Boxing Day fun

Having kicked out the last of the family late last night, then crashed on the sofa to unwind, it was almost midnight before we hit the sack for bed. Boxing Day always used to be a day to go out in the car for a long drive then a walk, but we didn't have the energy for that and the weather was rubbish. Finding a dry window in the morning we went for a walk. The three of us all holding hands with Lily swinging between us. Destination, the park. She ran round, swung, jumped and then clambered aboard as my co-pilot for a flight of fantasy.

The big day

I was hoping to put some wonderful arty photo of the festivities up. Bad sadly the camera was only used for a few snaps in the evening. The rest of the day was taken up with shredding wrapping paper, eating, drinking and relaxing with our families. Lily was spoilt rotten and as good as gold all day (well most of it!)

The night before Christmas

Traditionally a time to run madly around getting things sorted and buying last minute presents. This year we appear to have got it all sorted well in advance. There are a couple of bits to wrap (but we won't see the recipients till later in the week) some veg needs preparing (naff TV and a saucepan and peeler on the sofa will take care of that) So today we had nothing to do. Into town to see Kims friend Jason, back from Barcelona for a few days. What started as coffee and a cake turned into to wandering round the shops, lunch and a beer!

Home for Christmas

We got the tree up last weekend and during this week the rest of the festivities have been strung up. Today I finished it off by attaching one of Kims funky wreaths to the door. We are now pretty much ready for the 25th.

Awaiting the fat man

We have managed to bribe Lily a bit. She is aware of Christmas (or Mismas, as she calls it) And following our day decorating the tree and lounge she has got more excited. Kim and her made a little sign to hang on her bedroom door so Santa knows where to go. Daddy put the hook in and Lily hung it up. A real family effort.

Christmas tree collecting

With a week and a bit to go till  Christmas its finally time to start getting the place festive. So we piled in the Camper to go to the garden centre and pick up a tree. With limited space we opted for a small one again. It fitted neatly on the roofrack of the van for an air-cooled trip home.

Bumper advent haul

One of the plus points to staying away all week for work is coming back to find five new doors on the LEGO Star Wars advent calendar to open. AT-ATs, weapons and minifigures galore!

Santa on a superbike

Its become a family tradition now, each year at the beginning of December we go and watch the local Toy Run. 1700 bikers got dressed up and gathered toys then rode out in convoy to a school in Wokingham to hand the presents over to the children. Its a sight to behold as the miles of bikes stream past for almost an hour.

Christmas singalong

Along with seasonal tat shops, tree sellers on the side of the road and festive lights. the Salvation Army band in town entertaining the crowds is a mainstay of Christmas. Today they were in full voice on Broad St for an hour.

Snowman

In the window of John Lewis, they've recreated the snowman from the TV advert. I'm surprised he hasn't melted yet as the shop is roasting!

Dear Santa

Lily is beginning to understand Christmas, she's been to see Santa, opened a few days on her advent calendars and knows that something is happening. We're playing the "you better be good" card and it seems to be working. Today, with help from Kim she wrote to Santa and tucked it in her pouch thats hanging on the kitchen door. Hopefully the fat mans helpers will whisk it away and reply

First day of advent

December the first is the start of advent and the day that millions of advent calendar doors get ripped open all over the country. In our house there are four calendars. Lily has a pair of Peppa Pig versions with chocolates in. Kim has a Percy Pig with raspberry sweeties in and I have the massive LEGO Star Wars version. Picked up in the Argos 3for2 sale last month it brought the price down to a nearly bearable £16.67. Today was the first little kit or a submarine from Phantom Menace.

I'm so dizzy

Its very nearly December, so I'm not too annoyed that Christmas is being plastered everywhere (it has been since mid August!) Wokingham held its annual Winter Carnival today, closing off the streets and allowing stalls to sell crafts and food as well as a funfair. For the first time, Lily was asking to go on the rides and for treats. I know its going to get worse in the future, but she asked so nicely! A ride on the whirling chairs was treated with slight suspicion and then she spied the teacups ride. All the way to Cafe Nero, along all the stalls, at the cash point and whilst buying a Peppa Pig balloon all she kept asking was "I wanna ride teacups Daddy" So for £2 each, Kim and Lily spun round for a few minutes and loved it.

He's making a list

I treated myself to another LEGO minifigure. A new series of them is out with characters from an alien to a deep sea diver and, as its nearly that festive time, Santa. Guess who I got? Anyway I've just started thinking about Christmas and what presents to get. I'm making a list and I'm checking it twice....

Christmas is coming!

Its only just November and already the festive decorations are going up in town. Theres some lights and this rather odd silver tree. I guess it looks better at night!

I like driving in my car

I've been into cars for as long as I can remember. Anything motorised with wheels does it for me, so it was inevitable that Lily would be exposed to some cool cars from an early age. She had her first ride in a classic car (the camper) on route to her first classic car show when she was just three weeks old. Now every child needs their own set of wheels sooner or later and every little girl loves something pink (well our little girl does!) so this combines the best of both worlds. I was over in France for work earlier in the year and spotted these metal bodied ride on toys in a little shop in Calais and thought one would make a nice Christmas present, roll the calendar forward a few months and the online search was turning up some expensive prices in the UK, a chance hit on Amazon led to a French shop that imported them, when combined with some Nectar points and the sale of my old PSP the car cost me £10, bargain. It was built in the kitchen and stored in the garage until it was wrapped and slid under the tree. Ripped open on the 25th Lily was a little nervous at first but soon started pushing it round the lounge and finally getting the hang of slinging her leg over the seat and riding it. Its a pedal car next and then we can start looking at engines!

New Years clean up

I know the twelfth night isn't until friday, but with Lily running round the house and getting into everything it makes sense to pack away when she isn't around. So with her dispatched to my parents till the afternoon we set about de-festivefying the house. Within a few hours the cards were down, the decorations packed and reloaded into the loft and the tree dispatched outside ready to be recycled. It signifies the end of lovely ten days off, relaxing with the family and seeing old friends. Back to work tomorrow.