Christmas 2008

A good one - definitely! On Tuesday this week we went to see my friend Joyce's pantomime at Watford - Dick Whittington - she wrote it as well as directing and I'm so proud of her - it was brilliant! Well worth the trip up there. We even got a name check! Terry was most impressed. It made me feel all Christmassy and started the festive week off a treat.

Kirsti and Terry stayed here on Christmas Eve (since my Dad couldn't get home from Kosovo for Christmas, we decided to do it here instead of at my folks' house). We ate steak and latkes (a Reeve-Edwards tradition) and pierogis and mushroom soup (A Reeve-Gonda tradition), watched Muppet Christmas Carol and wrapped hundreds of presents - or that's what it felt like. Oz hung his stocking before bed and wrote Father Christmas the following note "I am Oscar. I have been good. Please bring me lots of presents"


And Father Christmas obliged! Toby got lots of chocolate, Nemo goodies, all sorts...
Oz even got a reply from Father Christmas as well as 2 stockings stuffed to the brim of cars, guns and a fetching pink fluffy handbag which he loves. It's only the second time I've cooked a full Christmas dinner for the whole family - instead of just Rob and I. And I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Perfect turkey -

3 kinds of stuffing (sausagemeat, country and chestnut), roast potatoes in goosefat (divine), roast parsnips, mash potatoes, sprouts and peas. Bread sauce and the best gravy I've made in years finished it off.
Kirsti even filmed it


After lunch we opened presents. I got my heart's desire - a purple Ipod nano - plus speakers to go with it. I also got a surprise from Rob - a proper expresso coffee maker with a steamer spout to make cappuccino! Hoorah! Rob got his heart's desire - an XBox 360 with Halo 3 - he'd wanted it for 2 years..... so even though there's a credit crunch we all did rather well!


Toby got a kitchen and a ton of dinosaurs.


Oscar got a variety of Lightning McQueen toys like a playmat and a customisable McQueen car plus a Leapster game console
A lovely lazy play filled afternoon, cheese board and smoked salmon for tea, much playing with Ipods and Xboxes....

Today we went to Greenwich Playhouse and saw the most AMAZING pantomime - Jack and the Beanstalk - if you can get tickets, do as it was one of the best I've seen (not including Joyce's of course!). I've been messing around with my Ipod most of the evening (rediscovering Alisha's Attic) while Rob blasts aliens into oblivion. I'm about to go have a relaxing bubble bath and an early night.

Hope you all had a wonderful marvellous sparkly Christmas!