Each year feels just that little bit more special at Christmas time. The two bigger girls, in particular, are definitely at an age where they revel in the magic that comes with the festive season, embracing even the smallest gestures. From singing Christmas carols and decorating the tree, to writing letter after letter to Santa and his elves, the excitement builds as we progress through December.

It was a ‘Canberra’ year for Christmas this year, and we had relatively few plans in the lead up to the big day. We headed to the carols with friends the week before, and had an obligatory Santa photo. We also visited our neighbour’s front yard on multiple occasions after the girls’ evening bath – which was adorned with a multitude of lights and other decorations.

Christmas Eve was spent as a family. We played games in the backyard (loving the warmer weather!) and baked cookies – and it was barely past midday before the girls begged to get into their Christmas pyjamas. Carrots were laid out, as was a snack for Santa, and I must say I was a little surprised that the girls crawled into their beds and fell asleep with relatively minimal fuss.

The household was awake by 6am on Christmas morning – although we are generally early risers so this was not unusual. The girls were elated to see that their ‘wish lists’ had been fulfilled – with a new scooter and ukulele for C, a kids camera and baby doll for J and a balance bike for M. The room was filled with excited squeals and an abundance of discarded wrapping paper not long after.

A really lovely part of the day was that we had lots of time. We weren’t due for Christmas lunch / dinner at our Niece’s place until mid-afternoon – meaning that we could spend the morning lazing around – watching the girls playing with their new toys, sipping on cups of coffee. We even headed out for a walk around the lake, before tucking M in for her midday nap.

The afternoon was also rather wonderful. A beautiful lunch / dinner courtesy of our Niece, with all the usual trimmings. Prawns, pork, turkey, ham, roast vegetables – you name it – we had it! The weather was hot, so an afternoon water balloon fight seemed inevitable – which I think was as much fun for the adults as it was for the kids!

Overall it was a beautifully relaxing Christmas season – filled with great food and wonderful company.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.