Blog : Little Lilypad Co

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The Little Lilypad is a lifestyle blog mostly written by a mum to two beautiful, cheeky and entertaining daughters. It is sometimes written by the Man on the Pad or by one of our baby bloggers. Occasionally we accept guest posts too. There is frequently talk of sustainable living, saving money, lifestyle and travel. It is hopefully helpful, sometimes funny and always honest.

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Category: Christmas

  1. On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me .....

    Posted on

    ... a guest post about a nativity so nutty!

    Donna is a slightly crazy Geordie, living in Scotland with her Lancastrian husband and their two sons who were born in Jersey. Confused? So is she most of the time. You can check out her ramblings at http://www.mummycentral.com
     
    Yes, it's that time of year again, when you pay for the privilege of seeing your own child, dressed as a donkey, sing Christmas carols out of tune and totally NOT in time with the music. But still we all roll up, oohing and ahhing, applauding overenthusiastically and trying to take pictures/footage before we get rugby-tackled by the paedophile police. (Because of course, every pervert's dream is an image of a five-year-old, draped in a sheet with a tea-towel on his head!)
     
    nativity (1)
     
    Don't you just love a nativity?
     
    I do and I'm not the only one. Asda announced last week it was giving its staff "nativity leave" over the festive season, so no parent had to miss their child's performance. Having experienced two playgroup shows, where both my boys were Wise Men, and two primary school shows, where my eldest was a donkey and a camel respectively (insert obvious "getting the hump" joke here), I have to say I'm warming to the tradition. And I've noticed certain similarities in all the nativities I've been to - not just in the Christmas story itself (obviously!), but in the types of people I've seen there.
     
    Maybe you've seen one or two yourself. Let me introduce you to them.
     
    Zombie child
    No matter how upbeat and encouraging the teachers are, and how hopeful the faces of the parents in the audience, there's always one kid who would rather chew off their right arm than stand on stage and perform. So they go through the motions, opening and closing their mouth to the music but not uttering the words, totally dead inside. Years from now, you imagine a therapist listening to this tortured individual saying "The feelings of complete and utter despair all started at my school's nativity show"
     
    The "I can do better" mum
    She goes that little bit further with her child's costume. Because she can do better - and quite frankly in her opinion, her child is better.
    All the other mums have put a teatowel on their child's head, secured with a rubber band, as requested by the school for the shepherds. But not this mum. She's stayed up all night, fashioning a head-dress from gold material, which makes her little darling look more like a rich Sheik than a poor sheep-herder. But she doesn't care, as she punches the air and whoops loudly, while other parents look on in wonder, rolling their eyes and blustering at the fact their little ones have been upstaged.
     
    The crying baby
    There’s always a crying baby/toddler in the audience, with a mum sporting a fixed grin and bobbing the infant up and down on her hip, pleading through clenched teeth for the noise to stop. She paid for her ticket too, and endured weeks of listening to her little one practising her songs. She's damned if she's going to miss her daughter's big debut as an angel, despite all the tuts and glares from the rest of the audience.
     
    Jazz hands
    Through countless football lessons, swimming clubs and karate demos, he's been looking for his niche - which he's finally found at the school nativity. While zombie kid tries to disappear in the back row, little Master Jazz Hands does all of the actions in an exaggerated fashion, enunciating his words to full effect. He may not be in a starring role, but he steals the show with his enthusiasm. It's like putting Pavarotti in a karaoke competition. He stands out like a sore thumb. While his mum fishes in her handbag for her iPhone, to look up the website for their nearest stage school, his father wonders if he can get his money back on the personalised Man Utd strip he's bought his son for Christmas.
     
    Screecher teacher
    She's put the kids through weeks of rehearsals, practised the songs until she's singing them in her dreams, and Goddammit she's going to have a perfect opening night - or she might just lose her shit and throw the baby Jesus doll through a window. You can see her rushing around in the background, teeth clenched into the fakest smile you've ever witnessed, screeching at the sound person, making sure the prompt cards are waved in the right direction, and hissing at the kids to start singing on cue. Just one mistake will tip this woman over the edge, and you can't help but pray that one of the kids messes up big style so you can watch the ensuing fireworks.
     
     
    Notice anyone familiar?
  2. Christmas giveaway with Serenata Flowers

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    Flowers are not just for Valentines and Birthdays but Christmas too but often they are overlooked as the perfect gift to send to someone you don't see very often, someone far away or simply .... just because you want to!

    serenata flowers

    We are delighted to have teamed up with the folk at Serenta Flowers to bring this giveaway to you. As an independent florist, Serenata cut out middlemen and offer cheaper flowers by buying flowers direct from the best growers and flower auctions around the world. We are told that their flowers are fresher than what you will find in traditional flower shops in the UK, since they buy flowers internationally delivered to the UK and shipped out via their Free flower delivery service the same day. 

    If you want to be in with a chance to win, simply enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and one lucky winner selected at random will win £35.00 to spend on flowers of their choice from the Serenata website! (Delivery to Mainland UK only)

    serenata flowers1

    Good luck!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    Listed on Prizefinder.com

  3. On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ....

    Posted on

    a guest post from Liz at Cambridge Mummy.

    Why do I love Christmas?

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    1. Because it brings home to me, on what it means to be a Mummy. Being a Mummy at Christmas is a big thing to me, because there was a point where I really didn't think I'd ever be a Mummy, or even find someone who I want to become a parent with. So now that I've been blessed with becoming a Mummy, Christmas is a very special thing for me.

    I love Christmas because I get to see the magic, joy and thrill of the build up to the day itself. I get carried away, to an extent, through my children. I get to go to nativity plays - to feel my heart swell with pride whenever one of our boys so much as looks as me - to see their happiness at me being there to see their one line or one phrase in the play. This year, they are both christmas trees. We've got to judiciously use a glue gun in the morning, or rather, Lovely Bloke, needs to, to transform green sweatshirts into christmas trees. And they've got brown trousers to complete the look. I know that it won't mean much to other people, but to me, it's a special thing, to be part of their lives, shaping their experiences and helping them grow to be even more cool, caring and lovely young men.

    2. Because it's a time for family. I also love Christmas because it's a time when I get to see the love my parents and wider family have for each other. I get to snooze on the sofa in the afternoons whilst my mum and dad play games with the boys. I get to see my husband's face when he gets socks and pants from the people who he begs every year, to not buy them for him. And family, by the way, is not just people that we're related to by blood - for us, family is also the very special friends who make life better, in every way….

    3. Because it reminds me of some of my best memories of my childhood. And finally, I also love Christmas because it brings back some very strong memories for me of my own childhood. I remember wanting to be up early every morning that the tree was up, because I'd be able to get dressed and put my school uniform on in the glow of the lights. I did that for years, even as a teenager! And now, I still love to sit in the dark, with just the glow of the lights….

    Christmas tree lights

     

    Why do you love Christmas?

    Image courtesy of -Marcus & Feelart- at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  4. On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ...

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    Nothing.

    No maids a milking.

    No rhymes, no posts, just a tired mummy after a bit of a sleepless night.

    So on our eighth day of Christmas we bring you the wish of a Silent Night .....

    Silent Night

    Image courtesy of Simon Howden at FreeDigitalPhotos.net