity!’ and ‘Nativity 2’ – because they include Martin Freeman and David Tennant, and the hilarious Mr Poppy who both my kids want as a teacher in their school. (Nativity 3 wasn’t as good but still fun.) Otherwise, I love ‘Santa Claus’ with Dudley Moore because for me, as a child, it answered the question of how Santa got around the world to all the children in one night.

* What sits atop your Christmas tree?

A star.

* Do you decorate with precision, or happy chaos?

Happy chaos. In fact I don’t put half up as my dad used to when we were kids. I don’t have the room.

* Who does the washing up afterwards?

Mainly Bosch the dishwasher – and what won’t go in, is sadly done by me.

* How early do you wake up on Christmas morning?

It’s not how early I wake up – it’s the kids. They’re not allowed in my bedroom before 6.30am! (They usually open their stockings on my bed.)

* Three favourite Christmas smells?

Mulled cider simmering, cinnamon, and fresh Christmas trees (not that I get that now I have to have a fake tree).

* Do you pile presents around the tree, or wait until Christmas Eve so they’re there on Christmas morning?

I pile them under the tree Christmas Eve once the boys have gone to bed, as if Santa has delivered them all. If I get handed a present before then, they go under the tree now the boys are old enough to know not to open them.

* Cranberry sauce or not?

Not my blog without some eye candy :) 

Definitely cranberry sauce!

* Mince pie or Christmas pudding?

Christmas pudding with brandy butter. I’ll eat mince pies, and even make them, but I’m not a lover of them.

* Any special Christmas traditions?

Panto! Every year Dad & I take the boys to the pantomime. It’s something Dad did with me and my brother, and I have fond childhood memories of those. I wanted my boys to have those memories too.

* At what point do the Christmas decorations come down?

On the 12th Day of Christmas (the 5th January I think) or as close to that as convenient. It’s unlucky otherwise. I can never understand those who put their decorations up the 1st of December and rip them down Boxing Day. The 12 days of Christmas are after, not before.

* What are you looking forward to most, this Christmas?

Relaxing, playing games with the boys and watching films, snuggled up on the sofa. I work in a Post Office part time, and the days I work fall over the bank holiday period, so I have almost two weeks off! Not sure I’ll get any writing done with the two boys about either, but it will be good to relax before the start of another year.

Day 8 & 9 - Sprinkle On Some Sugar

Yesterday, I went with Kieran and his preschool to watch the children in Reception of Castlebatch School do their Christmas performance.  The difference between St Marks and Castlebatch is obvious.  St Marks is a church run school and so we saw a proper nativity.  Joseph, Mary and even the donkey.  With Castlebatch, they sung about Jesus being born in Bethlehem, but it also covered songs celebrating Christmas and what it's about.  It was just as wonderful to watch, amazing that children of four and five years of age can remember so many songs.  The preschoolers sat there, good as gold, mesmerised too.  So cute all of it.

Kieran will be doing a Christmas "concert" next Friday, just before his Christmas party.  I have a slight feeling one of the songs is Christmas Pudding.  I just love how he sings, "sprinkle on the sugar, sprinkle on the sugar." 

Apricot jammed up!

Today, I managed to marzipan my Christmas cake!  Firstly, I met my dad in the morning for a coffee in Druckers, a café in the Sovereign Centre, in town.  He goes there so regularly, when they see him coming, they make his cappuccino!  He chooses the same table, too, which gives us a great view of the new pier.

I finished off a bit of Christmas shopping I needed to do, and by the time I'd filled the car up with petrol and put it through the car wash, (the car was so dirty my lights came on with the auto sensors!) I needed to collect Kieran.

So after we'd had lunch, I rolled up my sleeves, put on my pinnie (apron) and started rolling out the marzipan.  There was no way one block of 500g was going to cover my 23cm Christmas cake.  Dashed around to Tesco's, dragging poor old Kieran along (why is it illegal to leave kids home alone, I mean! He would have been fine watching 'Show Me Show Me' - I am joking!), grabbed another block of marzipan and dashed back home.  Hurrah! Rolled it all out together and it covered my cake nicely.  Panic over. Phew!

Marzipanned up!  Wait till you see me iced.

Now I need to find the time to write my Christmas cards... which I haven't decided how many I'm going to write, or not, yet, but I did buy 50 Christmassy second class stamps yesterday.  Hmmm....  Last year I cut down how many I sent, spreading good will wishes over the internet - much more environmentally friendly and cheaper!

I also need to find time to wrap the presents I've got for family, ideally before the boys break up from school/preschool.  It will be just easier if I don't have 'helpers' and I worry it takes away the magic of Christmas, and wonder if they'll start to question Santa. (Hubby and I usually wrap all of the boys presents one night, while they stay over at Nanny's.  Then we have no fear of them coming down stairs and catching us wrapping their toys!  Not that they usually come down stairs, but it would be Sod's Law...)

Yeah, I've got one week.  Oh joy!

Day 6 - Blog Up To Christmas

I thought I had nothing Christmassy to report today, but as I stood in the shower (that's where I get all my good ideas from and do all my brainstorming - must be the water on my brain!) I realised that I did do something this morning that was Christmas related.

I helped out at Kieran's preschool because they needed more adults to accompany the children, one adult to two children at least, but some only had one child to look after - like me!  The small trip out entailed catching the bus (a double decker) all the way round to St Marks School - yes not even a mile away I doubt - but possibly quicker than trying to get twenty preschoolers to walk there.

We all piled onto the top deck of course, Kieran and I got front seats - which we then had to get off two minutes later.  I bet the other passengers were cursing us.

The little ones watched the Reception class of St Marks School perform the dress rehearsal of their nativity play - so that's two I've seen this year!

Kieran actually sat as good as gold, cuddled up to me.  I'm not sure if he knew what to make of it all - it was rather crowded. 

Then, we all got the bus back - yes, interesting with twenty-odd preschoolers and their teachers and mothers.  We filled the returning bus because it was a small one.  Typical.

We have another trip over to Castlebatch School on Wednesday - to see another nativity play by their Reception classes! That one won't be such a military operation, as we only have to cross the road.  Phew!

Day 2 - The Nativity Play

Day 2 of blogging up to Christmas and I watched my son's second nativity play. 

Unfortunately I am not allowed to post pictures, (the world has gone mad about posting pictures of children) but you know it's nearly Christmas when you watch your child's Christmas performance.

Ben's play was The Lucky Owls.  I suppose when you have 60 kids, (2 classes of 30 children) you need to adapt the story some how.  Ben was a bat.  And a very good one too, if I do say so myself.  Yes, okay I am biased.

It was about two owls, cold at night, trying to find somewhere to sleep, and witnessing the birth of baby Jesus.  So cute!

Lovely performance, and great to watch the little ones.  You can tell they're getting that bit bigger (although only 5 and 6 years old) because they were a bit louder with their singing, did more of the actions to the songs and remembered their short lines better.

Secretly hoping one day he gets to be Joseph, or a shepherd, or even a king!